Cyclical Consumer Search Trends Regarding Cosmetic Plastic Surgery of the Face: A Google Trends Analysis

Zoom Boom or Bust? Understanding Post-Pandemic Interest in Facial Plastic Surgery via Google Trends

OBJECTIVE

To understand post-pandemic interest in plastic surgery procedures via Joinpoint analysis of Google Trends search data.

METHODS

Google Trends was used to quantify search volumes from January 2019-December 2022 for select cosmetic face and body procedures in the United States. A keyword analytic tool (Keywords Everywhere) extracted absolute search volumes (average monthly searches). Joinpoint analysis assessed search trends over time reported as monthly percentage change (MPC).

RESULTS

All procedures queried, including a non-cosmetic control (cataract surgery), demonstrated expected declines at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blepharoplasty, face lift, neck lift, and Botox demonstrated statistically significant increase in search volumes that remained elevated relative to pre-pandemic levels. Rhinoplasty, fillers, and abdominoplasty interest increased initially followed by return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022. The remainder of search terms did not show a clear temporal associated with COVID-19 lockdowns.

CONCLUSION

The "Zoom Boom" appears to be a real phenomenon reflected by sustained increase in public interest in relation to facial plastic procedures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

NA Laryngoscope, 2024.

Recent Fluctuations in Public Searches for Cosmetic Procedures as Shown by Google Trends

PURPOSE

The goal of this study is to understand the dynamic trends of 20 cosmetic procedures in the United States using Google Trends.

METHODS

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study using Google Trends to measure changes in search volumes for 20 cosmetic procedures from a 5-year period (2018 to 2023) in the United States. Outcome measures included total and weekly changes in relative search volumes and variance levels for the following 20 search terms related to cosmetic surgeries: blepharoplasty, botox, breast augmentation, breast lift, brow lift, buccal fat removal, chemical peel, dermal filler, face lift, hair removal, hair transplant, lip filler, liposuction, masseter botox, microneedling, otoplasty, photofacial, rhinoplasty, tear trough filler, and tummy tuck. Search terms were divided into 3 categories, a) those with a change of public interest over a single week of 25% or less, b) 26%-50%, and c) greater than 50%.

RESULTS

There was an overall 5-year increase of public interest in all but 5 search terms: breast augmentation, breast lift, liposuction, photofacial, and tummy tuck. Within a single week, lip filler, masseter botox, buccal fat removal, and tear trough filler exhibited greater than 50% change in public interest, while public interest in microneedling, hair removal, rhinoplasty, tummy tuck, liposuction, breast lift, and augmentation were more stable with less than 26% change.

CONCLUSIONS

While certain procedures may experience rapid accelerations in public interest, not all procedures will consistently increase in popularity. Physicians must recognize the shifting popularity of cosmetic procedures to provide informed cosmetic care to patients.

A quantitative analysis of Twitter ("X") trends in the discussion of rhinoplasty

Introduction

Rhinoplasty is one of the most common cosmetic surgical procedures performed globally. Twitter, also known as "X," is used by both patients and physicians and has been studied as a useful tool for analyzing trends in healthcare. The public social media discourse of rhinoplasty has not been previously reported in the field of otolaryngology. The goal of this study was to characterize the most common user type, sentiment, and temporal trends in the discussion of rhinoplasty on Twitter to guide facial plastic surgeons in their clinical and social media practices.

Methods

A total of 1,427,015 tweets published from 2015 to 2020 containing the keywords "rhinoplasty" or "nose job" were extracted using Twitter Academic API. Tweets were standardized and filtered for spam and duplication. Natural language processing (NLP) algorithms and data visualization techniques were applied to characterize tweets.

Results

Significantly more "nose job" tweets (80.8%) were published compared with "rhinoplasty" (19.2%). Annual tweet frequency increased over the 5 years, with "rhinoplasty" tweets peaking in January and "nose job" tweets peaking in the summer and winter months. Most "rhinoplasty" tweets were linked to a surgeon or medical practice source, while most "nose job" tweets were from isolated laypersons. While discussion was positive in sentiment overall (M = +0.08), "nose job" tweets had lower average sentiment scores (P < .001) and over twice the proportion of negative tweets. The top 20 most prolific accounts contributed to 14,758 (10.6%) of total "rhinoplasty" tweets. Exactly 90% (18/20) of those accounts linked to non-academic surgeons compared with 10% (2/20) linked to academic surgeons.

Conclusions

Rhinoplasty-related posts on Twitter were cumulatively positive in sentiment and tweet volume is steadily increasing over time, especially during popular holiday months. The search term "nose job" yields significantly more results than "rhinoplasty," and is the preferred term of non-healthcare users. We found a large digital contribution from surgeons and medical practices, particularly in the non-academic and private practice sector, utilizing Twitter for promotional purposes.

Global facial rejuvenation with one treatment of incobotulinumtoxinA, hyaluronic acid, and calcium hydroxyapatite results in long-term patient-reported satisfaction

Background

Global facial rejuvenation using injectables (neuromodulators and fillers) has reported patient satisfaction after 2 treatments: an initial and touch-up treatment at 2-4 weeks afterward. In practice, patients typically receive only 1 treatment and do not return for a touch-up treatment within a month.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to assess patient-reported satisfaction after only 1 treatment, thus mimicking real-world scenarios.

Methods

Patients with facial photoaging (Glogau facial aging scale ≥2) were treated with calcium hydroxyapatite, hyaluronic acid 22.5 mg/mL, and incobotulinumtoxinA injections for full facial rejuvenation, with no touch-up treatments. Patients completed the FACE-Q Satisfaction with Facial Appearance survey at baseline and 1- and 3-month post-treatment. The treating physician completed the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale at 1- and 3-month post-treatment.

Results

Twenty-two patients were enrolled in the study, with 1 patient lost to follow-up. There was a significant improvement in mean FACE-Q scores at 1-month (80.1, P = .01) and 3-month (77.9, P = .02) compared to baseline (71.4). Mean Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale scores at 1-month (2.1) and 3-month (2.2) were not statistically significant, indicating sustained improvement at 3 months. The product amount used per patient varied and was not correlated with either score. Limitations included a lack of a control group and follow-up ending at 3 months. Strengths included assessment of patient satisfaction after only 1 treatment, compared to other studies allowing 2 treatments.

Limitations

Limitations include a small sample size and lack of a control group.

Conclusion

Global full facial rejuvenation using 1 treatment of calcium hydroxyapatite, hyaluronic acid 22.5 mg/mL, and incobotulinumtoxinA provides sustained patient-reported satisfaction at 3 months.