title: #PlasticSurgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Social media use is growing inexorably, and there is public appetite for evidence-based information. Little is known about engagement by plastic surgeons with social media. The aim of this study was to examine posting about plastic surgery on Twitter, to best inform how board-certified plastic surgeons could use the hashtag #PlasticSurgery as a tool to educate patients and the public.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective analysis of 2880 "tweets" containing the words "plastic surgery" was performed. The following were assessed: identity of author, use of the hashtag #PlasticSurgery, subject matter, whether link to study was provided, and whether posts by surgeons were self-promotional or educational.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Social media posting about plastic surgery is dominated by the public, accounting for 70.6 percent of posts versus only 6.0 percent by plastic surgeons. Only 5.4 percent of all tweets contained the hashtag #PlasticSurgery, although almost half of those that did were by plastic surgeons. Of these, 61.3 percent of posts by plastic surgeons were about aesthetic surgery; additional posts were about basic science, patient safety, and reconstruction (13.9, 4.0, and 2.3 percent, respectively). Eighteen scientific articles were referenced, with a link to the Journal site posted in two tweets. Of posts by plastic surgeons, 37.0 percent were self-promotional.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and its Journal have recognized that social media may be used to educate and engage. Board-certified plastic surgeons have a great opportunity to promote evidence-based plastic practice by means of #PlasticSurgery in the interests of supporting patients and the profession.
authors.affiliation: London, United Kingdom; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; and Chicago and Zion, Ill.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; University of Chicago Medicine; The Cadogan Clinic; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editorial Office; and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital.
authors.forename: Olivier A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Branford
authors.affiliation: London, United Kingdom; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; and Chicago and Zion, Ill.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; University of Chicago Medicine; The Cadogan Clinic; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editorial Office; and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital.
authors.forename: Parisa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kamali
authors.affiliation: London, United Kingdom; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; and Chicago and Zion, Ill.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; University of Chicago Medicine; The Cadogan Clinic; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editorial Office; and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital.
authors.forename: Rod J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Rohrich
authors.affiliation: London, United Kingdom; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; and Chicago and Zion, Ill.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; University of Chicago Medicine; The Cadogan Clinic; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editorial Office; and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital.
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: London, United Kingdom; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; and Chicago and Zion, Ill.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; University of Chicago Medicine; The Cadogan Clinic; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editorial Office; and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mallucci
authors.affiliation: London, United Kingdom; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; and Chicago and Zion, Ill.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; University of Chicago Medicine; The Cadogan Clinic; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editorial Office; and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital.
authors.forename: Daniel Z
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: London, United Kingdom; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; and Chicago and Zion, Ill.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; University of Chicago Medicine; The Cadogan Clinic; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editorial Office; and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital.
authors.forename: Dustin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: London, United Kingdom; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; and Chicago and Zion, Ill.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; University of Chicago Medicine; The Cadogan Clinic; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editorial Office; and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital.
authors.forename: Kristi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: London, United Kingdom; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; and Chicago and Zion, Ill.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; University of Chicago Medicine; The Cadogan Clinic; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editorial Office; and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital.
authors.forename: Miran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stubican
authors.affiliation: London, United Kingdom; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; and Chicago and Zion, Ill.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute; University of Chicago Medicine; The Cadogan Clinic; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editorial Office; and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Charing Cross Hospital.
authors.forename: Samuel J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D061108:Social Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D066231:Surgeons; D013518:Surgery, Plastic; D014481:United States