Social media are changing the way patients obtain advice and information about cosmetic surgery before choosing a procedure, a survey has shown.
The 2011 American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) membership study, released on Feb. 9, found that 42% of patients obtained plastic surgery information from social networking sites, up from 29% in 2010, while 48% reported receiving information from friends, down from 63% in 2010.
"We are encouraged by the possibilities that Facebook, Twitter, and other social channels offer for prospective patients, but urge all patients to exercise caution in researching facial plastic procedures to ensure information is from a reliable source," AAFPRS President Tom D. Wang said in a press release about the survey. "There’s a great deal of misinformation out there."
In response to the survey results, social media expert Dr. Jeffrey Benabio said, "The whole social networking phenomenon has changed the position of patients to some extent. In many ways it makes them more empowered than they were before. They’re actually coming to us with information that previously they didn’t have access to. Oftentimes it’s very good information. Sometimes it’s not."
However, added Dr. Benabio, a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, "it’s important for physicians to acknowledge that your patient [who brings you information from the Internet] is engaged; your patient is trying to learn. ... Look at what they [bring to you], and don’t dismiss it out of hand because it’s going to be the norm of the future that patients will either supplement what we provide them as physicians or else bypass us altogether to get information about their health."
The survey results also found that 63% of procedures performed by facial plastic surgeons were cosmetic versus reconstructive in nature, with Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) and hyaluronic acid injections leading the way.
Survey respondents reported rhinoplasty as the most common surgical procedure in 2011, followed by blepharoplasty, face-lift, ablative skin resurfacing, and lip augmentation. The majority of surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed on patients aged 35-60 years, with the exception of rhinoplasty, which was mostly performed on patients aged 22-34 years. The majority of all surgical and nonsurgical procedures (82%) were performed on women.
The 2011 survey revealed certain differences, compared with AAFPRS membership surveys conducted in previous years. For example, the overall number of procedures performed in 2011 was down 6% from 2010, yet was up 36% from 2008. This was driven by an 11% rise in cosmetic nonsurgical procedures. In addition, the average costs of most surgical and nonsurgical procedures decreased in 2011, with the exception of otoplasty, implants, and chemical peels.
One-quarter or more of respondents reported an increase in the proportion of procedures performed among ethnic populations in 2011. White patients topped the list, increasing 37% compared with 2010, followed by a corresponding 14% increase in Hispanic patients, an 11% increase in Asian American patients, and a 9% increase in black patients.
Black and Hispanic patients were most likely to have received rhinoplasty in 2011 (88% and 67%, respectively). Asian Americans were most likely to have received blepharoplasty (56%) or rhinoplasty (35%), while white patients were more likely to have received rhinoplasty (41%), followed by face-lifts (34%).
The full survey can be downloaded at www.aafprs.org.