The Impact of Social Media on Breast Augmentation
You might be surprised to learn that social media plays a significant role in women deciding to undergo breast augmentation, but a survey conducted during 2017-2018 demonstrated convincingly that it’s true. The survey found that millennials and Generation X individuals made the most frequent use of social media, and that the platforms most often used were Instagram, Facebook, and sometimes their physician’s website.
Social Media Usage
So, what were the reasons that breast augmentation patients used social media? In many cases, patients were adding to their personal knowledge of the procedure and what they could expect. Sometimes they were also comparing the results obtained by their prospective physician with the results of other specialists in the field. At the time the survey was conducted, breast augmentation was the single most performed cosmetic procedure, and it remains so today.
That being the case, many physicians and cosmetic surgeons make liberal use of social media as well, for advertising and educational purposes. The most accessed information on social media by would-be patients were the before and after photos of results achieved by surgeons. This was most useful to prospective patients because it gave them a strong visual representation of what could be achieved.
Women electing to undergo breast augmentation are most commonly in the age group between 23 and 38, which corresponds to the approximate age group identified as the millennials. Physicians have this information because they have conducted their own research, so as to know where to focus their marketing and advertising efforts. Knowing that women of the appropriate age group were using social media to bolster their decisions, it only remained for cosmetic surgeons to learn which platforms were being used by patients most frequently.
Survey Results
Of the 125 women who participated in this survey, the average age was slightly over 33, and the platform they used most often to learn about breast augmentation was Instagram. Slightly more than 54% of all women in this survey used Instagram to learn more about the procedure, to find previous results obtained by their surgeon, and to view before and after photos of other cases. Of the women in the survey, more than 97% reported that they had used social media during the discovery and educational phase.
There were only two baby boomers included in the survey, and both reported no usage of social media whatsoever. Of course, there was a far different story among millennials, Gen X’s, and Gen Z patients, who made liberal use of their favorite platforms during the investigative phase. Survey results showed that only 18% of participants referred to their physician’s website for informational purposes. This figure jumps up dramatically, to 57%, among those patients who wanted to view prior results obtained by their physician in the past.
Why Social Media?
In the cosmetic surgery industry, social media is perceived as a highly effective marketing tool, which can be used to great effect by specialists within the field, and in a number of different ways. A full 58% of the physicians who were surveyed stated that the usage of social media was absolutely inevitable in their field, and of those, 34% reported that it already had a positive impact on their practices.
Given the fact that a majority of patients who undergo breast augmentation desire to use social media for educational and comparative purposes, it’s easy to see why various platforms would be used frequently. Couple that with the cosmetic surgeons’ awareness of this tendency, and that explains why professionals are also eager to have a presence on social media, so as to reach out to potential patients.
Impact of social media on breast augmentation patients
The bottom line about the impact of social media on patients is that it proved useful to many of the women who participated in the specific survey from 2017-2018. They use their preferred platforms to educate themselves about exactly what’s involved in the procedure, including any risks or possible health issues. They also made use of social media to learn about success rates and results obtained by physicians, including their own.
The survey results made it clear that the single most important factor in patients using social media for this purpose was their relatively young age. The majority of the women between 23 and 38 all made liberal use of social media, whereas the two baby boomers in the survey made no use of it at all. From this, it can be concluded that young people are far more inclined to educate themselves about a particular topic by turning to social media resources.
To summarize, for an invasive type of surgery like breast augmentation, patients are understandably anxious about the outcome, and will seek to educate and reassure themselves with information available on their favorite sources of info, which are often social media. Many patients found the kind of information they were looking for, usually because cosmetic surgeons have placed that information there in an effort to advertise their own specialties.
Sources
1. https://academic.oup.com/asj/article/40/8/917/5575636
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