Young adults - plastic surgery hungry?

Friday May 16, 2008 in: Global Plastic Surgery Tag(s):

Recent polls and surveys on the Internet show that younger adults have become the primary market of plastic surgery. With the advent of popular television shows such as Nip/Tuck, Dr. 90210, and Extreme Makeover, which somehow put emphasis on amazing and fantastic makeovers, young Internet users are now more obsessed with altering their physical appearance.

One of the most popular sites visited from the search keyword "plastic surgery" is plasticsurgery.org, the official site of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Search data shows that over 25% of visitors to the site are 18 to 24 years old. This figure is up from 19.6% two years ago. It is pretty surprising to note that young people are now so obsessed with something that used to be the domain of well-to-do female in their fifties.

Aside from the data on the ASPS site, young adults also flock to other health related sites and the findings suggest that this age group is pretty much obsessed with appearance. Older counterparts visit websites related to keeping healthy and getting information on diseases. However, young Internet users go to sites that have something to do with personal appearance, such as those that dwell on bodybuilding, weight loss, and skin care. And of course, plastic surgery.

The young adults' obsession to plastic surgery is quite a phenomenon in the U.S. alone. Other markets such as U.K, and Australia have not reached that significant level yet. It goes to show that plastic surgery is definitely an American obsession.

This trend might be brought about by the advent of surgery-themed television shows, but other experts point out that the failing U.S. economy might also be a key factor.

Probably not hungry, but thirsty maybe ;)

I wouldn't say that young adults are obsessed with plastic surgery simply because they happen to be looking at related sites. In recent years, more men than ever have elected male plastic surgery, but it would still be a jump to say that all men are obsessed with plastic surgery. Oh, and although I'm not a doctor, I've worked with many plastic surgeons across the country, and I can tell you that young adults are definitely not the "primary market of plastic surgery." It's just an educated guess, but I would say the primary market is probably thirty-something moms and women in their late 40's / early 50's. Anyway, I think young adults looking at plastic surgery sites is more likely due to the fact that we're a youth obsessed culture. Music, movies... most seem to be made for and marketed towards young adults. If anything, I would say shows like American Idol, which put an emphasis on having that "look," influence thinking more than Nip/Tuck or Dr. 90210.