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PUT YOUR BEST SELFIE FORWARD

Do you love the way you look under an Instagram filter?
Do you wish you could lightly Photoshop your everyday appearance?

If so, you are not alone. The New York Daily News recently reported that more people are using personal selfies — self-portraits that are edited and posted to social media — as their plastic surgery inspiration.

Here, Dr. Sandra Margoles explains what and why this is happening.

How Selfies Influence Plastic Surgery

Last year, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reported that selfies have triggered a 33-percent increase in the demand for plastic surgery since 2013.

Because they are taken at close range and often from an unflattering angle, selfies tend to magnify facial flaws like a large nose, crow’s feet or a double chin. This can cause feelings of self-consciousness and the strong desire for surgical correction.

Smart selfie-takers know to edit these flaws out of photos, using either an Instagram filter or Photoshop tools, before sharing with their followers. The New York Daily News article said that these edited images are now being used as the inspiration for cosmetic enhancement.

Traditionally, a plastic surgery candidate would use pictures of celebrities (e.g., Angelina Jolie, Kim Kardashian) to illustrate their ideal cosmetic outcome. Nowadays, more candidates are using their own filtered or Photoshop-ed pics to demonstrate what they want to look like.

The thinking behind this practice is that patients don’t want to have plastic surgery to look like someone else (i.e., a celebrity). Most patients actually want to look like themselves, only better — a little softer here, a little smoother there.

Dr. Margoles understands that her patients want to enhance their natural beauty without looking dramatically different. She offers a wide range of surgical and non-surgical treatments, including neck liposuction, eyelid surgery and injectables, to accommodate her patients’ needs. She uses advanced surgical techniques to avoid results that look overdone or artificial. Hundreds of patients now look like a more attractive version of themselves, thanks to Dr. Margoles.

Want to Try a Filter?

To raise your “selfie-esteem,” try making the following photo edits:

  • Apply a black and white filter to hide redness or pigmentation issues.
  • Try the Instagram Rise or Toaster filter to conceal skin imperfections and highlight your skin.
  • Apply the Instagram Willow filter to smooth out wrinkles and lines.
  • Purse your lips to make a “duck face,” and take the selfie from a high angle. This brings out your cheekbones and conceals jowls or “turkey wattle” on your neck.

Like what you see in your filtered selfie? Save your photo and bring it in to a consultation with Dr. Margoles. She will work with you to design a customized treatment plan that eliminates your imperfections and highlights the most beautiful areas of your face.

To contact Dr. Margoles, call (203) 869-2939 today.