Cosmetic Surgeon Richard Buckley says New Report Depicting Generation X as Spending Most Time on Social Media is Also the Most Likely to Have Cosmetic Procedures
Dr. Richard Buckley explains why social media increases demand for cosmetic procedures among Gen-X.
Generation Xers spend more time on social media than Millennials and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Richard Buckley explains how social media use often correlates with the demand for cosmetic procedures.
Social media use and cosmetic surgery demand seem to go hand in hand, according to cosmetic surgeon Dr. Richard Buckley. So, when a new report from Nielson came out suggesting 35- to 49-year-old Generation Xers spend more time on social media each week than younger Millennials, it came as no surprise to Dr. Buckley. Generation Xers, he says, are driving a rising trend in cosmetic procedures. Dubbed the Gen-X-pert, author Jenny Isenman wrote in an article on the Smart Beauty Guide that Generation Xers see themselves as grownups who have yet to grow up. But when Isenman and others in the aging cohort look in the mirror, what they see doesn’t match what they feel.
Dr. Buckley, medical director at MilfordMD Cosmetic Dermatology Surgery & Laser Center, in Milford, Penn., says “About 40 percent of our cosmetic patients fall into the Gen X generation,” Dr. Buckley adds that it’s not only the mirror into which the generation looks, but also in selfies, on Facetime, in pictures on Facebook, Instagram and more. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which also publishes yearly statistics, show in its latest report that, while Generation Xers represented 34 percent of all cosmetic surgery patients, the generation’s preference was for minimally invasive procedures, for which they represented more than half of all patients. “They like it that they don’t need to take time off work or play to have procedures (because of today’s technological advances). And they’re not ashamed to admit that they don’t like the signs of aging that are making them look older than they feel,” says Dr. Buckley.
“Like those in the older age group, Gen Xers’ top choice is laser liposuction. Their aim often is to look as fit as they feel, so they come in to address diet- and exercise-resistant fat. Still many others come in to take care of the parts of their bodies that never came back after childbirth,” Dr. Buckley says. “But Generation Xers are also driving big increases in popular procedures like nonsurgical skin tightening and injectables—from Thermage to Restylane fillers.”
While sources defining the Generation X, or Gen X, generation vary, many estimate that Gen Xers are between ages 35 to 50. Some more narrowly define the generation as having been born in 1966 to 1976. But one thing is for sure, Generation Xers, in general, see nothing wrong with a fill here and a lift there. Isenman cites statistics from the 2014 Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery that Generation Xers make up more than 40 percent of all surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures. Statistics by the released in 2015 by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) tell much the same story with people ages 35 to 50 making up the biggest age group to have cosmetic procedures, at 40.4 percent of the total. That’s compared to people 51 to 64 (many of whom are baby boomers) making up only 30.2 percent of all cosmetic procedures performed by ASAPS members that year.
“Many people think that aging baby boomer are the number one generation to want cosmetic enhancement,” Dr. Buckley says. “But, clearly, that’s not the case. Gen Xers are at the forefront of battles against bulge, time, gravity and aging. But we are making great progress in our ability to prejuvenate and rejuvenate.”
About MilfordMD Cosmetic Dermatology Surgery & Laser Center:
The MilfordMD Cosmetic Dermatology Surgery & Laser Center offers state-of-the-art highly specialized procedures in laser and cosmetic-surgery and aesthetic skin care. In addition to its AAAHC accredited surgical center and extensive laser surgery capabilities, MilfordMD offers physician designed skin care products for home use. Milford Pennsylvania’s MilfordMD Cosmetic Dermatology Surgery & Laser Center is sought out by patients from around the world for expertise and innovation in cosmetic treatments performed by Richard E. Buckley, M.D. and Marina Buckley, M.D.
MilfordMD Cosmetic Dermatology Surgery & Laser Center is located at 303 W. Harford Street, Milford, PA 18337. Tel: (800) 664-1528. For real patient video testimonials, visit our MilfordMD YouTube channel.
