YouTube videos on plastic surgery spreading misinformation: Study

In the first study to evaluate YouTube videos on facial plastic surgery procedures, scientists have found that most are misleading marketing campaigns posted by non-qualified medical professionals.

The millions of people who turn to YouTube as a source for education on facial plastic surgery receive a false understanding that does not include the risks or alternative options, said lead author Boris Paskhover, an assistant professor at Rutgers University in the US.

"Videos on facial plastic surgery may be mainly marketing campaigns and may not fully be intended as educational," Paskhover said.

Researchers evaluated 240 top-viewed videos with 160 million combined views that resulted from keyword searches for "blepharoplasty," "eyelid surgery," "dermal fillers," "facial fillers," "otoplasty," "ear surgery," "rhytidectomy," "facelift," "lip augmentation," "lip fillers," "rhinoplasty" and/or "nose job."