Surgeries for selfies surge

Plastic surgeons have seen a surge in people getting plastic surgery to take better selfies. 

According to the 2017 annual survey by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), 55% of their members met patients who want to look better in selfies.

This was up from 13% in 2016, with the trend first spotted three years ago. 

"For a few years, AAFPRS members have been at the forefront of this trend," said AAFPRS president Dr William H. Truswell.

"More and more of our patients are using social media as a forum to gain a sense of solidarity when under-going a major, potentially life-changing procedure. Consumers are only a swipe away from finding love and a new look, and this movement is only going to get stronger," he said. 

Another factor pushing people to get plastic surgery is to look good enough for their jobs. 

AAFPRS found that 57% of facial plastic surgeons reported patients' desire to stay relevant and competitive at work as a major driver in the decision to have a cosmetic treatment – they usually choose less invasive techniques so they can go back to work quickly.

AAFPRS said another trend was younger people taking measures to ward of the signs of aging. 

 "As more Millennials come of age and gain disposable income for aesthetic treatments, our members have seen steady growth in the demand for cosmetic procedures," said Dr Truswell.

He added that the emerging segment was knowledgeable about high tech skincare and sun damage prevention and started with facial injectables before they turn thirty. 

The average number of procedures performed by AAFPRS members saw a 25% increase since 2012.

Of those, 56% of members saw an increase in cosmetic surgery or injectables with patients under age 30 last year and over four-fifths of treatments in 2017 were cosmetic non-surgical procedures.

The AAFPRS was the world's largest specialty association for facial plastic surgery, representing more than 2,500 facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons throughout the world.