In 2020 (aka The Year That Changed Everything), people spent more time indoors, worked from home, and wore masks when they stepped outdoors. But this was the time that many people had cosmetic procedures that would normally require taking time off work and avoiding social circles. Though elective surgeries were put on hold across the country for a while, public interest in plastic surgery and booking procedures are now witnessing a major comeback. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) asked surgeons across the country what trends they’re seeing in their own plastic surgery practices. This blog discusses trends relating to plastic surgery in New York City.
The most trending and commonly requested surgical procedures in New York City were body liposuction and submental liposuction. One of the major contributing factors to this trend is COVID-19. With lockdowns, many people could not maintain a healthy lifestyle. Gyms were closed, they were forced to work from home, and were responsible for virtual schooling in addition to their own full-time jobs, and so on. All this lead to significant weight gain during the pandemic – ‘COVID 15’ – which was harder to shed. This led to an increase in the demand for liposuction – working from home was the perfect way to recover in privacy and without having to take days off of work.
Understanding Liposuction: A Leading Solution for Targeted Fat Removal
Liposuction surgery is the gold standard for removing excess fat from various areas of body that is resistant to diet and exercise. Over the years, this cosmetic surgical procedure has consistently ranked among the top five cosmetic surgical procedures in the U.S. Liposuction is not a weight-loss method or an alternative to weight loss. It is a surgical procedure that uses specialized techniques to remove stubborn fat from the body. Liposuction treatment:
- Removes localized deposits of fat – from areas such as the abdomen, thighs, hips, buttocks, face, chin neck, and arms – and reshape the body to an attractive shape
- Makes you look better and fit in your clothes (such as swimsuits and slim-fit clothes)
- Improves overall body proportions and balance with the rest of your body.
- Improves the results of another procedure when it is combined with another treatment.
A skilled cosmetic surgeon in New York City can provided customized treatment to help men and women achieve a well-defined body.
Today, many patients are reluctant to under the knife to achieve their body contouring goals and this has led to the development of a variety of minimally-invasive and noninvasive body contouring technologies. Leading NYC cosmetic surgeons are experts in using minimally-invasive modalities like BodyTite and VASERlipo. Unlike conventional liposuction that is an invasive procedure with longer recovery time and surgical trauma, these techniques involves less downtime and minimal to no surgical trauma. They remove fat and also tighten the skin safely and effectively.
Submental liposuction or neck liposuction addresses submental fat or a double chin – one of the most common cosmetic concerns among both men and women. Caused by the buildup of subcutaneous fat beneath the chin along with some amount of loose skin, the procedure improve the contour of the neck for a more youthful and rejuvenated appearance. When performed by minimally invasive way, you can experience several benefits such as good skin retraction, minimal blood loss, and negligible surgical trauma and downtime.
Along with body and submental liposuction, another cosmetic procedure that is trending in New York City is the Mommy Makeover, a combination of procedures such as breast augmentation, breast lift, liposuction, or abdominoplasty. Plastic surgeons utilize advanced techniques and technologies to perform these procedures and improve all areas of the body affected by pregnancy with minimal scarring, minimal discomfort and short downtime. A mommy makeover is designed to resolve several postpartum changes such as loss of breast volume, breast sag and loose skin in the abdominal area, stubborn fat deposits in various areas, stretch marks, and wrinkles.
The ASPS survey also revealed trending procedures in the following cities:
- Denver – Facelifts and body contouring procedures, like liposuction
- Tulsa – facelift, abdominoplasty with diastasis repair and flank liposuction combo
- San Francisco – liposuction, implant removal with a breast lift
- Boston – facelifts and neck lifts, noninvasive procedures, BodyTite and FaceTite procedures
- Austin – breast augmentation, labiaplasty, chin augmentation, neck liposuction, BodyTite, FaceTite and Morpheus
- Pittsburgh – breast augmentation – both primary and revisionary surgery
- Miami – liposuction and breast augmentation
- Chicago – Botox
- Phoenix – breast implants, with or without a lift, VASER liposuction and tummy tucks, facial injectables and skincare
Survey respondents also said that patients are most interested in procedures with quicker recoveries and downtime, and believe that this trend will continue into 2022. The Zoom boom during the pandemic made many people concerned about body image, driving the demand for cosmetic procedures like facelift surgery. Plastic surgeons also pointed out that as people are not spending money to travel, their long-desired procedures are more financially reachable.
Plastic surgery in New York City is evolving and surgeons in leading AAAASF-accredited plastic surgery practices are focused on providing safe and effective treatment to meet patient goals.