Selfies cause demand for plastic surgery to soar by 25%

• American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found one in three surgeons have seen a rise in patients wanting the perfect selfie
• They noted a 10% rise in nose jobs from 2012 to 2013
• Over the same time period they saw a 7% rise in hair transplants and a 6% jump in eyelid surgery
• Dr Sam Rizk said: 'There has been a 25 per cent increase over the past year-and-a-half to two years. That is very significant'

By Lizzie Parry for MailOnline

Published: 07:08 EST, 1 December 2014 | Updated: 08:11 EST, 1 December 2014

They are the trademark of celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber.

Now, a rising tide of people are going under the knife desperate to enhance their image, driven by a desire to take a better selfie.

From rhinoplasty to eyelid lifts, plastic surgeons say they have seen a surge in patients keen to improve their image.

And the driving force? Selfies and the pressure people feel to improve their profile on social media sites.

A rise in the popularity of taking a selfie is fuelling demand for plastic surgery, experts have said. This selfie, taken by comedian Ellen DeGeneres at this year's Oscars, became the most retweeted in history

Reality star Kim Kardashian was accused by her mother Kris Jenner of being 'obsessed' for taking 1,200 selfies on a family trip to Thailand earlier this year

A poll by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found one in three surgeons have seen a rise in requests for procedures as a result of patients being more aware of their image on social media.

The 2,700 respondents noted a 10 per cent rise in nose jobs, rhinoplasty, in 2013 compared to 2012.

And in that time they said they have seen a seven per cent jump in hair transplants and a six per cent jump in eyelid surgery.

Dr Sam Rizk, a Manhattan-based plastic surgeon, said: 'There has been a 25 per cent increase over the past year-and-a-half to two years.

'That is very significant. They come in with their iPhones and show me pictures. Selfies are just getting to be so crazy.'

Dental hygienist Jennifer Reynolds has always been self-conscious about her looks.

She never indulged in selfies and felt uncomfortable being tagged in photographs posted on social media.

The 34-year-old from Costa Rica who lives in New York, opted for plastic surgery on her nose.

Since her operation she said she now feels ready for social media.

'I definitely feel more comfortable right now with my looks,' she said. 'If I need to take a selfie, without a doubt, I would have no problem.'

She is just one of a growing number of people who have turned to plastic surgeons to enhance their image.

Kim Kardashian was accused by her mother Kris Jenner of being 'obsessed' for taking 1,200 selfies on a family trip to Thailand earlier this year.

In a scene, since deleted from from Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kris is seen confronting her daughter about her narcissism.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star uploads hundreds of images of herself to her social media sites each week

Singer Katy Perry is picutred, left, taking a selfie with fans in Sydney, Australia, while British model Kelly Brook regularly snaps images of herself to upload on her Instagram account

Model Petra Nemcova takes a selfie as she poses on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May

The reality star is famous for tweeting hundreds of pictures of herself, including the infamous one of her famous derriere.

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres posted a selfie with Hollywood A-listers at this year's Oscars ceremony.

The image also starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Kevin Spacey and Angelina Jolie, became the most retweeted selfie of all time.

And British Prime Minister, David Cameron and President Obama came under fire for posing with the Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt for a selfie at a memorial service to honour Nelson Mandela.

Dr Rizk, who specialises in rhinoplasty, said not everyone who requests surgery needs it because a selfie produces a distorted image that does not represent how a person really looks.

'We all will have something wrong with us on a selfie image,' he said. 'I refuse a significant proportion of patients with selfies because I believe it is not a real image of what they actually look like in person.'

Some patients get upset when Dr Rizk tells them surgery is not necessary, and he knows they will simply go to another surgeon.

'Too many selfies indicate a self obsession and a certain level of insecurity that most teenagers have. It just makes it worse,' he said. 'Now they can see themselves in 100 images a day on Facebook and Instagram.'

New York make-up artist Ramy Gafni, who has worked with clients on selfies and online dating profile photos, suggests using clean makeup, well-defined eyebrows and a bit color on the lips to produce the best selfies.

'You want to enhance your features, perfect your features but not necessarily change your features into something they are not,' he said.

Dan Ackerman, senior editor with CNET which tests and reviews products, said the Internet is full of tips and advice on selfies.

'There are apps that apply filters to your face that smooth out wrinkles ... or put artificial makeup.

'There is a sub economy of tools and advice that have built up around this,' he added.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and President Obama came under fire for posing with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt for a selfie at a memorial service to honour Nelson Mandela

SELFIE-OBSESSED WOMAN SPENDS THOUSANDS ON SURGERY... AND NOW SHE'S MAKING A LIVING OUT OF HELPING OTHERS LOOK PICTURE PERFECT

Triana Lavey, 38, spent thousands on plastic surgery to look picture perfect

One selfie-obsessed woman has told how she spent £8,900 on plastic surgery to look picture perfect.

Triana Lavey, 38, now makes a living helping other people make the most of their image on social media.

In a bid to take better selfies, and 'look like a supermodel', she had a chin implant, nose job and cheek-defining fat grafts.

But now she has turned her attention to helping others build online followings - and the larger their social media reach, the more companies pay to feature in the selfies they post.

Clients of the company she works for, uFluencer, can earn between £60,000 and £120,000 a month by including big-name brands in their selfies.

The people she works with include young singers who have huge YouTube followings among teens such as That's Heart, Brandon Berg, Becca Lamin and ItsJudyTime, who are all listed on the company's website.

The 'Ufluencers', as the company cites them on its website, also include Alphacat, who has 3.5m followers, and ItsJudyTime and Sam Pottorff, who have both amassed over 3m followers.

Triana, from Los Angeles in California, USA,believes the ideal pose is for the picture to look fun and organic with their personality resonating through the image - all while looking interested in the product they are paid to promote.

Though Triana underwent surgery to look good in her own selfies she doesn't believe other people have to do the same - they just need to feel confident in front of the camera.

She said: 'We're living in an exciting time - the future is now with regards to social media and I couldn't be happier to be a part of it.

'Advertisers and brands are learning very quickly that eyes are turning away from traditional media and are looking towards digital entertainment.

'Our clients are enjoying the shift by making a business out of their social media presence.

'uFluencer clients are commanding rates in the tens of thousands for a strategically posted selfie with the advertiser's hashtag on it.

'With the massive following they have acquired, advertisers look to them as the tastemakers of their generation and are willing to pay top dollar for a coveted mention of their product in a video or a single post on Instagram.'

Ms Lavey, who lives in the U.S., now makes a living out of helping other people maximise their image for social media sites

She had a nose job, chin implant and cheek-defining fat grafts to improve her selfie image