Surge in Plastic Surgery During Pandemic Lockdown - Here's Why

 A report by Allure.com says that cosmetic surgeries across the nation have risen in numbers in the past year. States like Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, and New York are where this has become very prominent. The reasons are still unclear, so we can just conjecture.

Addressing this observation, John L. Burns, the president of Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute said:

“When COVID hit, we all had to shut down. We reopened in March of last year, but we were shut down for elective surgeries because of the mandate for about eight weeks. Coming back from COVID, we were very concerned about our business, obviously, in the middle of a pandemic. What surprised everybody that I know was the volume of interested patients in cosmetic surgery — and nonsurgical things, like Botox and fillers and skincare and lasers — just came back like a force.”

Burns first thought the spike in cases opting for plastic surgery was from a backlog build-up with anxious clients after the two-month lockdown in North Texas. However, the spike lasted much longer than a backlog would usually last. He has no idea why.

According to Burns, there’s been an increase in every aspect of this industry. He thinks it could be because people have more discretionary income. The government has put significant stimulus money into the economy. People are stressing out, depressed, and fearful due to the pandemic. Two things seem to be doing well – alcohol and beauty or cosmetics. Whatever the reason,  plastic surgery cases have increased by 30%.

Burns said, “Whatever the reason, we have seen probably a 30% increase in our cosmetic surgery volume,” he says. “Our volume is up 30% across the board. And I’ve talked to my drug reps — the ladies that sell the Botox and the fillers and the breast implants — and the whole industry has been booming.”

Another likely reason for people opting to do plastic surgery may be that they must cover their faces with masks, due to the pandemic. This gives them the time to stay home and heal during the lockdown, without letting people notice they had surgery.

However, not all plastic surgery types boomed in the pandemic. Dr. Ricardo Meade is one of the reputable doctors at DPSI. He tweeted:

According to Ricardo Meade, there was a decline in medically necessary surgeries like mastectomies while elective plastic surgeries like Botox and similar procedures tripled.

Mammograms help detect early-stage cancers. Due to the lockdown, this was not possible and they could not do mastectomies for most patients who did not come in time. Therefore, there was a massive decline in breast reconstructions.

What do you think is the reason for the surge in plastic surgeries during the pandemic? I would love to know your thoughts.