‘ Snapchat Dysmorphia ’ : Selfies, Photo Filters Driving People To Plastic Surgery, Doctors Say

BOSTON (CBS News) — Plastic surgeons are sounding the alarm on a disturbing trend that’s emerged with the growing popularity of social media: patients seeking cosmetic surgery to resemble how they see themselves in Snapchat filters. The phenomenon, dubbed “Snapchat dysmorphia,” has people requesting fuller lips, bigger eyes, or a thinner nose in order to look like the filtered or photo-edited versions of themselves. “This is an alarming trend because those filtered selfies often present an unattainable look and are blurring the line of reality and fantasy for these patients,” researchers from Boston University School of Medicine’s Department of Dermatology wrote in a recent article, published in the medical journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. In the past, photo-retouching technology was only widely available for models and celebrities for use in magazines and advertisements. But today, with apps like Snapchat and Facetune, one swipe gives everyone the power to smooth out skin, whiten teeth and make eyes and lips look bigger. “Now, it is not just celebrities propagating beauty standards: it is a classmate, a coworker, or a friend. The pervasiveness of these filtered images can take a toll on one’s self esteem, make one feel inadequate for not looking a certain way in the real world,” the doctors write. They say it may even “act as a trigger” and lead to the development of body dysmorphic disorder, or BDD,...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Boston News Health Local TV Plastic Surgery SnapChat Source Type: news