Instagram filters are nothing new, but, with workers in home office schemes, the consumption of images on social networks during lockdown affected the confidence of many people. A study published in November by the journal Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine notes that, in 2019, 72% of those who sought cosmetic surgery did so to look better in selfies. And this was increased with video calls during the pandemic, specialists say.
What appeared to be just ego culture was established as a multibillion dollar industry. Mexico ranks third in the world in cosmetic procedures, only after the United States and Brazil. These three countries, together with Japan and Italy, account for 40% of aesthetic treatments in the world, according to figures from the International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
In Mexico, a large part of them are from foreign patients who travel, above all, to border cities. Medical tourism leaves the country more than 8,000 million dollars a year, according to estimates by Deloitte. The industry has grown at an average annual rate of 33.7% between 2013 and 2018, and is expected to reach a value of $ 10 billion in 2023.
The aesthetic industry in Tijuana, the city that receives most of these patients, suffered the restrictions on mobility derived from the pandemic. March 2020 marked the global expansion of Covid-19 and hospitals and clinics limited care, the hotel industry paused reservations and, above all, borders closed.
“There was a very important drop between March and June. Patients were used to driving or walking and could no longer do so, which added to the temporary closure of many medical centers, ”explains Alejandro Coello Manuell, director of the Coello Manuell Bariatrics and Aesthetic Medicine clinic.
This influenced the cancellation of 30 investments, between hospitals and new hotel projects in Baja California. But the pause did not last long, starting in July of last year, and with the opening of trade, the demand rose again, according to information shared by the state Ministry of Economy.
“The Zoom effect was a plus,” says Carmina Cárdenas, president of the Medical College of Certified Plastic Surgeons of Baja California. According to the specialist, an unexpected consequence of confinement and social distancing was the effect “I want to see myself as my filter.” “By using their computers more, people notice what they consider defects, something that did not happen when they met live. Many don’t like the way it looks in front of the screen, and the filter only works for photos. “
This has been dubbed by medical publications as ‘Zoom Dysmorphia’. People began to pay attention to details that they did not see before because, having a virtual conversation, now they see themselves even more than their interlocutor.
Once the border was reopened, demand increased. Not only was it the Zoom effect, the confinement made the appearance of wrinkles or the highlighting of the eyes and the frown due to the masks more noticeable, explains Cárdenas. “Many people want to bring out features of the forehead, eyes and dark circles by wearing masks. To this we must add that when someone is depressed they do not like their appearance and they opt for little intervention surgeries ”.
Focus on the border
The rise is noticeable in the figures. With procedures that are between 25 and 80% cheaper than in the United States or Canada, the Tijuana Economic Development Secretariat reported that, in 2020, even with a pandemic, 1.9 million health tourists arrived, leaving an economic loss of 1,200 md.
The rise of medical tourism in Tijuana is explained, in part, by the quality of the practice and the proximity to California, considered the eighth largest economy in the world. Currently, 45% of health tourism is from California, especially from San Diego.
Beyond the pandemic, there are threats. Experts agree that one of them is professional intrusion. This adds to the challenge of ensuring quality in its processes and the development of medical infrastructure.
Coello is emphatic that the regulation of people who do not have sufficient professional qualifications as cosmetic surgeons is one of the main challenges. The solution, he says, must be an effort by medical associations and the federal government.
Carmina Cárdenas adds that there is still much to do in the task of regularizing, but that legal efforts must go hand in hand with educational programs for the client, which help them apply for the relevant certifications and thus avoid “miraculous” cost reductions.
Deloitte projects that, as a goal, it is expected to quadruple the value of the aesthetic industry in Mexico by 2030. If so, it should grow at a rate of 10.7% annually until 2023 and increase to 13.3% between 2024 and 2030, a a more than encouraging outlook for the country, which must also overcome its most important challenges: quality, safety and certifications.
