Muscat – Cosmetic surgery may be only a scroll away on social media, but for most people in Oman, seeing it online does not mean they want it for themselves.

A new study by researchers at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital has found a striking gap between awareness of cosmetic procedures and willingness to undergo them. While almost everyone surveyed had heard of cosmetic surgery, only a small minority had actually gone under the knife.

The study of 437 people found that 97.3% were aware of cosmetic procedures, with 83.2% citing social media as their main source of information. Yet only 21.7% approved of cosmetic surgery, while just 6.4% had undergone a cosmetic procedure.

The findings suggest that Instagram-style before-and-after images, celebrity transformations and personal accounts may have made cosmetic procedures familiar without making them socially or personally acceptable.

“Cosmetic surgery is clearly no longer an unfamiliar concept in Oman, but being aware of these procedures does not necessarily mean that people consider them appropriate or desirable,” said Dr Nawaf Al Muqaimi, one of the study’s researchers.

Dr Moath Shummo, co-author, said social media could create familiarity without necessarily changing the values through which people view cosmetic surgery.

“In Oman, people may be very familiar with cosmetic surgery while still viewing it through cultural, religious and social perspectives that influence whether they would actually accept it,” he said.

Those factors remain significant. More than a quarter of the participants who had not undergone cosmetic procedures cited religious considerations, while almost half viewed cosmetic procedures as socially unacceptable.

For many, however, the biggest deterrent was not religion or social judgement, but fear.

Almost 80% said they would be afraid to undergo a cosmetic procedure, citing possible complications, pain, disappointing results and postoperative risks.

“Attitudes towards cosmetic surgery have to be understood within the cultural and religious context of society,” said Dr Abdullah Al Lawati, another co-author.

Perhaps the most revealing finding was that the leading reason for avoiding cosmetic surgery was satisfaction with one’s existing appearance.

This appears to have provided a counterweight to the beauty standards increasingly presented online. While 86.5% believed social media influences decisions about cosmetic procedures, that influence has not translated into widespread uptake.

“This suggests that personal contentment can remain stronger than external beauty trends, even in an increasingly digital environment,” Al Lawati said.

The researchers said the findings underline the need for reliable, culturally sensitive medical information online, particularly in Arabic, covering the indications, risks, recovery and realistic outcomes of cosmetic procedures.

They cautioned that the study did not examine the accuracy of information participants encountered on social media. Attitudes could also change, particularly among younger, digitally connected generations.