AestheticsWire Exclusive: AAFPRS Survey Shows Plastic Surgery Zoom Boom Likely Here to Stay
When it comes to requests for facial plastic surgery, the Zoom Boom is real and will likely continue to keep cosmetic doctors busy for years to come, according to the 2020 statistics from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS).
Seventy percent of AAFPRS surgeons report an increase in bookings and treatments over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 9 out of 10 facial plastic surgeons indicating an increase of more than 10 percent.
More than 80 percent of AAFPRS members say the “Zoom effect” is a major contributing factor to this growth, while patients having more disposable income due to not spending it elsewhere is a strong second.
“We will still be looking at ourselves on Zoom in the coming years, and as more people get vaccinated and feel safer, we should see this upward trend for some time,” says Paul J. Carniol, MD, AAFPRS President and founder of Carniol Plastic Surgery in Summit, NJ. “Unlike selfies and video editing apps like TikTok and Reels on Instagram, the video conferencing used for school, work, and ZOOMing with family and friends does not allow for filtering capabilities, making it a particularly easy lens for self-scrutiny.”
And today’s facial plastic surgery patients are choosing surgeries over minimally invasive procedures, he says. Fully three-quarters of the work done by AAFPRS members in 2020 was facial plastic surgery. Rhinoplasty (78 percent), facelifts (69 percent), eye lifts (65 percent), and neck lifts/treatments (58 percent) increased most notably in 2020.
Patients age 56 or older represent a lower percentage of patients overall in 2020, perhaps due to concerns about COVID-19, while demand in the under 30 age group remains strong, even during a pandemic, AAFPRS reports. The most common procedure among patients under 34 years old is rhinoplasty, which remains consistent from 2018 and 2019.
Patients’ top concerns regarding surgery changed a lot in the last year, with cost topping the consideration chart for the first time. Other top concerns included looking unnatural and recovery time, which was unsurprisingly down from 2019 as people worked from home and socialized less.
Decline in Non-surgical Treatments
For the first time in years, AAFPRS members report non-surgical treatment demand decreasing in 2020. The average amount of minimally invasive procedures was down by 9 percent compared to 2019, driven by a decline in skin treatments (down 29 percent) and fillers (down 8 percent). Neurotoxins and Botox remained consistent with 2019 demand.
Fillers may continue to see a dip due to reports of facial swelling in filler patients who have received COVID-19 vaccines, he says.“Our patients are all asking about this so it makes sense that the ones who are staying home are also concerned,” he says. Putting time between fillers and vaccinations makes sense for some patients, he adds. This potential side effect tends to resolve quickly when treated with antihistamines or steroids.
The annual member survey also found that many patients are still after that real-life filtered look, with 75 percent of surgeons detailing patients seeking cosmetic procedures to look better in selfies — up 33 percent overall since the AAFPRS first identified this ‘selfie awareness’ trend in 2016.
Women continue to be the most likely patients for facial plastic surgery, with neurotoxins (72 percent), fillers (61 percent), and rhinoplasty (52 percent) topping the 2020 wish list. Hair transplantation is the only procedure for which men far surpass women. While most neurotoxin/Botox treatments were for female patients, last year saw a 27 percent increase in AAFPRS members reporting these injectables as one of the top three treatments for male patients.
Otoplasty has the most gender equality, with 55 percent of survey participants saying the procedure is gender balanced. Coincidentally, “We’ve been hearing from a lot of patients that ears are a feature that stand out to them on video conferencing calls,” shares Dr. Carniol.
As for celebrity influence, 83 percent of surgeons indicate that everyone from A-Listers to vloggers to reality stars have a moderate-to-high level of influence on patient requests for facial plastic surgery — about the same as 2019, which saw an increase of 21 percent compared to 2016.
The 2020 AAFPRS annual member survey was conducted in December 2020 by ACUPOLL Precision Research, Inc. through an online survey from a select group of the organization’s 2,200 members.