Mirror, Mirror

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Selfies are distorting the images people see of themselves and are prompting them to undergo unnecessary cosmetic surgery, the Telegraph reported.

In a new study, researchers at the University of Texas took photos of 30 volunteers using different camera devices to analyze how the images differed.

They took two pictures with a smartphone – 12 and 18 inches away – and one using a digital camera from five feet away. All the photographs were taken in the same setting and with the same lighting.

Participants also filled out a questionnaire to rate how satisfied they were with their appearance in the images.

The team also compared measurements of photo “landmarks” – including the nose, lip, chin and facial width.

The findings showed that noses looked up to 6.4 percent longer in selfies than in a standard picture. The selfies also shortened chins by up to 12 percent and increased the nasal length to chin length ratio by 17 percent.

Lead author Bardia Amirlak explained that the distorted features caused by selfies are encouraging younger patients to book rhinoplasties and other cosmetic procedures.

“We need to increase awareness of how false perceptions on selfies may affect rhinoplasty requests, perceptions of self-image, and subsequent depression and anxiety,” she noted.

In Britain, nose jobs remain the top plastic surgery for men and among the top five for women.

While surgical rhinoplasty is less frequent in the United States, Americans have been undergoing “liquid nose jobs.” This involves the injection of fillers such as Hyaluronic acid, which is used for filling in facial wrinkles, to plump out hollows or filling out a nose.