'Zoom Effect' increasing the demand for cosmetic procedures

LOS ANGELES - Ever hear of the Zoom effect? Apparently, people are flocking to plastic surgeons and cosmetic doctors to fix the flaws, they’re now seeing in all those Zoom meetings.

One Beverly Hills doctor says, between Zoom and the now required masks, it’s changed what people want to fix. 

Fewer women are asking for plump lips. Why bother, when required mask wearing puts the focus on the eyes. Dr. Christine of Anaphora says, her clients want to improve the area around the eyes.

There are various ways to improve the eye area, but if clients choose something a little invasive, the benefit of the “stay at home” orders means, there’s more time for recovery.

“You need a little time for swelling to go down, or for you know, if you’re a bruiser for some discoloration to go down. This is the perfect time to come in.” said Dr. Christine Ibrahim.

All those Zoom meetings prompt different requests for Dr. Christine’s expertise. Most people aren’t used to seeing themselves on camera. People call her and plastic surgeons seeking a fix for what’s been called, the “Zoom double chin".

"I’m getting a lot more request for Kybella or mesotherapy or deoxycholic acid which is what we inject just below the chin so we can get a sharper, more defined jawline,” she stated. 

There’s also the “elevens"... those are the vertical wrinkles that can appear on your forehead between your eyebrows. Until Zoom, many of her clients never realized they were even there.

“It’s like having a meeting with your mirror. We’re not used to that. And, I think a lot of patients are coming in because they’re not comfortable with how maybe tired they’re looking or less fresh and it’s understandable,” she said.

Dr. Christine said she might be getting more calls than pre-pandemic, but she is limiting the number of people in her offices. Each patient’s temperature is taken before entering and the procedure room is cleaned before the next patient arrives. 

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