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. 2023 Jan 2:5:ojac096.
doi: 10.1093/asjof/ojac096. eCollection 2023.

Content and Engagement Among Plastic Surgeons on Instagram

Kometh Thawanyarat  1 , Chandler Hinson  2 , Diego A Gomez  3 , Mallory A Rowley  4 , Yelissa Navarro  1 , Chelsea M Venditto  1
Affiliations

Content and Engagement Among Plastic Surgeons on Instagram

Kometh Thawanyarat et al. Aesthet Surg J Open Forum. .

Abstract

Background: Patients routinely use social media to locate providers, review before-and-after photographs, and discuss experiences, making it a powerful marketing tool for plastic surgeons. A few studies have systematically evaluated plastic surgery app content.

Objectives: This study aims to analyze engagement levels and content posted by top plastic surgeon influencers on Instagram (Menlo Park, CA).

Methods: The authors conducted a cross-sectional study in February 2022 to identify the top 10 global plastic surgeons on Instagram. Influencers were ranked based on the number of followers, and their latest 20 posts were analyzed. A total of 200 posts were categorized by 2 independent trainees as one of the following: marketing, education, personal, and miscellaneous. The number of likes was recorded as a proxy for engagement, and the average engagement for each category was calculated.

Results: The top 10 influencers work primarily in private practice focusing on aesthetic procedures. Out of 200 categorized posts on Instagram, marketing posts had the greatest presence (64.5%), followed by personal (20%), miscellaneous (11%), and educational (4.5%). More still images were posted (56.5%) than videos (43.5%). The highest average engagement was for personal content (P = .005). No significant differences in engagement levels were found between photo and video content (P = .24).

Conclusions: Although most content posted related to marketing efforts, many influencers were also using social media to post about their personal lives and promote their ancillary businesses. Although marketing content was the most common, engagement levels were the highest for personal and educational content, and no significant differences in engagement were found between videos and photos.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
(A) The breakdown of post category among the 200 posts that were gathered for the plastic surgeon influencers. (B) The breakdown of post media type for the total content gathered: photos vs video format.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The amount of engagement on posts stratified by post category and media type within the category (video vs photo format).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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