Reflecting upon the Long-term Impact of COVID-19 on Cosmetic Plastic Surgery and Education

Abstract

Summary: As we enter a new year, this article serves as an opportunity to ponder on the impact of a worldwide pandemic on physicians and the field of plastic surgery, which began 4 years ago in January 2020. When looking at the data in the general-surgery and reconstructive literature, the surgical treatment of patients with COVID-19 appears safest 8 weeks after infection. It was also found that the so-called Zoom-boom crush of cosmetic surgery cases following pandemic lockdown appeared to be largely due to a backlog of cases. Cosmetic surgery, particularly facial cosmetic surgery, continues to increase in popularity year over year. However, the effects on plastic surgery training remain unclear. Even so, those affected by the pandemic seem more driven than ever to find job stability and security. (Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2023; 11:e5359; doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005359; Published online 16 October 2023.)