Effect of Media on Facial Plastic Surgery in Saudi Arabia

Objectives To evaluate the effect of social media, TV shows, plastic surgeons' self-advertisement, and before-and-after cosmetic surgery photos of patients who actually visited the clinic to seek a consultation or intervention. Methods This is a cross-sectional study; institutional review board approval was granted in 2018. This study was conducted among patients attending cosmetic clinics at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire is composed of socio-demographic data and about the reason for the trending of plastic surgeries. Results Three hundred and ninety-nine patients participated in the study. Of all participants, 60.4% agreed on the impact of the surgeon's self-advertisement in the trending of plastic surgeries; 53.4% said yes to cosmetic television programs having an effect on the trend of plastic surgeries; 65.7% of the participants answered yes to before-and-after pictures of social media having an effect on the trend of cosmetic procedures; and 54.1% of the participants answered yes to wanting to look better in selfies as a reason for the rise of cosmetic surgery. Conclusion The results of this study have shown that the majority of patients visiting plastic surgery clinics were positively affected, but not exclusively, by media coverage of cosmetic surgery results.