The Beauty Industry Exploded After COVID, Here’s Why
In a conversation with International Business Times’ Visionary Voices series, Dr. Claudia Kim, cosmetic surgeon and Chief Medical Officer at New York New Life, breaks down why the American cosmetic industry has exploded since COVID and why it’s nowhere near its ceiling.
The numbers are staggering. Cosmetic procedures, both invasive and non-invasive, have increased roughly 200% in the U.S. since the pandemic.
Dr. Kim attributes the surge to a simple collision: Zoom cameras and social media gave millions of people an unavoidable, high-definition view of their own face for the first time.
“All of this is allowing people to have more education and more access to beauty and to the aesthetic world, and also to concentrate on trying to put out the best form of themselves,” she said.
Men Are Finally in the Chair
The fastest-growing demographic isn’t brides or influencers. It’s men.
Dr. Kim says male patients are flooding into injectables, Botox, laser skincare, gynecomastia surgery, and high-definition liposculpture, a procedure that uses liposuction to accentuate muscle definition.
The Greek God and “looksmaxxing” era – a term coined by Gen Z for doing everything in your power to look good – has only just begun.
“Men are also getting kind of wrapped up in this trend because of being on camera all the time and being in the public eye,” she said. “They want to feel good about themselves, which in turn helps them perform better.”
The Mothers Are Outpacing the Brides
The most unexpected revelation Dr. Kim shared was when brides come in for wedding prep consultations, their mothers end up booking more procedures than the bride does.
“The mothers actually end up doing more than the actual bride does because they also want to look good and feel good about their celebration,” Dr. Kim said.
She advises treating beauty prep like wedding venue booking. Surgical procedures need 12 months of healing time. Injectables require a few months to test and adjust. Within a month of the wedding, stick to rest, hydration, and basic skincare. No last-minute interventions.
AI Is Already in the Operating Room
Dr. Kim confirmed that AI tools are being integrated into cosmetic consultations for projecting surgical outcomes, triaging patient safety, and determining escalation protocols.
“We use this as a tool. We have to make sure that as providers, we are utilizing AI to be an assistant, but not the main driving force,” she said. “AI can potentially cause more problems, and we have to be moderators of technology.”
The global cosmetic surgery market is now a multi-billion dollar industry with niche specializations emerging by country: Brazil dominates body sculpting, South Korea leads facial procedures, and Turkey has cornered hair restoration. The U.S. remains the only market that combines all categories at scale.
About Dr. Claudia Kim
IBTimes US
Dr. Claudia Kim is a cosmetic surgeon and Chief Medical Officer at New York New Life, a cosmetic surgery practice in New York City specializing in both invasive and non-invasive aesthetic procedures.
