Since reopening their practices following the first COVID-19 shutdowns, plastic surgeons and dermatologists have had a surge of patients, and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down any time soon. Physical signs of anxiety and stress due to COVID 19, job uncertainty, civil unrest, racism, and senseless killings have increased. Maskne, hair loss, and body changes have all happened to us in quarantine. An increase in Zoom meetings have forced us to look at ourselves in a new light. People are looking at themselves more, and for longer periods of time. Aesthetic and cosmetic procedures are a way to invest in ourselves during stressful times, as well as increase confidence in appearance.
Working From Home Means More Downtime To Recover From Surgery
This spike likely has to do with plastic surgery generally spiking during vacation periods. While Covid-19 is not a vacation, more people are required to work from home, which allows for more time and flexibility during the recovery period post-surgery. For example, students, are a large portion of those who get rhinoplasty, have a longer possible healing period with adjusted college calendars having a longer winter break than usual. As well, those who have thought about plastic surgery earlier, especially patients who had previously had consultations, now have the downtime to heal from surgery. Because less is open and most people are staying home more, people are getting more procedures done.
Virtual Plastic Surgery Consultations Are Safe And Just As Effective As In Person
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyday life in many ways. Our practice is taking the utmost precautions to ensure a safe environment for our patients. Due to the pandemic, some new protocols and changes have been implemented to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Virtual Plastic Surgery Consultations
A Diversion Of Income: People Are Planning Plastic Surgeries, Not Vacations
Those who still have a steady income during COVID now have the extra money, or those who have saved money with eating out less, less shopping, and cancelled vacations. This coupled with uncertainty about what winter will look like in terms quarantine has led more people to feeling that now is the best chance for change.
Board Certified Plastic Surgeons Can Operate In Their Own Facilities, Making It Safer During COVID
The COVID-19 protocols have not been loosed by physicians upon reopening. Since many plastic surgeons perform surgery in private office surgical suites, it’s a safe place to go during the pandemic. Offices are clean, disinfected, fever checks are required, all employees wear masks, and they limit the amount of people who are allowed inside. As well, patients must test negative for COVID before surgery.
According to the ABPS, board-certified plastic surgeons can only operate in properly certified facilities and can only perform procedures in the office for which they also have hospital privileges. They must have transfer privileges to at least one local hospital in case of an emergency.
Healthline: Here’s the Difference Between a Cosmetic and Plastic Surgeon
So, what are the most common procedures during COVID? Injectables and lip fillers are quite common, even with constant mask wearing, a testament to the idea that patients want procedures for themselves, not necessarily the outside world. Instead of coming in for smaller procedures that require more sessions to see improvement, people are going for larger, more invasive procedures that see faster results. This is likely due to increased downtime due to many businesses being closed. Facelifts, lip lifts, blepharoplasties (or eye lifts), and neck procedures, especially those that help tighten the jowls. Body contouring like liposuction, tummy tucks, CoolSculpting, and Emsculpt have become more common as well. It’s much easier to hide things like swelling and blotchiness from skin treatments over zoom. It’s also quite easy to change the lighting or sit in a certain way where bruising and healing after surgery is easily hidden, especially for body surgeries.
Cosmetic procedures have been shown to make us feel better about ourselves and increase out self-esteem. This seems to add some tranquility in these turbulent times.
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