It's touchup time for Kathryn Jackson. She's getting dermal filler for her lips, smile lines and cheeks.

"Over the past year, I've really been wanting to get filler in all those places."

A schoolteacher, Jackson has spent much of the past year on Zoom.

"I'm sure the kids don't really care what I look like but I still see myself every day."

"I have wanted threads for many years."

Jenn Izzarelli, an aesthetic nurse practitioner, turned to a procedure called threading, spurred by her time online doing consults and trainings.

"I just saw myself aging right in front of my eyes."

While the pandemic has kept many of us socially distant, the communications technology lots of folks have relied on as a substitute has often been very up-close and personal.

"They're on Zoom and other social media platforms and they’re seeing themselves on their screens and they’re just not liking what they're seeing."

Facial plastic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Schmidt says that's led to an upsurge in his business.

"It certainly has had a tremendous impact. Certainly not anything I would have foreseen."

"The people who are in their 30s, their 40s, they're just beginning to see signs of aging, those are people that are really good candidates."

Dr. Alexander Rivkin injects what are most often barbed threads under the skin to plump and lift the skin while stimulating collagen growth. 

"This is a nonsurgical treatment, it's not invasive, there's really not much downtime at all to it and the results are good."

He makes sure, though, the issues his clients want to address match what he’s seeing in person. The lighting on video calls isn’t always optimal. He thinks imperfections are okay and that in this stressful time Zoom has focused people’s attention on their flaws more than ever.

"A lot of times, as you know, the camera can warp perception somewhat. Your face looks one way on Zoom doesn’t mean reality is actually that way."

Schmidt says he aims for a natural look that's then reflected in his patients' mindsets.

"We're allowing them to be more expressive and more comfortable in their own skin. They are feeling more confident, that will certainly reflect in their interactions with other people."

Izzarelli hopes her procedure buys her several years and believes it was worth the $5,000 cost.

"I did definitely see a lifting on the skin on my neck which was really exciting and impressive."

Jackson says she’ll be able to put her best face forward now, whether on camera or not.

"I'm looking at myself all the time, probably really more than anyone else looks at me."

We're just so much more aware these days, she says. Which is why this trend may be here to stay. 

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