Beware of clicking 'Selfies' report says cellphones may distort physiognomy

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• Apr 11, 2022 | Poonam Nath

Researchers discovered that smartphone selfies could skew facial appearance, possibly bolstering increased demands for plastic surgery.

Digital Desk: In a report published in the journal Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery,' Scientists discovered that smartphone selfies could distort facial features, possibly fueling increased requests for plastic surgery. 

Surgery to alter the nose's appearance is increasingly popular with young people. There's a documented relationship between selfie photographs and an increase in rhinoplasty, Dr. Bardia Amirlak says.

Dr. Amirlak and his colleagues studied how close-up photographs alter the appearance of 30 volunteers. The nose appeared 6.4 percent longer on 12-inch selfies and 4.3 percent more significant on 18-in selfies than in the traditional photograph.

Selfies make the base of the nose appear more comprehensive relative to the width of the face. There was a 12 percent decrease in the length of the chin on 12-inch selfies, leading to a substantial 17 percent increase in the ratio of nose-to-chin length.

Selfies emphasize the physical aspects of oneself in making comparisons with others. These images can have a lasting impact on how selfie-takers see themselves. An expert says that selfies are associated with lower self-esteem, lower mood, and increased body dissatisfaction.

Selfies, social media, and isolation from COVID-19 have escalated rates of mental health problems in this age group, says Dr. Amirlak. The images were taken with one cellphone brand, but future research should investigate how prevalent this phenomenon is across different phones.

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