Chin Up

Chin Implants Are Fastest Growing Plastic Surgery Trend, Thanks to Skype

The results are in. The new fastest growing plastic surgery procedure across all major demographics is chin augmentation. There was a 71 percent increase in chin implants in 2011 (compared to 2010)—growth that far exceeds that of boob jobs, Botox and lipo combined. Well, look out Los Angeles, there’s a new sheriff in town.   

How do experts explain the chin’s boom in popularity? One significant contributor, they believe, is Skype. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) President, Mark Z. Roth, M.D., explains, “As more people see themselves on video chat technology, they may notice that their jawline is not as sharp as they want it to be. Chin implants can make a dramatic difference." And, it doesn’t help matters that you always look like you gave birth to triplets from the inevitable chat camera angle.

People subconsciously associate a stronger chin with authority, self-confidence and trustworthiness, explains plastic surgeon Darrick Antell, M.D. He also says that CEOs typically have a stronger chin, in addition to generally being tall and attractive (we’ll leave Bill Gates out of this majority).  So if getting a chin implant is partially driven by a desire for power in the workplace, it’s not a surprise that the increase in popularity of the chin implant was most dramatic among people over the age of 40. Well, that and the fact that a weakening chin and jawline can be one of the first signs of aging. 

Whether or not it offers a competitive advantage in the workplace, Americans are undeniably better acquainted with their faces and how they appear in realtime than ever before. Whether or not the people on Redtube choose to acknowledge this acquaintance has yet to be determined.  

As a sidenote, since this kind of thing is oddly fascinating, among the other cosmetic procedures with the fastest growing popularity in 2011 (compared to 2010):
  • Lip augmentation, up 49%
  • Cheek implants, up 47%
  • Buttock implants, up 43% (call it the Kardashian effect?)
  • Cellulite treatment, up 21%
  • Botox, up 5% (and up 621% since 2000!!)


Source: American Society of Plastic Surgeons (2012). New stats: Chin surgery skyrockets among women, men, all age groups. Eureka Alert. Retrieved from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-04/m-nsc041012.php
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Published 9/17/2012

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