Social Media and Plastic Surgery, the Good, the Bad, and Where are We Going?

Abstract

Background: In recent decades, social networks have experienced an exponential increase involving millions of users and transforming the way they communicate in the medical community, becoming an important tool in medicine, where plastic surgery has not been an exception.

Objectives: We aimed to present a review of the effects of social networks in the area of plastic surgery, the main existing regulatory frameworks, and propose the basic aspects for the adequate use of these platforms in the practice of our profession.

Methods: A literature search was performed, including scientific articles, specific existing guides from the USA, Australia, Brazil, and Argentina, as well as articles in digital newspapers and Google regarding emblematic cases.

Results: These platforms are an important source of information and communication in medicine and are frequently used by different scientific societies, mainly for educational and dissemination purposes. In the area of plastic surgery in particular, there is a high presence of specialists in the field who use these tools mainly for orientation, education, promotion of their brand, and peer-to-peer relationships.

Conclusions: The main negative aspects of social networks are a high presence of publications generated by non-professionals in the field, false information, and the generation of esthetic violence. The regulations of several existing scientific societies, although heterogeneous on some points, mostly agree that the need for informed consent, protection of patient privacy and safety, truthfulness of the information published, and patient education campaigns are key points.

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