Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Advance Online Article DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000000132 Socializing a Plastic Surgeon Heather J. Furnas, M.D.

TE D

Plastic Surgery Associates of Santa Rosa Santa Rosa, California

A

C

C

EP

"None of the authors has a financial interest in any of the products, devices, or drugs mentioned in this manuscript."

1

Copyright © American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All rights reserved.

Four years ago I joined Twitter, more as an anthropologist than as a participant. Wandering through the cocktail party, I passed several surgeons shouting like hawkers, “Just did 3 breast augs. Making America beautiful.” “Read why my patients love me & U will 2.”

TE D

I walked on and stayed unsocial. A few months later, I decided to write a book, so I attended a writers’ conference. But instead of lecturing on writing, the speakers all talked about a platform, or social

media presence. “Unless you’re famous,” they said, “create your own fame, or no one will read your book.”

On the last day, I attended a speed-pitching session, where an agent listened to my

EP

spiel.

“It has potential,” she said. “Are you on Twitter?” “No.”

“When you have 10,000 followers, email me.”

C

I almost threw up.

An online cosmetic surgery forum came to my rescue. Patients posed questions to

C

doctors, who could link their answers directly to their Twitter feeds—I wouldn’t have to spend any time on social media!

A

Every free moment I churned out answers, and my tweets piled up like Benjamins

in a drug lord’s basement. I wasn’t attracting followers, but that would take time. Then one day, I caught a glimpse of one of my tweets. “Day 5 post labiaplasty, is my clitoris exposed?”

2

Copyright © American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All rights reserved.

Just pixels away, my smiling profile photo showed no sign of embarrassment. Not even a blush. No wonder I wasn’t making any friends. I was done. Vanquished by Twitter. I disconnected the feed, deleted my answers,

TE D

turned out the lights, and left. Instead I focused on my blog, which I used to promote my practice. As I read

more about blogs, I discovered my approach was all wrong. I’d been bragging about my

practice, but no reader was interested in that. However, if I served the reader’s purposes instead of my own, my posts might actually be shared.

As my blog evolved, my web support person suggested I spike our website traffic

EP

with a media-hyped topic: Are Selfies Driving Plastic Surgery? Dozens of articles

reported that one in three surgeons did nose and eye surgery on patients wanting to look good for selfies. Their source was a study1 by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

C

I’d envisioned serving up an elegant blog, like a Salade Niçoise, but this would be

Kraft’s Mac and Cheese. Or so I thought—until I found an article2 in Fast Company. You

C

know that survey of 2700 surgeons? It was the masterpiece of a PR firm, and fewer than 3% of those surgeons had answered the selfie question. This wasn’t evidence-based

A

medicine; it was 200-proof marketing that was so intoxicating, even ASPS members tweeted the story. 3 Seeing those tweets reminded me: I had to return to the Twitter party.

But this time when I logged on, things were different. I saw plastic surgeons sharing articles and tweeting directly to the public. I saw camaraderie. I saw a

3

Copyright © American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All rights reserved.

community. Had Twitter changed or had I? One article flying around was a pithy Twitter guide4 for busy plastic surgeons. Its first author, Olivier Branford (@olivierbranford), was heading up a posse with @DrRodRohrich, @Dr_SamuelLin, and @prsjournal to stage a small revolution.

TE D

Bringing peer-reviewed articles out from hiding in journals and libraries, they marked posts with #plasticsurgery and #EBM (“Evidence Based Medicine”) and urged reporters to link to original articles. Patients were now armed with knowledge, giving them the power to get the best care, leading to lower complication rates and improved results.

Twitter was much bigger than a means to an agent; it was a tool to educate and to revolt against hype. Armed with hashtags, the posse was spreading truth the way Zorro

surgeons.

EP

had spread justice, so I joined the cause. But I noticed one thing missing: more plastic

If all of us united our voices and created a Twitter Symphony, imagine the good we could do.

A

C

C

Can’t wait 2 C U on Twitter!

4

Copyright © American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All rights reserved.

References:

1. American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Selfie trend

TE D

increases demand for facial plastic surgery. Available at: http://www.aafprs.org/media/press_release/20140311.html. Accessed March 11, 2014.

2. Gayomali C. Are selfies fueling a plastic surgery boom? no. Available at

FastCompany: http://www.fastcompany.com/3039208/are-selfies-fueling-a-plastic-

EP

surgery-boom. Accessed December, 2014.

3. Furnas H. Are selfies driving plastic surgery? Available at: http://blog.enhanceyourimage.com/plastic-surgery-news/are-selfies-driving-plastic-

C

surgery/. Accessed April 28, 2015.

4. Branford O, Mallucci P. Twitter for plastic surgeons who are too busy to tweet.

C

Available at: https://prsonallyspeaking.wordpress.com/2015/01/16/twitter-for-plastic-

A

surgeons-who-are-too-busy-to-tweet/. Accessed January 16, 2015.

5

Copyright © American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All rights reserved.

Socializing a Plastic Surgeon.

Socializing a Plastic Surgeon. - PDF Download Free
566B Sizes 0 Downloads 8 Views