Pandemic Influences on New York Cosmetic Surgery Trends
It goes without saying that the worldwide pandemic has impacted everything we do. Here in New York, our cosmetic surgery practice closed down completely for three months as we maintained strict safety precautions and waited to find out if local health organizations needed our services or equipment.
Now that things are opening up, we’re just about back to business as usual. We thought you might be interested in hearing a little about where the industry stands as the pandemic (crossing our fingers) seems to be on the wane, and what we’re seeing on the New York cosmetic surgery front.
One of the professional societies we belong to, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), recently issued a press release that talks about the strange times we’ve been through. Noting that the number of procedures across the industry fell last year, they pointed out that the decrease generally matched the period plastic surgeons weren’t operating. That makes sense.
The Influence of Zoom
New in pandemic times is the mark Zoom has made. Rhinoplasty, or nose surgery, headed the ASPS’s list of top procedures for the first time in a long time. What’s more, three out of the top five popular surgeries focused squarely on the face: nose surgery, eyelid surgery and facelifts.
Prior to the pandemic, we noticed that selfies and Skype had some impact on people seeking facial cosmetic surgery in New York with us, but the almost ubiquitous use of Zoom has taken the trend to new heights. Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, has always been a leading procedure we perform, and we see that continuing into the future.
Life at Home
The ASPS made mention of the fact that as people work completely or partly at home these days, they have more time available for post-procedure recovery. Downtime is sometimes an obstacle for men and women who would like to have surgical treatment, and pandemic has made it less of an issue for significant numbers of people.
In fact, this particular period when the pandemic is almost, but not quite, in the rear-view mirror, there seems to be a bit of a pent-up demand for cosmetic surgery. In a survey of women who had had cosmetic surgery or minimally-invasive procedures, the ASPS found 35% planned to spend more on them in the future than before the pandemic.
Living in the Moment
Finally, having been through a tough time seems to be prompting many to seize opportunities to have the best life they can. In surveying women, the ASPS found 11% more said they were interested in plastic surgery than before the pandemic. The figure was more than twice that high among women who had already undergone a cosmetic procedure.
In our offices here in New York, cosmetic surgery inquiries are in step with that finding, and also in line with our specialties. We have led the way in gynecomastia surgery for men for decades, and interest in banishing man boobs is certainly very healthy these days. The virus may be serving as just the little nudge some guys need to get in here and get there moobs taken care of for once and for all.
We are also pleased to be performing many gender affirming surgeries. Consultations for female to male top surgery and male to female top surgery are on the rise for us and have been for some time. Patients feel comfortable working with us due to our expertise in male and female breast surgery and our sensitivity to people with gender dysphoria. The word is out in this community, and we’re proud to serve them.
We would be very happy to work with you too! Give us a call at 212-570-6080 today.
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