Close Menu
Surgical Times
    X (Twitter) Instagram TikTok
    Surgical Times
    • The Pulse
    • Under the Knife
    • Daily Chart
    • Cutting Edge
    • Doc Talk
    Wednesday • May 28, 2025
    Surgical Times
    Home»The Pulse

    Social Media Empowers Plastic Surgery Patients

    By Staff ReportsMay 29, 2024

    The results of a cross-sectional study suggest that social media empowers plastic surgery patients.

    The study, accepted April 24, 2023 and published in April 2024 in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery concluded:

    Social media use appears to have a positive impact on PRS patient empowerment, which may reflect better patient decision-making and autonomy when consulting with their plastic surgeon.

    “Our study suggests that connecting to social media is associated with meaningful increases in empowerment for PRS patients, and may have positive effects on patient-centered decision-making.”

    Samuel J. Lin, MD, MBA, ASPS Member Surgeon of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston

    Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School surveyed 473 patients online from May 18 to May 31, 2022.

    Roughly ¾ of those surveyed said they sought out plastic surgery information online at some point during their surgical process.

    Patients who got information online “had higher scores for patient empowerment,” in 6 out of 7 empowerment categories, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons noted in a release.

    Use of Facebook and RealSelf were both associated with higher score in certain patient empowerment categories, including decision to consult, questions during consultation and awareness of other treatment options.

    While this study concluded social media can empower plastic surgery patients, others have found otherwise, or suggested nuance to be considered.

    In discussing a series of studies on breast implant illness in Oct. 2022, Dr. Caroline Glicksman said the patient cohort who believed they had breast implant illness received 66 percent of their medical information from social media, while the cohort that didn’t consider they had breast implant illness [and yet had their implants removed] received less than 10 percent of their medical information from social media.

    Other surgeons have also publicly cautioned against aspects of patient social media support groups in particular.

    Top News

    America’s Best Plastic Surgeons Announced

    Superior Court Strikes SLAPP Suit Brought by Surgery Center

    Breast Implant Statistics

    Do I Need to Replace My Implants Every 10 Years?

    Top Exclusives

    Death Prompts Public Dig Into Surgeon’s Past: Jessica Jones’s ‘Justice for Hillary’

    Infrared Saunas a ‘Catalyst’ for ‘Breast Implant Illness’ Healthcare CEO Says

    FDA Analysis: Top 10 Symptoms of BII, Reported Rate of Improvement Post Explant

    Surgeon Counters Claims he Botched Woman’s Nose, Deletes Bad Reviews

    Objective. Independent. Informative. Public interest reporting on the practice of plastic surgery not affiliated with or funded by any surgeon, device manufacturer, or practice.

    Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok Facebook YouTube Pinterest
    • Terms
    • Contact
    • Privacy

    © 2025 Surgical Times. All Rights Reserved.

    • Best Of
    • Brazilian Butt Lift Surgery
    • Breast Implants
    • Breast Implant Illness
    • Celebrities
    • Death
    • Ethics
    • Exclusive
    • Florida
    • Uplifting
    • Legal
    • Marketing
    • Mold
    • Money
    • Podcasts
    • Safety
    • Social
    • Statistics
    • Studies
    • Türkiye
    • U.S.
    • U.S. FDA
    • World
    • Press Releases

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.