Influence of Social Media Filters on Plastic Surgery Expectations

By ChiChi Okigbo, Clinical Intern at The Naderi Center for Plastic Surgery and Dermatology

Back in 2014, my family took our annual vacation to the Bahamas. As a family, we were exposed to all the alluring attractions the country had to offer, including zip lining through palm trees, relaxing on white sandy beaches with clear blue water, and exploring the mainland where the natives live. While exploring the village, I asked my mother to take a picture of me while holding a T-Shirt she got me from a nearby shop, but as I viewed the photo she photographed, I noticed that something seemed peculiar. My entire body was 10x lighter in shade in the photo than what it was in real life.

“Mom, what did you do with the photo?” I asked her in confusion.

“I took the photo using my beauty camera filter app. Don’t you look amazing!” she exclaimed. I thought I looked amazing before…

The introduction of filters added onto digital content started off as an innocent way to initiate more fun and personality to the everyday photographs. Snapchat, a social media networking app, was one of the first apps to partake in this, launching child-like filters including the infamous dog and halo filters in January of 2015. Adding these light-hearted and enjoyable filters into the nature of the app instituted the platform’s growth, allowing them to amass over 75 million users by the end of that month (Routley). The rise in popularity of Snapchat filters influenced competing apps, like Instagram, to imitate them and release versions that fit the app’s purpose and main goals. As Snapchat built their platform using photographs and videos to update loved ones about current events happening in one’s life, Instagram became a social media application built on the idea of showcasing perfection to the public. As a result of the core messaging implied, the social networking app launched their version of Snapchat stories in 2017, but instead of including innocent stickers similar to their competition, they added beauty filters to their program, which further reinforces the idea of displaying unrealistic superiority for hundreds to see. Instagram beauty filters allow alterations to one’s natural facial features, making one’s eyes and lips bigger or adjusting one’s nose to look smaller; all traits which mirror Westernized beauty standards. The mimicking of European beauty standards exhibited in social media beauty filters can create problematic self-esteem issues for people of color who do not exhibit those facial features naturally.

Over time, beauty filters have evolved to become more discreet, with most not even knowing a filter was put in place to begin with. The worldwide launch of social media beauty filters has popularized more extreme ways of photo-editing, including the use of Adobe Photoshop and Facetune. These subtle facial adjustments made by beauty filters can lead young impressionable audiences to toxically compare themselves to others online and chase unattainable beauty standards. Because beauty filters alter facial features in more subtle ways rather than drastically, many people turn to plastic surgery in order to achieve the results they may see in their filtered photos.

According to the 2021 annual survey results from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, “79 percent of facial plastic surgeons identify patients seeking procedures for an improved appearance on video conferencing. The now culturally ingrained desire to look better in selfies (aka ‘selfie awareness’ as coined by the AAFPRS) continues to trend up, with 77 percent of members, reporting this as a driving factor for patients – up 35 percent overall since the AAFPRS first identified this trend in 2016” (Kugler). Patients often bring beauty-filtered photos to their consultation as a “reference” for the surgeon to imitate. Patients who practice such flawed surgery preparation fail to comprehend the limitations of quality plastic surgery, ignoring the fact that the alterations done to one’s face by a beauty filter are not attainable results. Several factors go into creating realistic aesthetic work, depending on the age, race, skin thickness, and the overall health of the patient. This type of information is neglected by patients because of the difficulty in understanding that some changes, even if they appear more subtle, are not always feasible. The lack of knowledge about realistic surgery expectations is a major reason why some patients may be unhappy with the plastic surgery results, which can socially and financially hurt a plastic surgery office as well as discourage future plastic surgery patients from receiving the treatment they desire. Too easily is the term “botched” thrown around when plastic surgery results do not fit with one’s expectations, but a well-informed patient would already be aware of realistic results from the beginning, making them less likely to be disappointed by plastic surgery results in the end. Uninformed individuals continuing to undergo cosmetic procedures contribute to the negative stigma behind plastic surgery as a whole, which triggers feelings of shamefulness within current plastic surgery patients.

Unlike uninformed individuals, educated patients embrace such changes and share their positive experiences with others. Karla Barbosa, a wealthy executive with over 31,000 followers on social media, broadcasted that she recently underwent a gold micro infusion facial which minimizes the appearance of pores, creating the illusion of airbrushed skin (Kelly). “It’s like a real-life filter for your face,” she captioned the clip. “Seriously. GLASS SKIN.” As Barbosa explained to CNN Business, “If you want to tweak a photo a bit more to feel a bit more confident … or get a facial or botox filler to make you feel more confident … that’s up to the person and how they feel” (Kelly).

Some people see changing their appearance as a confidence boost; others see it as a problem. Dr. Kamleshun Ramphu spoke to CNN Business and expressed concern about the underlying issues that may direct someone into believing they need plastic surgery in the first place. Dr. Ramphu states “Do teenagers know that these filters don’t reflect changes they need and do these filters make them feel ‘ugly’ and ‘ashamed’ of their current appearance? We need more research to answer these questions” (Kelly). With concerns like Dr. Ramphu’s in mind, some social media platforms have started adding captions that note when a filter has been applied, so viewers know when a photo has been altered. When people can tell what is real, they can make a clearer decision about whether plastic surgery is right for them.

Works Cited

Kelly, Samantha Murphy. “Plastic Surgery Inspired by Filters and Photo Editing Apps Isn’t Going Away.” CNN, Cable News Network, 10 Feb. 2020. View more.

Kugler, Thomas. “American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Inc..” American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 10 Feb. 2022. View more.

Routley, Nick. “Timeline: Looking Back at 10 Years of Snapchat.” Visual Capitalist, 19 July 2021. View more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bring filtered or edited photos to my plastic surgery consultation?

You can bring photos that show what you like, but filters often make changes that surgery cannot reproduce. What is realistic depends on your age, ethnicity, skin thickness and overall health. For rhinoplasty, Dr. Naderi uses computer imaging of your own face to show what can realistically be achieved.

What is “selfie awareness”?

It is the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery’s term for the wish to look better in selfies and on camera. In the academy’s 2021 survey, 77 percent of its members said it was a driving factor for their patients.

Why are some patients unhappy with their plastic surgery results?

A common reason is expectations that were never realistic, sometimes based on filtered photos. Patients who understand from the start what surgery can and cannot do are much less likely to be disappointed.

How does Dr. Naderi decide whether a young patient is ready for rhinoplasty?

The minimum age is 14, but age alone doesn’t decide it: he looks at the person’s mindset and tries to find out whether they want surgery themselves or are being pushed by friends or relatives. He sometimes asks young patients to come back for another conversation, or to return in a year or two. He advises against surgery when it isn’t in the patient’s best interest.