“Zoom Boom:” A growing trend in considering plastic surgery during the pandemic

ATHERTON, Calif. (KION and KPIX) If the stress and chaos from last year makes you feel like you aged 10 years, you are not alone! More people are considering plastic surgery. It's a growing trend in the San Francisco Bay area, and beyond.

People are calling it the "Zoom boom." This follows hours of staring at our own faces during video calls and realizing certain facial features are more prominent and/or bothersome.

In another example-- this is when you're supposed to be paying attention to your co-worker who is speaking during a Zoom call, but you can't stop looking at yourself on the screen.

As a result, plastic surgeons across the country are seeing a surge in surgical and non-surgical treatments. They're seeing a rise in patients, particularly those who want work done from the neck up.

"People are starting to notice little imperfections. They find themselves looking at their own photo, as opposed to the people they're talking to. And I think I'm seeing patients coming in for things like botox and injectables. I think the other thing is when you see yourself on camera especially if the camera is close to you, there's a distortion effect," Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Umang Mehta said.

Dr. Mehta says he's performed more rhinoplasties during the pandemic than ever before. His calendar is so full that surgery dates are being scheduled well into the spring.

Botox and facial fillers are the most popular quick fixes at his Atherton practice.

After a two-month closure due to Covid-19 restrictions, his office reopened with boosted safety protocols, and staggered appointments to avoid any patient overlap.

In Beverly Hills, Plastic Surgeon Dr. Gabriel Chiu says since the pandemic, the number of consultations and demand for work has more than doubled at his practice. He's also seeing more first timers and people who are willing to consider more intensive procedures.

"I have patients who kind of take advantage of this and say hey, wait a second, nobody has to see the rest of my body and maybe it's time to go ahead and take care of some of those things on my wish list," Chiu said.

Plastic surgeons also noticed patients have more cash on hand because many did not splurge on travel and entertainment during the coronavirus.