Selfie Distortions Are Causing Spike In Cosmetic Surgery

Have you ever retaken a selfie because you didn’t like the way the first one looked? Research has shown that selfies distort how we really look. There are so many people unhappy about their selfie distortions that they’re getting plastic surgery.

Selfies make our noses look about 4.3% to 6.4% longer. They make our chins look about 12% shorter than professional photos. They’re messing with the entire proportional ratio of our faces.

Dr. Bardia Amirlak’s research showed that selfies are decreasing self-esteem and increasing rhinoplasty (nose) surgeries.

In another study of 400 participants, over half reported taking between one and four daily selfies. Over a third reported taking five to eight daily selfies. Nearly a tenth reported taking more than eight daily selfies. About 92 million selfies are taken each day worldwide.

While people take selfies for different reasons, common motivators are to boost moods, self-confidence, and compete for attention.

But what happens when the face you know you have (after all, you’ve seen yourself in other people’s photos, right?) absolutely refuses to appear in your selfie shots?

For an increasing number of people, it means that they commit to paying thousands of dollars to permanently alter the way their noses look.

Have you ever had a bad idea?

The selfie distortion issue is essentially causing a digital body dysmorphia epidemic.

Rhinoplasty is a nearly two billion dollar business. The average cost of a nose reshaping at around $5,500.

The Mayo Clinic has some advice for those who may be struggling with low self-esteem. It recommends identifying troubling thoughts, challenging your thoughts through processes like mental filtering, and then trying to alter your thoughts by focusing on the positive and encouraging yourself.

So next time you’re feeling frustrated with your selfie framing, remember that your face actually doesn’t look the way you’re seeing it.

And if you’re still sure you want to get plastic surgery, hey, that’s your choice. But don’t do it for the camera in your hand.