Presentations

Abstract

Introduction: More plastic surgeons are using social media to promote their practices, but different platforms attract specific age groups. According to the 2023 ASPS Procedural Statistics Release, certain age groups are more likely to seek specific procedures. This study examines whether there's a mismatch between the social media platforms plastic surgeons use and the preferences of their target patients based on age and procedure types.

Methods: Plastic surgeons, categorized as Influencers (over 99,999 followers) and Casuals (10,000-99,999 followers) from a previous study, were analyzed for their social media platform use. User age-group data was sourced from Sprout Social, a social media analytics tool, and the 2023 ASPS Procedural Statistics Release was used to identify the most common age groups for popular procedures. Statistical analysis was performed with Jamovi software.

Results: Instagram was the most common social media platform used by both Influencer and Casual plastic surgeons. Primary user age groups of 20-29 for Snapchat, 30-39 and 40-49 for LinkedIn, and 50-59 for Facebook, were identified from forty-four Influencers and fifty-eight Casuals. The most common procedures are rhinoplasty, brazilian butt lift, abdominoplasty, and rhytidectomy with most common age groups 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, and 50-59 respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between Influencers and Casuals using SnapChat (χ2 = 0.025) and Facebook (χ2 = 0.009), but not LinkedIn (χ2 =0.18 )

Conclusion: This study identifies Instagram as the predominant social media platform used by both Influencer and Casual plastic surgeons, underscoring its universal appeal in the field. However, distinct preferences are observed across other platforms: Snapchat is favored by younger users aged 20-29, LinkedIn by professionals aged 30-49, and Facebook by the older demographic of 50-59. The analysis of common cosmetic procedures-rhinoplasty, Brazilian butt lifts, abdominoplasty, and rhytidectomy-correlates with these age groups, reflecting targeted patient interests. Statistically significant differences in social media usage between Influencers and Casual surgeons were noted for Snapchat and Facebook, indicating varying engagement strategies, while LinkedIn usage did not show significant variation. Additionally, there seems to be a large gap in social media reach for both Influencer and Casual surgeon accounts because a vast majority of them do not use LinkedIn which has the widest range of predominant use by age. These surgeons could significantly increase their engagement on social media with an active LinkedIn account. These insights suggest that while Instagram serves as a common ground, tailored approaches on other platforms can effectively reach diverse patient age groups and optimize engagement.