According to cosmetic surgeons, the pandemic in Germany has further increased the desire for an appealing “zoom face” in work and private life. The Association of German Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (VDÄPC) announced on Friday that the reasons for eyelid tightening and smoothing of wrinkles on the face are more often than before home office, mask wear and video conferencing. The basis for the findings is the number of treatments and surveys in practices and clinics by around 100 members of the largest German specialist association of cosmetic surgeons.
Overall, however, the desire for cosmetic surgery in the 2020 pandemic year declined slightly thereafter. Against this general trend, the VDÄPC recorded an increase in the number of facial treatments compared to the previous year by around 1.6 percent to 60,384. That corresponds to a global trend. VDÄPC President Steffen Handstein attributes the increase in these mostly minor aesthetic interventions to the increased participation in video switching in the home office. The use of smartphones and social media including cameras in the private sector certainly also plays a role. All of this will probably lead to a more critical examination of your own optics.
Facial aesthetics are now at the forefront of all procedures for cosmetic surgeons. In the 2020 corona year, for example, eyelid tightening would have pushed lip corrections further back. Enhancing the eye area was particularly popular with men. A radiant smile with the eyes has probably become an elementary means of communication in times of mask requirements, Handstein added. In contrast, the desire for interventions beyond the camera angle has decreased slightly, from breast augmentation to liposuction of the abdomen, legs and buttocks.
In 2020, the doctors surveyed recorded a total of around 81,500 treatments.
Of these, around 33,100 were aesthetic-plastic operations and around 48,400 were more gentle interventions.
Compared to 2019, the total number of all treatments considered has decreased slightly by almost 2000.
This may also be due to the fact that practices and clinics were visited less frequently during the pandemic due to concerns about infection or that operations were temporarily not possible at all.
However, treatments are not suitable for everyone and not always medically sensible, according to the Association of Plastic Surgeons.
Despite the increasing acceptance and popularity of cosmetic surgery, they warn against “dubious cheap offers”.