WASHINGTON 鈥� Many聽smartphones have amazing聽cameras,聽but research shows that 鈥渟elfies鈥� can alter聽how people look, and there’s concern that that could be impacting an entire generation’s self-image.
“If you see yourself in a selfie 鈥� it’s distorted,” said Rutgers聽University facial plastics and reconstructive surgeon Boris Paskhover.
Researchers at Rutgers and Stanford developed a mathematical formula that shows a聽selfie taken about 12 inches from your face makes the tip of your nose appear an average of 7 percent wider, and聽the nasal base 30 percent wider, than a photo聽taken from 5 feet away.
“It’s distorted; don’t judge yourself based on a selfie,” Paskhover said. He’s concerned聽selfies might be skewing people’s self-image.
According to an in 2014, the selfie trend has increased demand for facial plastic surgery.聽It found that 58 percent of facial plastic surgeons聽saw an increase in cosmetic surgery or injectables among patients younger than聽30.
“I really think we need to be self-aware that our cameras are skewing what we see. It’s not true,” he said.聽“The younger generation needs to be aware of it 鈥� social media is everywhere.”
The selfie-effect study is published in .
