Study finds people using surgery to look like their Snapchat photos

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A plastic surgery trend is being spurred on by social media. A new study finds people are asking surgeons to make them look like they do in Snapchat filters.

Snapchat is a social media app known for photo messages that disappear after only a few seconds. It also offers a face filter feature that can make blemishes disappear and enhance lips and eyes. 

Now people are wanting to actually looking like  their best Snapchat pictures. Many are even taking it to the extreme of surgery. Doctor William Wooden from IU Health warns it could mean there is a bigger issue behind the request, like Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).

Boston University School of Medicine researchers say doctors are reporting more people using altered photos as an example of what they want to look like.  Constantly worrying about flaws in our appearance is a sign of BDD.

They also say filters in Snapchat altering people’s perception of beauty worldwide” in a dangerous way that feed into body dysmorphic disorder tendencies.

Doctor William Wooden from IU Health’s Department of Plastic Surgery says it’s important to make sure a patient knows what they are asking for before doing it. 

“The problem with that is once you’ve gone to that extreme, you’re now down a road and if you weren’t happy before and it hasn’t met your expectations now, we’ve done more damage to that person’s psyche that’s irreversible,” said Dr. Wooden. 

According to another study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, about 13 percent of patients asking for cosmetic surgery suffer from BDD.

Dr. Wooden says he sees a lot of people usually come in for eyes, nose and face surgery mostly for non-cosmetic reasons.  He also says, in the end, the differences in us are what make our community unique.