The Effect of Social Media on the Decision to Have Aesthetics or Cosmetic Procedure: A Case-Control Study

Background: Aesthetics or cosmetics procedures are among the most commonly performed procedures. More people are getting cosmetic treatments because of social media use. The study looked into the influence of social media on cosmetic dermatology decisions in Jordan.

Method: We conducted a community-based comparative case-control study among the adult Jordanian population through an online structured questionnaire.

Results: The total number of participants was 2704 (1629 cases vs. 1084 controls). The mean age was 26.3 years. Females constituted 90.4% of the aesthetic procedures group and 80.6% of the non-aesthetic procedures group. Participants who underwent aesthetic procedures were likelier to use social media, report that social media helped them, and post photographs on Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp more than those who did not (p < 0.001 for all). The majority of participants underwent aesthetic procedures obtained from their thoughts. The aesthetic procedure group was influenced more by Instagram (p < 0.001), Facebook (p = 0.034), and Snapchat (p < 0.001). Self-satisfaction with one's appearance was the main reason not to pursue an aesthetic procedure (58%) while repairing damage was the most common reason to undergo the procedure (76%). Acne scarring treatment (49.9%) was the most popular procedure. About 52.7% of procedures were performed by a dermatologist.

Conclusion: Social media directly affects people's decisions to perform aesthetic procedures. Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram showed more influencing effects on aesthetic procedures. People who have done aesthetic procedures were likelier to utilize social media, follow aesthetic dermatologists, practitioners, or social media influencers, and support aesthetic procedure advertisements. To achieve better outcomes, the rising numbers of cosmetic procedures based on social media necessitate the dermatologist or practitioner to develop a good understanding of patients' motivations to seek aesthetic dermatological procedures.

Level of evidence iii: Level of Evidence III, case-control study This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .