Zoom Dysmorphia: Virtual meetings linked to negative self-image, increase in plastic surgery demand

[The Tribune report below describes an effect of the limitations in presence provided by video conferencing systems including Zoom. Coverage in health24 adds these details:

“Dr Benjamin Marcus, an author of another study that investigated self-observation, self-criticism and narcissism commented on the results of the study: ‘The Covid-19 pandemic has radically changed the frequency with which we are confronted with our own image. The shift to online work, learning, and even socialising has dramatically increased the time we have to observe ourselves.’

[…]

The phenomenon of Zoom Dysmorphia has been developing for a while. In an Allure article, which looked into plastic surgery during the pandemic, Jessica Weiser – a dermatologist in New York City – noted that people had started finding fault with their appearance on video even before the pandemic. ‘No one has ever really looked at themselves in this way – for this long, or this frequently – and I think that’s driving a lot of the demand,’ Jessica Weiser told Allure.”

The health24 story also refers to a 2018 Washington Post story about Snapchat Dysmorphia.

mindbodygreen provides “expert tips to help deal with Zoom Dysmorphia” (though it doesn’t mention the Zoom option to remove the user’s image; unfortunately it’s not possible to resize it to be less obtrusive).

In related developments, TechCrunch reports on L’Oreal’s new “virtual makeup,” though a reviewer at Gizmodo isn’t impressed. And a PR Newswire press release describes a new app  from EmbodyMe Inc. called xpression camera that “imprints the movements of your face and head onto anyone users want while they chat on Zoom, stream on Twitch, or create a YouTube video.”

–Matthew]

[Image: Source: “Zoom And FaceTime Are The New Normal, But They’re Literally Making Me Sick – ‘Nothing incites my body dysmorphia more than seeing my own image on screen’” in HuffPost. Credit: Ponomariova_Maria via Getty Images.]

Zoom meetings linked to negative self-image, increase in plastic surgery demand, experts say

Researchers say a recent analysis of Google search trends during the pandemic showed the terms ‘acne’ and ‘hair loss’ are increasing in this newly virtual reality

November 16, 2020

Spending more time on virtual platforms could be affecting self-image of people and leading them to rush for facial treatments they may not have considered months before confronting a video screen, a new phenomenon called ‘Zoom Dysmorphia’, experts say.

Writing in the journal Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine, the authors noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had seen a massive shift towards remote work and living, with people spending record amounts of time on virtual platforms with evidence indicating that these remote trends will persist even when conditions improve.

Zoom had allowed life to go on in an ever-changing world but may be affecting the way individuals view themselves, they said.

The authors noted a surge in patients citing their appearance on Zoom as a reason to seek care, particularly concerned with acne and wrinkles.

“A recent analysis of Google search trends during the pandemic showed the terms ‘acne’ and ‘hair loss’ are increasing in this newly virtual reality,” the researchers said.

They attributed this trend to the association of acne and hair loss with anxiety and depression, common psychological conditions during quarantine.

“We suspect the trend may also arise from people constantly seeing themselves on video and becoming more aware of their appearance,” said Arianne Shadi Kourosh, from Massachusetts General Hospital, US, and one of the authors of the article.

Before Zoom took over as the metric used to value one’s appearance, people used selfies and an arsenal of photo editing apps to create filtered versions of themselves.

Dubbed “Snapchat dysmorphia,” the influx of people hoping to look more like their edited selves has caused widespread concern for its potential to trigger body dysmorphic disorder.

The authors noted that in 2019, 72 per cent of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery members reported seeing patients seeking cosmetic procedures to improve their selfies.

In addition, higher levels of engagement on social media have shown to correlate with increased body dissatisfaction, they said.

“Unlike the still and filtered selfies of social media, Zoom displays an unedited version of oneself in motion, a self-depiction very few people are used to seeing on a daily basis,” explained Emmy Graber from the Dermatology Institute of Boston, US.

“This may have drastic effects on body dissatisfaction and desire to seek cosmetic procedures,” Graber said.

The reasons behind this critical self-image, noted the researchers, is that during real-life conversations, people do not see their faces speaking and displaying emotions, and do not compare their faces side-by-side to others like they do on video calls.

In addition, cameras can distort video quality and create an inaccurate representation of true appearance, they said.

“One study found that a portrait taken from 12 inches away increases perceived nose size by 30 per cent when compared with that taken at 5 feet,” said Shauna M Rice from Massachusetts General Hospital.

“Webcams, inevitably recording at shorter focal lengths, tend to produce an overall more rounded face, wider set eyes, and broader nose,” Rice added.

The researchers noted that it is important for patients to recognise the limitations of webcams and understand that they are, at best, a flawed representation of reality.  To further deconstruct the motivations behind this influx of patients in the era of Zoom, the authors turned to the facial feedback hypothesis.

The theory explains that treatment of sad-appearing wrinkles may reduce depression by making the patient appear less sad to others, which, in turn, makes them feel better about themselves.

“Perhaps there is a recent surge in patients seeking cosmetic procedures simply because they now see their imperfections on camera daily, or because the wrinkles they see on screen make them look more depressed to others and feel more depressed themselves,” the authors added.

“The theory in the context of Zoom is particularly interesting, as the patient is also the viewer,” they said.

They may perceive themselves as sad because of the wrinkles they see, which further negatively affects their emotions, leading to a dangerous cycle of self-deprecation, the authors said.

This becomes a major concern when an individual becomes excessively preoccupied with real or imagined defects, they added.

This entry was posted in Presence in the News. Bookmark the permalink. Trackbacks are closed, but you can post a comment.

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

*
*

  • Find Researchers

    Use the links below to find researchers listed alphabetically by the first letter of their last name.

    A | B | C | D | E | F| G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z