Social Media Platform Preference Predicts Positive Body Dysmorphic Disorder Screening and Interest in Cosmetic Surgery




Wei, Eric X.; Kandathil, Cherian K.; Saltychev, Mikhail; Losorelli, Steven; Rossi-Meyer, Monica; Most, Sam P.

PublisherMARY ANN LIEBERT, INC

NEW ROCHELLE

2025

Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine

FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY & AESTHETIC MEDICINE

FACIAL PLAST SURG AE

2

2689-3614

2689-3622

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1089/fpsam.2025.0040

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/fpsam.2025.0040



Emerging evidence has begun to characterize associations between social media usage and body image issues and eating disorders, among other psychological conditions. In recent work, our group found that in U.S. adults, daily social media usage was significantly associated with both self-reported symptoms of body dysmorphia and cosmetic surgery interest. It has been hypothesized that frequent usage of image-based social media platforms (SMPs), such as Snapchat and Instagram, which provide filters to change one’s physical appearance, may increase the likelihood of experiencing body image issues more than other social media applications. Moreover, recent work has demonstrated higher rates of positive body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) screening among patients seeking cosmetic surgery, including rhinoplasty, in the post-COVID-19 era. We sought to understand how preference for specific SMPs might predict rates of positive BDD screening and cosmetic surgery interest.



No funding was received for this article.


Last updated on 2025-09-06 at 15:10