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The past year and a half have been one heck of a roller coaster for anyone you ask. Jobs, the economy, childcare, school, and just about every single social activity feel almost unrecognizable from our pre-covid lives. Given the circumstances, It feels like just about everything has changed for the worst. But underneath all this doom and gloom are a couple of pretty positive cultural changes that have had a profound impact on the world of Plastic Surgery and beauty in general. If you would have told me 14 months ago-- while stuck at home with a newborn baby wondering if I even had a job to go back to--that the second the ban on elective surgery was lifted our phones would be ringing off the hook, I would have naturally said you were totally crazy. Sure enough, however, that proved to be the case. So what does a Pandemic have to do with Plastic Surgery and the beauty industry? Well, it’s not as far-fetched as you might think.
Self Care Front & Center:
The world feels like its ending, you may have lost your job, you are trapped in the house, can’t see friends or family, and millions of people are dying? It’s no wonder we needed something to make us feel better about the dumpster fire we all found ourselves in. While the idea of Self-Care has been around for a long time (hello pedicures and candle lit baths), the pandemic gave it a new found validity-- growing from a once cute idea for an Etsy gift basket to a now absolute necessity for retaining sanity.
Why Not Now:
A pinch here, a tuck there, a tightening here. We’ve all thought about stuff like this but usually find some obstacle as an excuse to kick surgical and non-surgical procedures down the proverbial road. This past year and half, however, people working from home, being furloughed, and finding themselves with excess disposable income once spent on Uber rides and wine-filled dinners out proved huge drivers pushing patients to turn those “why now” ideas into “why not now” realities.
The Zoom Effect:
The Pandemic has not been nice to our Elevens or to our waistlines. With gyms closed and little to do, the “Covid 19” became a real phenomenon. As did the “Zoom Effect”--staring at our own faces in that tiny little unflattering Zoom window for hours at a time and realizing just how tired, stressed and old we all looked. Couple this with our newly found “why not now” attitude and people couldn’t get in faster to see their Plastic Surgeon for eyelid lifts, Botox and Liposuction.
We will all breathe a huge sigh of relief when the world returns back to normal (whatever that is anymore). But the last year has taught us some pretty important lessons on beauty, self-care, and the absolute necessity of not just taking care of ourselves, but investing the time, energy and money to look and feel our best. It’s a pretty extraordinary thought that a Pandemic of all things could propel us to take unabashed, unapologetic ownership of our bodies, our self-confidence, and the decisions we make to improve them.
Dr. Megan Dreveskracht is a Seattle-based Female Plastic Surgeon who specializes in Aesthetic Surgeries of the Breast, Body & Face. To schedule your consultation, call 206.860.5582 or fill out a contact form here.