All over South Florida, and the world, people are pausing to pull out their cell phones and snap selfies.
Cristina Blanco, 22, is one of them.
"I take more pictures, probably sometimes on Instagram in a day, than my grandparents probably took in 15 years," Blanco said.
Taking so many pictures led Blanco to take a closer look at herself, and what she perceived as flaws.
"My nose was my biggest thing that I didn't like about myself," said Blanco.
Blanco sought the help of Dr. Michael Salzhauer at Bal Harbour Plastic Surgery, and in two procedures, he helped craft her new nose and a breast augmentation.
The University of South Florida student underwent surgery to feel better about herself; the bonus, she said, was that her selfies came out better than ever.
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"When I take pictures now, I don't see myself using as many filters, and making certain poses or faces to make myself look good, I just take a picture as I am," Blanco said.
In the age of Instagram, Dr. Salzhauer said cases like Cristina's are on the rise, with more young people now seeing their selfies, and then seeing surgeons. It’s a phenomenon some call “Selfie Surgery.”
"In every single patient, without exception, comes in now to a consultation with pictures of themselves in their phones, and they say, 'I don't like the way I look in this picture here,” Dr. Salzhauer said. “Now, about 20 percent of the patients that come in I turn away because that's just a bad picture."
The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reports similar findings in plastic surgery offices nationwide. In a recent report, the Academy noted one in three surgeons reporting seeing more patients with complaints about their looks in social media snapshots, and wanting to go under the knife to fix it.
Most of those surgery seekers are between the ages of 20 and 30.
"Most of the patients that come in are women, about 85 percent of my patients are women,” Dr. Salzhauer explained. “Facial procedures-wise, young people generally get rhinoplasty -- that's nose jobs -- some of them get chin implants."
Once his patients are all healed, Salzhauer said they tell them feel more self, and selfie, assured.
