Why is Plastic Surgery so Popular?

Dan Voltz
Dan Voltz
Sep 7, 2018 · 4 min read

These days, it seems there are no end to plastic surgery advertisements. No matter where you travel in the world, you can’t help but notice billboard for Botox or flyers for facelifts. So why is plastic surgery so popular? And, if the statistics are to be believed, why does it get more popular year after year?

What Does it Mean if Plastic Surgery is Popular?

As somebody who does marketing for plastic and cosmetic surgeons, this question is particularly interesting to me. In no small part that’s because I want to make sure that the messages regarding plastic surgery are reaching the right audiences.

That means taking some time to really dig into what makes a plastic surgery patient tick — where the specific appeal lies for each individual patient. After all, each and every patient is going to respond to cosmetic and plastic surgery differently. Yet there’s still something driving this overall popularity. I can only share what my own observations and research have led me to believe over the years.

Self Esteem and Plastic Surgery

The first step here is to disabuse anyone of the notion that only people with really low self esteem go in for plastic surgery. That is not the case at all. In fact, the vast majority of plastic surgery patients have a pretty good overall self image (and let’s not forget that self-esteem is derived from many different sources).

For plastic surgery patients, the entire process is much more about self image than it is about self-esteem. Let’s put it this way: you have a certain image of what you look like in your head. The differences between that image and reality might cause some friction, and for some people that friction could be a constant source of discomfort.

Plastic surgery is generally used to eliminate that friction (to the degree possible) and help the patient feel more comfortable with him or herself. It’s not always going to bring about perfect happiness or bliss (and if that’s what you have in mind, most plastic surgeons would dissuade you from seeking surgery). Most patients are told, time and again, to maintain realistic expectations. That’s definitely part of it.

Less Pain Than Before

Plastic surgeons, thus, have become quite adept at helping people achieve that balance between reality and their self image. But that’s not the only reason plastic surgery has become so popular. The other side of it has to do with the cost. Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery has never been easier or less painful to achieve.

And that certainly drives some of this popularity. Among the most popular new procedures are those which are non surgical: Botox and dermal filler injection, Kybella, and even non surgical nose job procedures.

So there are two things happening here:

  • Surgical procedures are becoming ever less invasive. So if you want a facelift or a breast augmentation or something like that, you can get through recovery and enjoy your results with more expediance than ever before.
  • Non surgical procedures are starting to give surgical operations a little more competition. The non surgical nose job, for example, can make significant changes to the nose without the need for surgery.

Combined, these two trends mean that more patients are spending less time recovery from plastic and cosmetic surgery. This makes plastic surgery, overall, significantly more accessible to an ever wider variety of patients. The fact that there’s less discomfort associated with a given procedure means that procedure will likely become even more popular — there’s less getting in the way of a happy, satisfied patient.

Results Will Vary

When marketing for plastic and cosmetic surgeons, it’s important to emphasize that results will vary from patient to patient. There’s no getting around the natural variability inherent in all of us. And, ultimately, that’s also true when it comes to the popularity of plastic surgery. There’s always a personal element driving the decision to undergo any given procedure.

Broadly speaking there are a few basic reasons that plastic surgery is more popular now than ever before:

  • Procedures tend to be less invasive and less uncomfortable
  • Generally speaking, procedures also tend to be safer than they once were
  • Results are better and more natural looking than they used to be
  • There are significantly more options for patients now than in the past

And yet, even with all of those options, it still often comes down to one personal decision to undergo a given procedure. That part of the equation can’t be factored out if you’re trying to figure out why plastic surgery is so popular these days.

Less Stigma About Plastic Surgery

Finally, it’s worth talking about the stigma surrounding plastic surgery. The modern climate seems to less intensely stigmatize cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures (and the patients who undergo those procedures), and the importance of that can’t be underestimated.

Many patients who undergo plastic surgery are looking to escape a certain kind of discomfort — sometimes emotional, sometimes physical. When patients are able to do this, it can literally change their lives. That fewer patients are being hampered by social stigmas and that can only be a good thing.

Why is plastic surgery so popular these days? Thankfully, it’s mostly for good reasons.

Dan Voltz

Written by

Dan Voltz

I am a copywriter, SEO-guru, and marketer working in several fields. Most often I’m writing articles on plastic surgery or other medical & heath-related topics.

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