Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic On Patient Social Media Use and Acceptance of Cosmetic Procedures.

Objective: We sought to explore facets of social media usage and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the acceptance of cosmetic procedures.

Methods: At an outpatient dermatology clinic from October 2019 to June 2022, 175 subjects who were English and Spanish speaking and aged 18 years or older were recruited. Participants completed a questionnaire including demographic information, social media usage, perceptions of cosmetic procedures, and desire to have a cosmetic procedure. Results were grouped into a pre-COVID-19 pandemic group and post-COVID-19 pandemic group due to a natural experiment that arose. Data were analyzed to ascertain the effect of social media usage and other factors that impact desire to undergo a cosmetic procedure between patients before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: Factors resulting in differences in desire to have a cosmetic procedure included using photo editing applications (=0.002), following celebrities and influencers on social media (<0.001), and following social media accounts showing cosmetic results (=0.013). There was a statistically significant change in number of participants that: followed social media accounts showing results of cosmetic procedures (pre-COVID: 31.9%, post-COVID: 50.6%, =0.036); had thought about having a cosmetic procedure done (pre-COVID: 63.8%, post-COVID: 86.4%, <0.001); had discussed cosmetic procedures with a physician, dermatologist, or other professional (pre-COVID: 43.6%, post-COVID: 67.9%, =0.001); and believed that a cosmetic procedure would help their self-esteem (pre-COVID: 47.9%, post-COVID: 77.8%, <0.001).

Limitations: Limitations of this study include response bias, recall bias, and single institution study design, limiting generalizability.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that time spent on social media and use of photo-editing applications significantly contributes to desire to undergo a cosmetic procedure and contributed to the rise of cosmetic consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic.