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New Trends in Plastic Surgery

New Trends in Plastic Surgery

The 2014 plastic-surgery statistics will be released later today by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). Thanks to an advance peek, I can report that butts are getting bigger, while breasts are getting smaller.

Buttock augmentations are up 86 percent over 2013. Michael C. Edwards, a plastic surgeon and the president of the ASAPS notes that most women don’t want giant backsides, they just want more shapely ones. The other big news is breast revisions, which are up 30.4 percent. Many attribute that rise to aging implants in need of replacement, along with many women’s desire to switch from saline to silicone-gel-filled implants, which may not have been available when they originally had surgery. What’s more, insiders say most of these women are exchanging their old implants for smaller replacements.

The other news in the numbers is a five percent drop in overall procedures: 10,663,607 in 2014, down from 11,419,610 in 2013. The decrease was mostly in minimally-invasive procedures like Botox and fillers. No explanation for this was offered by the ASAPS, but could it be what I call injection fatigue? Many women I’ve spoken to don’t want to return again and again for refills. Surgical procedures fell only 1.5 percent from 1,883,048 to 1,764,956, a drop that the number crunchers say is not statistically significant.

Fat—and getting rid of it—is still a high priority. In recent years the top surgical procedures for women have flipped back and forth between breast implants and liposuction. In 2014, liposuction held the number one spot, followed by breast augmentation (down 8.5 percent), tummy tuck, blepharoplasty (or eye lift), and in fifth place, the breast lift. Facelifts are in eighth place.

Liposuction may still be king (or is it queen?) in the surgical department, but non-surgical fat reduction with devices such as CoolSculpting and VASERshape rose a whopping 42.7 percent, from 94,922 in 2013 to 135,448 in 2014. That number could rise even more this year if ATX-101, an injection for fat reduction under the chin, gets FDA clearance, which it’s expected to receive.

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6 Plastic Surgery Myths

6 Plastic Surgery Myths

There are a lot of myths surrounding plastic surgery and various procedures. As myths tend to be, none of them are true. If you’re considering plastic surgery but you are holding back due to something that you’ve heard, take a look at this list of popular plastic surgery myths.

Plastic surgery doesn’t help with self-esteem: While changing the way that you look can’t change who you are on the inside, nearly 88% of plastic surgery patients felt better about themselves post-surgery — that’s a pretty decent amount!

Most procedures are not affordable, and only celebrities can afford plastic surgery. While this might have been true many years ago, it is no longer the case. Thanks to new technology and practices, plastic surgery procedures are far more affordable than they were before. Some doctors will also work with patients when it comes to things like payment plans, so that’s worth looking into as well. You’ll never know how much the procedure you want will cost until you book a consultation!

Breast implants are dangerous: For some reason, this rumor still flies, though it’s not the case at all. Breast implants are not linked to cancer in any way, and the materials used for implants are constantly monitored for possible problems. The FDA has signed off on breast implants because they are, in fact, safe.

It’s too much of a risk: Any kind of surgery comes with risks, but plastic surgery risks can be minimized if you find the right surgeon. Surgeons that have experience performing the procedure that you have in mind perform the same surgery every day, and that means that these surgeons are far less likely to make mistakes. Risks that come with surgery often have very little to do with the actual procedure, and any risks associated with the procedure will be clearly outline prior to the day of surgery.

Only women have plastic surgery. This can seem true, since most of the time we read about female celebrities getting plastic surgery. The truth is that men have many different procedures during regularly as well. Maybe men just don’t talk about it as much?

You can’t breastfeed if you have implants. Many women have no problem breastfeeding after breast augmentation. Once again, this is very much a myth, and if there are any issues that could arise, your doctor will discuss these with you before surgery.

Really Putting Rumors to Rest

It can be easy to believe rumors that are spread all too frequently, but rumors also tend to breed fear. Often, people that want to explore plastic surgery options will not book a consultation appointment for fear that some of the rumors heard are true. However, the best way to find out if there’s any truth to your fears is to visit with a surgeon, ask questions, get answers, and really find out the truth behind those concerns. You can also take a look around our blog for additional information about various plastic surgery procedures.

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The Cure For High Heel Pain: The Toe Job?

The Cure For High Heel Pain: The Toe Job?

With all of the celebrities wearing high heels upwards of 7 inches nowadays, us regular folk have been having a hard time of it. With intense and blinding foot pain, wobbling around rather than strutting, the countless falls (yes, that is how I got a hole in the knee of my favorite black jeans), and God forbid…stairs…how do we girls do it?

Well, it would appear women all across the globe have been turning to the surgeon’s knife to ensure that their feet are high heel friendly. New research has shown that the number of cosmetic procedures that have been performed on feet have doubled in the last year. The procedure, known as the “Toe Job” takes around 20 minutes and is apparently pain-free and creates a pillow effect by injecting collagen into the foot. It reportedly eliminates the painful burning that is generally associated with wearing high heels. The treatment costs £320 ($519) and can last up to 6 months.

Crazy what people will do for fashion!

 

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Social Media is Contributing to the Growing Plastic Surgery Trend

Social Media is Contributing to the Growing Plastic Surgery Trend

When it comes to social media, we’re huge advocates of using it to the best of your abilities. It opens up communication, allows us to share photos and ideas with our friends, and in general, gives everyone a voice. Today, however, we found out social media is doing another influential thing: contributing to the plastic surgery craze (it’s okay if you need to re-read that last sentence, we get it).

According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, reports on their annual findings on surgery found that the world of social media is strongly linked to the increase in plastic surgery, mainly because Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like are making those who frequently use the sites more critical of themselves. Below are some of the statistics from the study that have us a little concerned:

  • Because of social media photo sharing, 31% of surgeons have seen an increase in requests for plastic surgery because patients have a more critical eye on themselves.
  • 73% of procedures (up from 62% the previous year) were cosmetic versus reconstructive in nature.
  • Studies show that people are more drawn towards images in specific proportions, like facial features, making them more aesthetically pleasing.

So what does this all mean? When people look at pictures of themselves on social media, they’re looking at much more than just themselves. They’re also comparing themselves to the people that they follow, whether they be friends, models, celebrities, etc. and users are being much more critical of themselves because of the comparisons they’re making. This, in turn, is contributing to a rise in plastic surgery requests. Call us crazy, but we’re pretty sure that one or two bad Instagram photos aren’t worth thousands of dollars in surgery to look like someone else.

 

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