If you spend time on social media, particularly sites that tend to focus on pictures, such as Instagram or SnapChat, you likely have already come to the realization that people with accounts on these sites love to take and post selfies, or pictures they have taken of themselves. It can seem as though for every picture they post of their lunch or their pets, they post at least three of themselves.

In fact, recent research has shown that people do post more selfies on social media sites than they do of any other images. More than one million people use their smart phones to take selfies and then upload them to social media sites every day. Google reported that 24 billion selfies were uploaded just in 2015. The selfie phenomenon has become so commonplace that even the Oxford Dictionary finally had to acknowledge it by adding in a definition: A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam, and shared via social media.

One interesting by-product of the selfie phenomenon is a dramatic increase in requests for plastic surgical and non-surgical facial procedures to appear more attractive online. It certainly would seem that these plastic surgeries are specifically for patients to look better for selfies. Dr. Paul Pin has even seen this trend within his own practice.

Plastic Surgery to Look Better for Selfies

The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) conducts an annual survey of its member surgeons to track various trends within the field. In 2014, a surprising 30 percent of the surgeons it surveyed reported that patients specifically said that they wanted to undergo facial procedures in order to look better in their pictures that they posted to social media. Of those patients who wanted facial procedures to look better on social media, 13 percent said they were self-conscious about their current facial appearance and hoped the facial procedure would help them overcome that. Furthermore, the surgeons who responded to the survey reported increased interest in facial procedures among patients under the age of 30, which is the same age group that posts the largest percentage of those 24 billion selfies each year.

Interestingly, this connection between facial cosmetic procedures and selfies was not confined just to general interest in facial procedures. Between 2012 and 2013, survey respondents reported a 10 percent increase in specific requests for rhinoplasties (nose jobs), a 7 percent increase in requests for hair transplants, and a 6 percent interest in requests for eyelid surgery.

Given the ways in which the Internet has become our primary means of communication, it should not be surprising that many people are exploring online dating sites as places to connect with potential romantic partners. Sites such as OKCupid and eHarmony are doing business in people seeking somebody who shares their interests and outlook on life. Therefore, it makes sense that people on those sites want to put their best face forward for potential mates. Plastic surgery can help them achieve those goals.