Take Instagram model Essena O’Neill, for example. In a very public announcement, O’Neill left Instagram — abandoning her thousands of followers. Even though she was earning up to $1,400 per sponsored post, she said the money wasn’t worth the negative effects endured from a daily addiction to comparison. Seeing others’ “perfect lives” does cause one to compare and contrast our own struggles and realities, and it can be hard to remember that what we see is only what someone else WANTS us to see. The reality can be very, very different!

Self-worth should not be measured in “likes,” and our value as a person does not equal how “pretty” or “handsome” we are. O’Neill edited her photo captions to reflect the amount of time she spent on perfecting her appearance, and many people were very surprised that her “morning look” only came about after hours of preparation.

Keeping our online identity close to our true identity is of the utmost importance, researchers say. If we stray too far from our true selves, then there is a much higher risk of social anxiety. Staying in the present moment is necessary as well, and it definitely wouldn’t hurt to put a cap on the amount of times you click over to FaceBook and Instagram! Remember that a picture can be worth a thousand words, but those words were written by someone who wanted to write a very specific book — and you don’t get the whole tale from just a page (or, should we say a photo!).

The post Living an Illusion appeared first on Dr. Michelle Yagoda - NYC Facial Plastic Surgeon.

Approximately 16 MILLION cosmetic surgery procedures were performed in 2014. This number includes cosmetic surgery (1.7 million), minimally
invasive procedures (13.9 million), and reconstructive procedures (5.8 million). Overall, this was a 3% increase from 2013, as well as the largest number that has been recorded thus far. These 16 million procedures equated to $12.9 BILLION spent: Beauty doesn’t come cheap!
As can be expected, women were the vast majority of cosmetic procedure patients (92%). For the ninth year in a row, breast augmentation was the most requested procedure. Rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, facelifts, and liposuction were the runner-ups in the popularity contest! In terms of minimally invasive procedures, Botox and injectables reigned supreme; both women AND men love their instant results!

Speaking of men, don’t think guys didn’t visit plastic surgeons! There was an increase in men requesting cosmetic procedures, too, and rhinoplasty was the most common. Interestingly, there was an increase in lip reductions and augmentations for both men and women, and sources say this likely attributes to celebrities (Kylie Jenner, for example) and social media. Although teens and young adults make up a large majority of these platforms’ audience, they were the smallest group in terms of percentage to undergo cosmetic surgery. Middle-aged women– between the ages of 40 and 54, specifically — were the majority.

There is a reason these numbers keep growing! Even though the Fountain of Youth hasn’t officially been found, plastic surgery technology is rapidly improving. Visit an experienced plastic surgeon to find out your anti-aging options — and soon enough you will be part of next year’s growing statistics!

The post We spent HOW much?! appeared first on Dr. Michelle Yagoda - NYC Facial Plastic Surgeon.

Numerous beauty articles are citing early-onset neck wrinkles as an unsightly effect of our technology dependence. It is hard to argue against the fact that we look down a LOT more than we used to, and it is a medical fact that excessive bending/flexing of the thin neck muscles does contribute to wrinkling. Combine the two and, well, it might be time to start looking up rather than down!

However, a wrinkly neck cannot only be blamed on smartphones; the loss of collagen and elasticity as we age is normal, and it can snowball with outside factors (sun exposure, dry atmosphere, etc) to make necks look “looser” than they are. Making sure to wear adequate sunscreen on both the face AND neck will help, and, of course, try holding your phone at eye level. It just might make all the difference.

If you already have “tech neck,” don’t worry: Dr. Yagoda is a neck expert who will have you looking good as new in no time.

The post Neck wrinkles: The latest thing your smartphone does! appeared first on Dr. Michelle Yagoda - NYC Facial Plastic Surgeon.

While Americans are dying less from cancer and heart-related conditions, more are now affected by obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and sedentary living. According to a report from the United Health Foundation and American Public Health Association, 26.2% lead sedentary lifestyles, 30.8% have hypertension, 27.8% of Americans are obese and 9.5% have diabetes. These are the 5 healthiest states to live in (with the lowest rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and sedentary living):

1. Hawaii
2. Vermont
3. Massachusetts
4. Connecticut
5. Utah

Click to see where your state ranked.

The post Face the Facts: 5 Healthiest States to Live In appeared first on Dr. Michelle Yagoda - NYC Facial Plastic Surgeon.

This bizarre case points out the dangers of backroom cosmetic . “Dutchess”, a transgender nurse, was arrested in Florida after a patient died from toxic injections of tire sealant and super glue.

The post Toxic injections lead to death appeared first on Dr. Michelle Yagoda - NYC Facial Plastic Surgeon.

The post African Americans undergoing plastic surgery is on the rise appeared first on Dr. Michelle Yagoda - NYC Facial Plastic Surgeon.

That’s why you may be surprised to learn that rhinoplasty isn’t the most common surgery in people under 18 years of age.

Read about the latest trends in .

For daily beauty updates, visit

The post Teen Plastic Surgery appeared first on Dr. Michelle Yagoda - NYC Facial Plastic Surgeon.

The next transit won’t be for another 105 years, so it’s now or never.

Get your cameras ready … and post your photos here!

Read more about the Transit of Venus online.

The post Transit of Venus appeared first on Dr. Michelle Yagoda - NYC Facial Plastic Surgeon.

Chin implants and nose jobs are common, as are ear pinnings or “otoplasty” to enhance an “updo” hairstyle.

Get daily news updates at

The post Teen Plastic Surgery On The Rise appeared first on Dr. Michelle Yagoda - NYC Facial Plastic Surgeon.

Courtney Love, former wife of the late Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, is reported to have gotten a stem cell facelift back in 2010. The results are not very impressive. It may sound great, but in fact in many hands it’s little more than a fat transfer with volumizing and wrinkle-filling. I recommend fillers like Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm, Radiesse, Sculptra, LaViv, and Belotero to rejuvenate an aging face and to restore lost volume by eliminating wrinkles.

Watch Dr. Yagoda talk about the :

The post Stem Cell Facelift? appeared first on Dr. Michelle Yagoda - NYC Facial Plastic Surgeon.