Nothing is the same after COVID-19, including the world of plastic surgery. From offices shutting down during the strictest portions of lockdown to drive-through med spa procedures, there have been many changes and plenty of innovation. For better and for worse, COVID-19 and plastic surgery are changing the game. Here are some of the differences you need to be aware of.
Reduced Demand
Interest in plastic surgery has long been on an upward trajectory, with procedures over the last two decades increasing by over 160 percent. However, coronavirus has resulted in fewer surgeries performed.
This makes sense. First of all, many hospitals and surgical centers banned elective procedures during certain portions of lockdown, meaning that plastic surgery was halted for a period of weeks or even months. Then there is the fact that for some people, money is incredibly tight at the moment.
But this decreased demand is not the same as a lack of interest. In fact, for many, interest in plastic surgery is increasing thanks to having more time to consider it and virtual meetings that put their face on the computer screen all day.
Bringing Telemedicine to Cosmetic Surgery
If you are thinking about plastic surgery more now than ever before, you are not alone.
Perhaps the biggest plastic surgery trend of 2020 is the virtual consult. While this has been used by plastic surgeons for years with those who live too far from their office, this year has brought it into the mainstream.
For many practices, everything was online for several months, and even those practices that have since opened their doors are finding that many clients want to start online.
While the virtual consult is a good start for planning and asking questions, it is important that clients know it is just a first step. Any quality plastic surgeon will ask to see their clients in person whenever possible before jumping to surgery.
Altered Office Visits
Practices that have reopened have done so with lots of measures in place to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission. This means that the office visit you may have anticipated back in February will look quite different.
Many practices are only allowing the patient inside, which means you’re no longer bringing others into the waiting room, much less the consultation. Temperature checks are standard, as is the enforcement of mask and glove-wearing for all parties. Doctors tend to schedule appointments with large gaps in between, ensuring there is only one client at a time, and everything can be sufficiently sanitized between patients.
Focus on Med Spa Treatments
For many clients, the idea of surgery right now is overwhelming, from managing recovery with children home all day to worrying about catching the virus during recovery. However, med spa treatments don’t come with the same concerns. As a result, interest in injectables and non-surgical body sculpting has remained steady or even increased. Some practices are pivoting to focus more on these treatments, even offering drive-thru service for fillers.
A New Aesthetic
While the impact of the virus on the “ideal” aesthetic has yet to be fully realized, there is a shift towards a more natural look. Many people have pulled back on their beauty routine at home, living with their gray hairs and putting down the lip liner. And people have become more comfortable with a less made-up appearance as a result.
This means that even when someone is interested in enhancing their appearance, they are unlikely to go as extreme as they would have pre-pandemic. There is more focus on things like anti-aging than on lip injections, for example.
Ultimately, the world of plastic surgery has changed for the moment, and potentially for the long haul. Many of these changes directly benefit clients, and certainly, they are encouraging innovation in the field. Perhaps 2020 is the ideal year for those who have been contemplating surgery to take the plunge.
Dr. Lee B. Daniel is board certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and General Surgery. He is a member of numerous societies including the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
