Let the buyer beware: Content analysis of cosmetic surgery websites' provider information

How cosmetic surgeons portray cosmetic procedures through Instagram? A content analysis on cosmetic surgeons' posts on Instagram

The present study intends to explore the visual and textual content of posts cosmetic surgeons shared on Instagram pages in order to present their cosmetic surgical or non-surgical procedures. To do so, this study employed a qualitative approach using textual and visual content analysis on 200 Instagram posts shared by cosmetic surgeons. The results demonstrated that the content of analyzed posts can be categorized as 12 sub-themes which are clustered around four main themes; "You have got some body imperfections," "Body imperfections are worrisome," "Cosmetic procedure is the solution; we provide it for you" and "It's not a real surgery!."

Consumer Awareness and Comfort with Resident-run Cosmetic Clinics: A Crowdsourcing Study

Background:

Resident cosmetic clinics (RCCs) are the training modality of choice among both residents and faculty and are a mainstay at most residency programs.^1–4 Despite this, knowledge of RCCs among plastic surgery consumers remains untested. We hypothesize that the public would be aware of and receptive to RCCs.

Methods:

Participants with prior cosmetic procedures or interest in future cosmetic procedures were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk and asked to complete a survey in September 2020. First, prior awareness of RCCs was assessed. After a brief description of RCCs, perceptions of safety and preferences for care were assessed.

Results:

After screening for quality, 815 responses were included. Forty-five percent of consumers were aware of RCCs. Seventy-six percent of consumers believed that RCCs were just as safe as attending clinics and 65% were comfortable receiving care from fourth-year residents or higher. Belief in RCC safety was associated with 4.8 times higher odds of feeling comfortable receiving care at an RCC [95% confidence interval (3.3–7.1), P < 0.001]. When given a hypothetical choice between residents and attendings in two scenarios, 46% of consumers chose residents for abdominoplasty and 60% chose residents for Botox injections. Belief in RCC safety was associated with choosing a resident or being indifferent in both scenarios.

Conclusions:

Consumer preference regarding RCCs has largely been untested. This study shows that belief in RCC safety influences consumers’ perceived comfort with receiving care at an RCC. This knowledge can help guide RCC practice and maximize learning opportunities for surgeons-in-training.