RALEIGH, N.C. — Never have Dr. Shruti Tannan's services been in more demand than during the pandemic.
“I'm seeing a lot more interest in rhinoplasty, a lot more interest in upper eye lid surgery, in face lift, neck lift, brow lift. I mean, there’s people in their 30s asking for a brow lift, and I’m like 'no, no, no… there’s other ways we can make your brows look better.' It’s called BOTOX, it’s not surgery," Tannan said.
Tannan says wait times for surgeries are now booked out months in advance. That's once you get an appointment. She says the huge demand is a result of people spending time at home, often spending hours seeing their own image on a video chat.
“'How can I be the best version of me? I don’t want to settle anymore.' Whether that’s settling for second best in whatever realm of their lives," she said.
One of her patients, a 26-year-old, has dreamed of getting a breast lift for years. She wanted to remain anonymous.
"I've wanted this done since I've had breasts develop because I've had a lot of pain in them. They never really developed right, so it just caused me a lot of mental and physical distress," she said.
The patient is confident she'll feel better and doesn't care what people think.
"[People may say] 'you're not real or you're fake, you're not being your true authentic self.' But I think that's not true, I think it helps bring out your real self," she said.
However, Tannan says not every person is a good surgical candidate.
“I really do think social media plays a big part in that. Just because people are exposed to so much that is supposedly stylized and idealized and it’s not realistic," Tannan said. “There’s a larger percentage of people that I’m saying 'I just don’t think the surgery you want will meet your goals.'”
Whether there's a demand for her services or not, this mother of two believes in what she does.
“Really kind of helping people understand that it’s not so much about vanity, but about functional improvement in your lives and getting back to you," she said. "The transformations that we get to be a part of, get to witness, they are life changing, they are inspiring, they are incredibly fulfilling.”