COVID-19 and the Zoom Boom: Forces Behind the Surge in Cosmetic Surgery
- 82newsbulletin
- Sep 23, 2020
- 2 min read
Written by Karrie Lam
In the event of a global pandemic and economic downturn, people have turned to an unexpected avenue for comfort and control - Cosmetic surgery. One surgeon reported business doubling since last year, another was offered to be “sent a jet” to fly to the patient’s home for fillers during the height of the pandemic.
Having sequestered at home during the months-long pandemic, many have begun to bemoan their webcam appearance, a seemingly problematic sight they’ve had to stare at for uncomfortably long periods on end. Much like ‘Snapchat Dysmorphia’ which pervaded the internet 2 years ago, the Zoom Boom has led to some’s unhealthy scrutinisation of their facial features, thus sparking a new wave in cosmetic surgery procedures. Some patients’ agenda is to manage the ‘Covid 15’ they’ve gained whilst gyms have been shut down, while others “want their faces to match their newly in shape bodies”, since they’ve had more spare time to exercise. Injectables, ‘neck refinements’, breast augmentation and liposuctions are amongst some of the most popular procedures in the US and Britain.
Indeed, having elective surgeries during the pandemic does have its appeals. Perhaps one would question the use of corporeal alterations when we’re mostly hidden behind face masks anyway, but the mask actually serves as the most suitable shield for clients during recovery. The extended work-from-home period is also aptly taken advantage of for a more discreet downtime. Coupled with a greater accumulation of disposable income due to decreased spending on eating out, travelling, gas, etc., patients have become more willing to take the plunge.
Beneath the superficial aspects, perhaps cosmetic surgery is what patients can seek the most care and control from. As Fiona Golfar, the co-founder of the cosmetic surgery podcast, The Guinea Pig, puts it, “I think people miss the emotional care as much as the physical... The reassurance you get from that needle going in, it’s an emotional engagement, and a therapeutic engagement.”
Ultimately, however, patients are putting themselves at risk as surgery and other procedures put them in a transiently immunocompromised state. Should patients take that risk in the midst of a global pandemic?
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