By Ben Stong, MD

When the COVID pandemic hit early last year, physicians were at the forefront of first responders, making sure that Americans got the care they needed as safely as possible. Physicians and other first responders across the country rose to the occasion, and we are proud of them for it.

However, I can assure you that physicians were just as concerned as other Americans regarding what COVID would mean for their livelihoods, including cosmetic and plastic surgeons like myself. The economic fallout promised to be severe. Would we be able to work? Would we be able to help patients and provide for our loved ones? In reality, nobody knew the answers to these questions. After all, when you are hit with a "once in a century" global pandemic, there is no way to know exactly how medical care and other needed services will be provided, what safeguards will be necessary, and what the true impact will be on personal finances and the larger economy. All we knew for sure was that it would be bad and unlike anything we had seen in our lifetimes.

So, of course there was a serious learning curve for all of us. It was crucial that physicians and healthcare professionals take all the necessary safety precautions (and more), which is exactly what we did. As we started to get a fix on the pandemic, though, it became clear that if we were careful and used our learnings about COVID and expertise to the best of our advantage, we could provide excellent and safe emergency care during the pandemic. And then as we learned even more about how to safely provide care, elective procedures became possible, too.

What none of us expected, however, was that demand for cosmetic treatments and plastic surgery would boom right in the middle of the COVID pandemic. You might ask how on earth more plastic and cosmetic surgery could take place during a pandemic? Well, like so much else about COVID and the global response to it, things not only didn’t turn out as we expected, sometimes they went in the complete opposite direction. Basically, the law of unintended consequences took over.

What I’m alluding to here is what eventually become known as COVID’s “Zoom Boom."

Many Americans who had previously considered cosmetic procedures but just could not get away from work or their loved ones for the recovery period realized that the lockdowns were a perfect time to get those procedures done that they’d always wanted but had put off for one reason or another. They could now stay at home, easily avoid being seen by most if not all people, and recover in peace and quiet. In addition, with all that money being saved on not eating out or commuting, many actually had more money in their bank accounts to defray surgery costs.

But the switch to working from home and the requirement for many that they join online video conferences was even more significant. All of a sudden via Zoom and other such services, they were faced with more wrinkles than they remembered having. Not to mention droopier jawlines. And puffier skin. And larger circles under their eyes. Oh, and larger bald spots and quickly receding hairlines. This was a rude awaking for many, and they turned to the latest procedures and best surgeons to get things looking good again. And when that happened, plastic and cosmetic surgery offices like ours saw a boom in new patients like never before. So, our staff was back at work full time and we were even hiring new staff to pitch in.

A number of procedures saw the largest increases. Based on their appearance on Zoom, our existing as well as our new patients were particularly interested in procedures such as facelifts and chin liposuction. Plus, our med spa saw greater demand for procedures including Botox and fillers.

I spoke with many patients told me that the need to not only be seen by co-workers and others, but the need to see themselves every day on Zoom and other such services was crucial to their decision to come in for cosmetic and/or plastic surgeries. But it was not just that they wanted to look better: they also wanted to feel better.

After all, as research has repeatedly demonstrated, including as published in Clinical Psychological Science, “When comparing the results of the psychological tests of the surgical patients to those who had not had plastic surgery, people who went under the knife had higher self-esteem, experienced less anxiety and felt healthier overall. Additionally, those who opted for the procedure reported that they were happier with their bodies as a whole, not just the area on which they had work done.” And they sure did need that mood boost during the pandemic. Didn’t we all?

Obviously we are not out of the woods yet: it’s imperative that we do what we can to follow the science and put an end to COVID as best we can. But it has been my honor as a physician (and a business owner and employer) to do what I could to help patients and others get through the tough times of the last year—even if they have had to spend a large chunk of it on Zoom!

Owner of Kalos Facial Plastic Surgery in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Benjamin Stong is dual board-certified and fellowship-trained and has earned a strong reputation for his integrity, advanced techniques and natural-looking results when performing plastic surgery procedures, including facelifts, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, hair transplantation and more. Dr. Stong achieves balanced results by using innovative and proven techniques in plastic surgery at his state-of-the-art facility. His methods include ways to improve patient comfort, minimize downtime and promote longer lasting outcomes. Dr. Stong also offers the services of The K Spa, his premier med spa with an expansive menu of non-surgical facial rejuvenation services for patients. Kalos Plastic Surgery is located at 371 East Paces Ferry Rd, Suite 850 in Atlanta, Georgia. If you would like more information about a consultation with Dr. Stong or services offered at his practice, please call (404) 963-6665 or visit the website at http://www.kalos-plasticsurgery.com