Plastic surgery is in demand, and it is not surprising that the number of plastic surgery procedures has grown over 132 percent in the past 16 years. Let’s face it, social media is everywhere, and it is not going away anytime soon. This selfie generation is ruled by image and how you look now is as important as who you are. With the growing number of people on social media coupled with an increased desire to look your best, plastic surgery is in demand. What are the plastic surgery trends of 2018? According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual report, growing trends in plastic surgery include a renewed focus on facial procedures, increased demand for fat transfer and fat freezing, as well as an increase in male plastic surgery.
Trends in Facial Plastic Surgery
Three of the top five plastic surgery trends for 2018 growing in popularity focus on the face. Nose reshaping, eyelid surgery, and facelifts were three of the top five procedures performed in the last year. With social media and selfies being the day to day norm, an increase in face-focused procedures is no surprise.
Nose Reshaping
Also known as rhinoplasty, nose reshaping leads the facial category with almost a quarter of a million procedures performed. Rhinoplasty can completely renovate your face and impact your overall beauty. Your nose is the focal point of your face: it helps to define the midline and create beautiful symmetry. Therefore, minor imperfections can have detrimental effects on your overall appearance. Fortunately, this means that small changes to the nose can have a tremendous impact. However, a rhinoplasty is truly the most finesse procedure in all of plastic surgery so know before you go- see a true rhinoplasty expert.
Eyelid Rejuvenation
Known as blepharoplasty, eyelid rejuvenation is the second most popular growing plastic surgery facial procedure. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and in your forties and fifties, that window will start to show the true signs of aging. Loss of volume in the face leads to sunken eyes and sagging skin that was never there before. Therefore, this is the area that fillers and botox work well into the forties until the amount of eyelid fat loss is too great to be replenished by fillers alone. Since your eyes are the most prominent feature of your facial structure, it is vital, when considering eyelid rejuvenation, that you do not change the appearance of your eyes too dramatically. The goal is to look like yourself only better. The key is to allow the lower eyelid to blend with the cheek-lower eyelid junction. This is where fat grafting is so important to restore a youthful eyelid
Facelifts
Known as rhytidectomy, facelifts are sometimes required to correct sagging facial skin. As people are living longer and wanting to look their best, facelifts are becoming a more sought out procedure. We cannot stress enough the importance of choosing a true facial aging expert who is also a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in facial rejuvenation when considering a facelift. To maintain facial harmony, the modern facelift is called the “lift and fill facelift “ as one needs to put fat in the central part of their face with the lateral or outer region using the traditional SMAS facelift techniques for longevity. This can and usually is accompanied by eyelid surgery to restore the eyes, bring back the natural jawline, and reestablish fullness in your cheeks.
New Trends with Fat
Two growing plastic surgery trends for 2018 concerning your own fat are fat transfer and fat freezing. Fat transfer and fat freezing are two entirely different procedures and have completely different indications.
Fat Transfer
This procedure involves removing fat from one area of the body and using it to shape and plump other areas of the body. To achieve the fat transfer, liposuction is performed in areas of your body that have excess fat such as love handles, lower back, inner or outer thighs, or lower abdomen. After a purification process, the fat is injected into different areas of the body including buttocks, breasts, and face to achieve the desired results. Fat transfer is permanent and has the unique ability to increase or decrease in size with weight fluctuations because fat cells can enlarge with weight gain or decrease in size with weight loss.
Fat Freezing
Also known as cryolipolysis, fat freezing literally kills fat cells by freezing them. CoolSculpting® is one of the more popular trends right now in non-surgical body contouring. CoolSculpting is non-invasive, requires no downtime, and is one of the only FDA approved non-surgical fat reduction treatments. Through a process called cryolipolysis, CoolSculpting freezes the fat cells in the treatment area. Then over the course of several weeks to months, the fat cells shrink, and your body eliminates them.
Male Plastic Surgery on the Rise
With more and more men becoming more body conscious it is no surprise that the rise of plastic surgery amongst men has increased by almost 50 percent over the past fifteen years. In the social media age that we live in, your image can be an important factor in finding a date, getting the job, or even making new friends. More men are now undergoing plastic surgery to keep their youthful appearance or change what they do not like about their body. The top four plastic surgery procedures performed on men listed from most common to least common include rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, breast reduction, and liposuction.
Dr. Rod J. Rohrich is an internationally known, highly respected and skilled plastic and cosmetic surgeon from Dallas, Texas. He is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and has led most of the key professional organizations in plastic surgery in the USA. He has received numerous honors and awards in plastic and cosmetic surgery, both nationally and internationally. In addition to his extensive surgical expertise and talent as a gifted surgeon, he is the Founding Chair and Distinguished Teaching Professor of Plastic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He has authored hundreds of innovative academic publications in the field and he also serves as the Editor in Chief of the leading plastic and reconstructive surgery journal, the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Rohrich has also performed philanthropic work as a civic leader of organizations such as the March of Dimes, American Cancer Society and Save the Children and has established the Rod J. Rohrich, M.D. Foundation, which supports medical students in his native North Dakota. He is also a founding member and President of AiRS, the Alliance in Reconstructive Surgery, which serves to support education and reconstructive surgery for breast cancer survivors, regardless of financial status. Dr. Rohrich has repeatedly been featured as one of the best plastic surgeons in the country by US News and World Report, Harper’s Bazaar, Good Housekeeping and Texas Monthly as well as being quoted in notable publications such as the New York Times and Boston Globe. He has appeared on many television shows including Oprah, the View, and Good Morning America and is currently working to provide a reliable source of public-centered information in the fields of plastic and cosmetic surgery as well as other areas of medicine.