Plastic surgery rates are up among boomers. Is social media the reason?

Boomers are getting more cosmetic procedures than ever before. One explanation you can’t swipe left at: the simultaneous uptick in boomers’ online dating and social media use.

A new study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) shows that the Baby Boomer generation (ages 55-70+) accounts for over half of all facial procedures, preferring rejuvenation treatments like eyelid surgery, facelifts, and neck lifts. While younger demographics are too increasingly seeking facial procedures, Baby Boomers still dominate, maintaining the historical trend of gravitating towards facial surgeries in their mid-50s.

But it is not only highly invasive procedures that Boomers are interested in. In 2022, 31% of all minimally invasive procedures (such as neuromodulator injections, fillers, sclerotherapy, etc) were done by people aged 55+. This suggests that while Baby Boomers tend to opt for surgical facial procedures, there is a notable shift towards less invasive options as well.

Anne Taylor, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Columbus, Maryland, told Medical Express, “I’ve definitely noticed more baby boomers making appointments to explore which procedures can help them look as young as they feel.”

The specific procedures range from surgeries such as liposuction (up 4%), breast augmentation (up 4%), and hair transplantation (up 18%) to smaller tweaks such as Botox (up 3%) and lip augmentation (up 5%).

Ready for your selfie?

And it’s not just the dating apps that are pushing older Americans to get work done. Camera phones and posting to sites like Instagram are contributing, too.

According to Taylor, “They’re not necessarily looking to turn back the clock to their twenties, but just to make some subtle changes to put their best face forward. For example, a lot of my patients have expressed concerns about their neck or double chin, especially when it comes to looking downward to take a photo or video chat on their phones.

A 2023 survey showed that 29% of adults aged 55 and above had gone on a date with someone they met on an online dating service.  In addition, the survey revealed that 35% of seniors when asked how they most often find a date answered dating websites.

People grow older, but they don’t stop caring about how they look, which can influence how they feel.

According to Taylor, “My boomer patients are confident and accomplished men and women, and they just want to look in the mirror and see the person they feel they are inside.”

Article updated on April 24, 2024.