Since the start of the pandemic, many working people have had to favor videoconferencing over face-to-face work for many months, and this has amplified certain physical complexes. Disturbed by the constant vision of their own image on their computer screen, people have focused on their flaws, and started to hide with filters that enhance their image. Today, when wearing a mask and teleworking are no longer compulsory, many people can no longer bear their complexes about their face, and run to make an appointment with professionals to “correct” these “defects”, which bothered them so much during videoconferences.
“Zoom dysmorphia”, what is it?
Shadi Kourosh, a Massachusetts dermatologist, coined the term “Zoom dysmorphia” after her clinic reopened to in-person appointments last summer. She had then seen a huge increase in consultations for cosmetic procedures. “With all the other concerns we had at hand, I was surprised at how anxious people were about their appearance”, Kourosh told the British newspaper The Guardian. The cause is quite simple: looking at yourself through a filter that hides imperfections makes it more difficult to accept your true self-image. In addition, the dermatologist denounces the fact that looking at yourself during a videoconference can generate perception biases. For example, front-facing cameras combined with close focus can distort people’s appearance, making eyes look smaller and noses look bigger. One may also tend to squint at the screen, which can make the face appear to have more wrinkles around the eyes. The increasingly photoshopped faces of influencers on social networks are also vectors of this “dysmorphia”. Demand for cosmetic procedures is therefore fueled by the proliferation of Snapchat and Instagram selfies and filters, which give users a glimpse of what they could look like with a few touch-ups. The contrast to the actual unadorned image can be so stark that it can cause this blurring of self-vision.
The return to normal increases the complexes
With the return to normal, the physical complexes increased. With mask-wearing no longer mandatory, 71% of respondents in a UK study were anxious about returning to in-person events. Three out of ten intended “to invest in their appearance” to put an end to these “defaults” images that disturb them.
Less invasive techniques appeal to all types of audiences
Worldwide, more than 14 million non-surgical procedures were performed in 2020, even in the midst of the pandemic, compared to less than 13 million two years earlier. This increase would be due to the development of non-invasive techniques. According to research firm Research and Markets, global sales of non-invasive cosmetic treatments, which represent around $60 billion, could more than triple by 2030. Much of this growth will come from injections, such as botox and other substances that freeze facial muscles or dermal fillers that plump soft tissue, and other laser resurfacing methods or chemical peels. These techniques appeal to both men and women, who wish to have fewer wrinkles, fuller lips and clearer jaws. However, some incautious patients may fall into the trap of clandestine operations, cheap injections that can cost dearly in health complications.
Beware of aesthetic slippages
As Dr. Adel Louafi, plastic surgeon and president of the National Union of Plastic Surgery, quoted by Francetvinfo, denounces, more and more patients disfigured by infected hyaluronic acid injections contact him, after failed interventions: “When it is injected incorrectly, it can lead to disasters because it will clog vessels. It can go up in the eye, cause blindness, go up in the brain, cause cerebral accidents, or burn the face”he warns.