Abstract
BACKGROUND: Social media platforms, particularly Instagram appear to be influencing contemporary beauty standards, especially concerning lip enhancements. Understanding the prevalent lip types showcased can offer valuable insights into evolving aesthetic ideals to inform both patients and practitioners. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to analyze lip types associated with minimally invasive lip enhancements on Instagram (Meta, Menlo Park, CA) and compare these findings with classifications from a patient clinic using the Lip Classification of Tubercles system. METHODS: A within-participants design was employed to examine 120 "before and after" images from 4 trending Instagram hashtags related to lip enhancements. Four expert examiners performed the classification, and interrater reliability was assessed. Data from a previous study involving patients from an aesthetic clinic (n = 214) were incorporated to compare the frequencies of lip types in the clinic and on Instagram. RESULTS: The interrater reliability for lip classification on Instagram was very good (Fleiss' Kappa: pretreatment k = 0.817; posttreatment k = 0.837). The most common lip-type pretreatment was 1A, which dramatically shifted to Type 3A posttreatment. The comparison with the patient clinic revealed that although Type 1A was the most prevalent in both datasets, Instagram exhibited lower variability, with only 10 unique types identified pretreatment and a predominant Type 3A posttreatment. CONCLUSIONS: The representations of lip enhancements on Instagram reflect a narrower range of lip types compared with clinical findings, including a dramatic shift toward a Type 3A lip shape. This standardization of beauty ideal highlights the need for further exploration of social media's influence on lip enhancement preferences and the associated risks, as well as how these trends shape patient expectations in aesthetic practices.