Americans fall under the knife to look like after filters in social networks

American doctors are alarmed by a new trend that is actively developing on social networks. People want to look in real life the way they see themselves after using Snapchat or Facetune filters, which is why they turn to plastic surgeons. The phenomenon has even been called “Snapchat dysmorphia.”

Фото: Depositphotos

According to dermatologists at Boston University School of Medicine, people are looking for surgeons who can help them look like a filtered version of themselves - with fuller lips, larger eyes or a thinner nose, says Time.

“This is a worrying trend as those who use the filter often achieve unattainable looks, blurring the line between reality and fantasy for themselves,” experts say.

According to doctors, the trend contrasts with the aspirations of patients of the past, who wanted to be like celebrities. The article by the authors of the study, published in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, states that an increasing number of people today are interested in the effect of maximum facial symmetry, and not in small corrections, such as smoothing the nose.

The term “Snapchat dysmorphia” comes from the so-called body dysmorphic disorder, which is characterized by an obsession with physical defects, including those that may be completely invisible to others. Although Snapchat dysmorphia is not a clinically diagnosable disorder, the authors write that undergoing surgery to make unrealistic changes in appearance may contribute to or worsen the disorder.

Photo: depositphotos.com

Snapchat representatives have not yet responded to requests for comment. A Facetune spokesperson stated that "Facetune and Facetune 2 actually break the illusion of the ideal body." Everyone from famous supermodels to your aunt uses them, and everyone knows that everyone does. It would be naive to think otherwise. The playing field is the same for everyone.”

Snapchat-dysmorphia may be a relatively new phenomenon, but other studies previously conducted show that social media contributes to changing how people perceive themselves. According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, about 55% of facial plastic surgeons say that men who have come to the plastic surgery of the nose, partly because the nose looks like 30% larger on a selfie. A study conducted in 2015 among adolescent girls showed that those who regularly published and edited photos on social networks were much less pleased with their bodies than others.

Taken together, these results indicate an alarming trend, write the authors of JAMA.

“Overall, social media apps like Snapchat and Facetune are creating a new reality of beauty for modern society,” they write. “It could be argued that these apps make us lose touch with reality because we expect ourselves to look as perfectly coiffed and filtered in real life as we do in photos.”

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