We are writing this post after spending most of the afternoon on Zoom calls with our clients. These calls used to be in-person meetings, where we didn’t look at our faces the whole time, but instead, we traveled and met in person. Now, with Zoom meetings, people around the world are spending a significant portion of their day looking at their faces.
What’s the Zoom Effect
The Zoom Effect is the phenomenon where as a result of spending more time looking at themselves during video-conferencing meetings, people are noticing new things about their physical appearance that they would like to change or to enhance.
The Zoom Effect and Aesthetic Procedures
The Zoom Effect has caused more individuals to look into and subsequently receive aesthetic procedures, resulting in a boom in the medical spa business. During the Covid-19 pandemic many people started to use the video conferencing platform Zoom, causing people to see themselves a lot more than they usually would on a daily basis. Because people have had hours of staring at their own faces on video calls – they are noticing things about their faces and bodies that they didn’t notice before. This has prompted an interest in looking into aesthetic procedures.
Online Advertising of Aesthetic Procedures
After people spend hours looking at themselves on Zoom, they often go the internet to search for aesthetic treatments. Both pharmaceutical companies and medical spas are spending more of their advertising dollars on online ads, which often follow people throughout the pages they view on the internet. This type of marketing, also called retargeting, is particularly effective in the aesthetics business as it reminds people of what they noticed about themselves. This marketing also subtly implies that other people and companies are noticing it too.
“Dr. Marie Hayag, a dermatologist and founder of Fifth Avenue Aesthetics in New York City’s Upper East Side, stated that she has heard a lot of complaints from new and returning patients about double chins, wrinkles, and eye bags they noticed while video-conferencing” (Rachel King, Fortune Lifestyle).
Being Stuck At Home
After being stuck at home people are realizing that they want to change their appearance or create a better self-care regime. People have had a lot more time to research and mentally prepare for these procedures that they may have been debating over the years.
Also, because of the pandemic “more patients are working from home and can receive procedures that require them to ‘hide at home’ for a few days,” says Dr. Hayag. “There are no social events to worry about in terms of downtime. And it gives them something to do, and they look forward to it. It gives them a break from Zoom meetings and their kids at home. There are limited places they can go to and feel comfortable going. I’ve had patients come to me first before getting their mammograms.” (Rachel King, Fortune Lifestyle)
No Discernible Social Downtime
Since patients can now stay at home, the recovery period following a procedure doesn’t lead to a discernible social downtime. People are now wearing masks in public, allowing them to conceal treatments on the lower face, such as injectable lip fillers and treatments that tighten facial skin around the jaws.
Different Priorities and More Disposable Income
The pandemic has made people think about what’s truly important in their lives. The time that was formerly spent on commuting is now spent on looking in the mirror, being on Zoom, and pondering the bigger issues of life. In addition, people haven’t been spending much on travel, clothing, or dining and thus have the discretionary income they can spend on cosmetic procedures.
The Zoom Effect has been a very positive phenomenon for medical spas and continues to fuel a boom in aesthetic treatments that’s poised to continue through 2022.