Announced as the 2013 “word of the year” by the Oxford English Dictionary, the “selfie” is officially ready for its first celebrity close-up, thanks to recent additions to your friendly, neighborhood app store such as Perfect 365 and Facetune.

It is imagined that millions of Social Media addicts everywhere, especially young women, gasped a sigh of relief when they first realized they could download photo customization programs that convert the magic of Photoshop into a literal “at your fingertips” format to  conveniently tote around with you on your smartphone.

This pret-a-porter glamour goes beyond the eradication of red eye or the application of filters for mood enhancement, which are now standard on smartphones and most Social Media Sites. These new downloads allow you to apply make-up like a top artist, eradicate skin flaws like acne, brighten and whiten teeth, and yes – even create a look that in real life might require surgical procedures such as a Nose Job or an Eye Lift.

If you’ve already been considering a cosmetic surgical procedure for your face, but you have been hesitating due to an inability to consult in person with a Plastic Surgeon, downloading one of these apps might help.

Perfect 365 is a free download with edit features for the eye such as a “dark circle” detector and pupil enhancer that may help you to judge whether the improvements associated with eye lift surgery are really something to consider.  The edit features for the face also include the ability to lift the cheeks and change the width and shape of the nose which enable you to see the benefits of something like a Mid-face Lift or Rhinoplasty.  To satisfy those with a non-invasive curiosity, you can lift your eyebrows to a higher and more aesthetically pleasing position like that which may result after BOTOX^® injections or you can use one of the program’s filters like, “Brighten Skin” to explore the confidence you might possess with more radiant skin that develops after an investment in regular skin peels.

Facetune is not a free download, however, $2.99 is a small price to pay to explore the larger investment of plastic surgery or even non-invasive treatments like BOTOX^® and Dermal Fillers, especially if you’re just at the curiosity stage. One of the products 5 co-founders, Itai Tsiddon, described the distinguishing feature of Facetune to be its use of advanced technology in comparison to what currently exists on most of the other selfie apps.  He went on to say that most apps rely on automation to assist the user in creating improvements in their photos, whereas Facetune allows the user to work locally, down to the pixel to create desired effects and changes, but they have tweaked this advanced technology in such a way that it is still accessible for use by the average Joe.  He recommends the sites “reshape” section to play around with changes you might desire from a cosmetic, surgical enhancement.

The development team for Facetune is composed of four PhD, level computer scientists, a much “brainier” group than your typical app development team, and Tsiddon added that this originally, unintended usage for the technology may be blossoming into many new possiblities on the horizon.

Both sites allow you convenient upload of your photos to Social Media Sites for an instant share with friends and followers, and if you’d like, on Perfect 365 you can create a poll so that friends and followers can vote on the likeability of your enhancements.

As is always the case, playing around with an app such as Perfect 365 or Facetune is never a substitute for a consultation and Computer Imaging with a medical expert.  If you have been considering a cosmetic procedure and you’re ready to speak with an expert in the NYC area, Dr. Oleh Slupchynskyj is available for a consultation.