Plastic surgery trends for 2017

The demand for cosmetic procedures in the US continues to increase as people seek surgical solutions to alter their faces or remove their fat. A growing number of people are choosing plastic surgery to improve their bodies and eliminate their insecurities. Last year millions of Americans decided to enhance their physical appearance with either a surgical cosmetic procedure or a minimally invasive one. Here’s what doctors are seeing in recent plastic surgery trends.

Popular surgical procedures

Facelifts, eyelid surgeries, nose reshaping and liposuction were some common surgical enhancements but the most popular cosmetic procedure in 2016 was breast augmentation. Over 290,000 breast augmentation procedures were performed across the country. A facelift is a procedure to correct sagging, wrinkled skin on a patient’s face or neck. Sagging eyelids are lifted in cosmetic eyelid surgeries. Patients who want to alter the shape of their nose get a reshaping procedure. Liposuction, the second most popular cosmetic surgery, gets rid of excess body fat.

Increased number of breast augmentations, reduced size

In a breast augmentation surgery, a woman’s breasts are enlarged or shaped differently. The procedure has always been one of the most sought after plastic surgeries but patients have had different priorities throughout the years. In the early 2000s, women wanted larger and fuller breasts. Today, doctors report that patients are seeking a more moderate increase in breast size.

Tummy tucks fall in rankings

One surgical procedure that did not make the list of top five popular cosmetic surgeries is the tummy tuck. While liposuction removes excess fat, tummy tucks tighten the abdominal muscles and correct sagging skin. Tummy tucks were in high demand in 2015 but have since dropped in popularity.

Facial enhancements become minimally invasive

While facelifts remain one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries, the demand for minimally invasive procedures has grown. Minimally invasive procedures are performed with smaller incisions so patients have less discomfort with a faster recovery. When it comes to making a patient’s face look younger, surgical brow lifts have been largely replaced with less invasive techniques such as Botox and fillers.

Use of soft-tissue fillers on the rise

While Botox is used to smooth wrinkles, soft-tissue fillers are injected to make the face and lips look fuller. The use of fillers has hit the mainstream media as celebrities like Kylie Jenner admit to using this method to plump their lips. Fillers are the most common technique used in lip augmentations.

Popular minimally invasive procedures

In addition to Botox and soft-tissue fillers, chemical peels, laser hair removal, and microdermabrasions are the most popular minimally invasive procedures. Chemical peels rely on a chemical solution to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and reveal younger looking skin. Laser hair removal is a noninvasive way to get rid of unwanted body hair. Microdermabrasion procedures use an instrument to gently scrub away dead skin to display the healthy new skin underneath.

Labiaplasty procedures and buttock augmentations increase

Labiaplasty is another cosmetic surgery that has been increasingly popular. This procedure enhances the appearance of a woman’s labia. The inner and outer folds outside a woman’s vagina are called the labia. Buttock augmentation, a procedure that takes fat from other areas of the body and injects it into a patient’s butt, also grew in popularity. Patients can alter the size and shape of their rear end with this procedure.