Breaking News English

People get surgery to look like Snapchat filters

Snapchat Dysmorphia - Level 4

Doctors are reporting a big increase in patients having cosmetic surgery to look like their Snapchat selfies. This new trend is called "Snapchat dysmorphia". This is similar to body dysmorphic disorder, where someone is obsessed with the idea that something is wrong with their body or face and needs fixing. Most plastic surgeons reported an increase in the number of people who want to change their face to look like their cute Snapchat selfies.

Social media apps let people make photos of their face look "cuter". This is making teenagers and young people obsessed with the "perfect" face. Many of the requests are impossible to do surgically. Doctors wrote: "This is an alarming trend because those filtered selfies often present an unattainable look and are blurring the line of reality and fantasy for these patients." This can affect self-esteem. Many people want thinner noses, wider eyes and fuller lips.

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3    |     Speed 4

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Snapchat Dysmorphia - Level 5

Cosmetic surgeons are reporting a disturbing increase in patients having facial procedures to look like their Snapchat selfies. Surgeons called this worrying new trend "Snapchat dysmorphia". There is a mental disorder called body dysmorphic disorder - where the sufferer is obsessed with the idea that part of their body is flawed and in need of big measures to fix it. The surgeons wrote about the condition in a journal. Most plastic surgeons reported an increase in the number of patients wanting to change their face to look like they do after using Snapchat filters.

Social media apps have filters to let people make photos of their face look "cuter". Doctors say this is making younger people, especially teenage girls and women, obsessed with the "perfect" face. Doctors say many of the requests are impossible to do surgically. They wrote: "This is an alarming trend because those filtered selfies often present an unattainable look and are blurring the line of reality and fantasy for these patients." They added this badly affects self-esteem. The most common surgery people want include thinner noses, wider eyes and fuller lips.

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3    |     Speed 4

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Snapchat Dysmorphia - Level 6

Cosmetic surgeons in the USA are reporting a disturbing increase in the number of patients seeking and having facial procedures to look like their Snapchat selfies. The surgeons have termed this alarming new trend "Snapchat dysmorphia". This term derives from the condition body dysmorphic disorder - a mental disorder where the sufferer is obsessed with the idea that part of their body or appearance is severely flawed and in need of drastic measures to fix it. The surgeons described the condition in the journal Facial Plastic Surgery. They wrote that 55 per cent of plastic surgeons reported an increase in the number of patients wanting alterations to their face to look like they do after using Snapchat filters.

Snapchat and other social media apps provide filters to allow people to "enhance" photos of their face to look "cuter". The professors say this is fuelling an obsession among younger people, especially teenage girls and women, with the "perfect" face. Doctors say many of the requests are physically impossible to perform surgically. They wrote: "This is an alarming trend because those filtered selfies often present an unattainable look and are blurring the line of reality and fantasy for these patients." They added: "The pervasiveness of these filtered images can take a toll on one's self-esteem." The most common procedures being requested include thinner noses, wider eyes and fuller lips.

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3    |     Speed 4

MORE

25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson