There was a time in the past when reconstructive plastic surgery was mostly an option for facelifts and the enhancement of a woman’s breast size through implants, mainly by celebrities who were in the public eye and able to afford their expensive costs.

Not too long ago, very few people outside the circle of celebrities in Hollywood were able to have these procedures performed unless they were for medical or surgical reasons, and in those cases, were likely covered by insurance. 

During the past decade, this trend has changed drastically, though, as more and more people are opting for these procedures.  While there are a number of reasons why this has occurred, two of the most prominent ones are:

# 1 – The advancements in the science and medical fields which have paved the way for these procedures and methods to be used to enhance a number of other body parts.  For example, one of the more popular procedures these days is a Brazilian butt lift, a surgery that wasn’t even desired by most women let alone offered by plastic surgeons ten years ago.

#2 – The number of non-surgical options available today allow for not only a greater range of choices but smaller costs when compared to the surgical options of the past.  In addition, the above-noted advancements have lead to more efficient tools and procedures, giving plastic surgeons the ability to offer more cost-effective surgical options thanks to their own cost-savings.

Fastest-Growing Plastic Surgery Procedures

Today, even average people can also afford the costs and expenses involved in these procedures and avail the benefits of modern medical science to improve their physical and medical conditions.

While most people here in New York, or anywhere in the world for that matter, think of tummy tucks or facelifts when talking about the plastic surgery options available, they’re not even the most popular plastic surgeries being performed today.  

Last year in 2016, nearly 1.8 million surgical procedures and approximately 15.5 million non-surgical ones were performed in the US and of them, breast augmentation, liposuction, nose reshaping, and eyelid surgeries were all ahead of #5 on the list – facelifts – when it comes to the top five surgical procedures while Botox, soft tissue fillers, chemical peels, laser hair removal, and microdermabrasion were the top choices for minimally invasive procedures.

While those are some of the most popular surgeries being performed, they aren’t the fastest growing surgical cosmetic procedures these days.  During the last year, more and more patients are choosing to have one of the following procedures to enhance their body and looks:

Lip reduction

While many of the patients we see who are looking to have their lips augmented choose to have them enhanced to make them appear bigger and more luscious, many patients are choosing to do the opposite instead, in some cases due to a previously botched surgery, while in others due to naturally large lips that they want to be reduced in size.

Even though lip enhancements have increased by 50% between 2000 and 2016, a recent New Beauty article reveals a cultural trend among younger patients (in their 20s and 30s) who live in Asia and prefer Caucasian facial features (narrow cheekbones, deeper eye sockets, and thinner lips) and are turning to plastic surgery to achieve that look.

Compared to last year, lip reduction procedures are up by 283 percent and while in opposition to the many, many fuller lips you’ll find on Instagram, are becoming a much more popular procedure.

Labiaplasty

Up 38 percent over last year, you won’t find nearly as many before and after pictures of this procedure, nor will you find that many patients confessing to having this surgery performed, especially when compared to something like a breast lift or tummy tuck.

While labiaplasty is generally a procedure that’s performed on women who’ve given birth or aged considerably since both of them can transform the labia majora, labia menora, perineum and natural beauty of the female genitalia, it’s become increasing popular with younger women who just aren’t happy with the appearance of that part of their body or need the surgery of hygienic or functional reasons.

Even though it’s not exactly the same procedure, a vaginal rejuvenation, or vaginoplasty, which aims to tighten the walls of the vagina, most likely due to natural childbirth, is another popular option a woman who’s not happy with her vagina can take thanks to the many medical and technological advancements that have occurred over the last few years.

Lower body lift

As gastric bypass surgery has become more popular as an option for morbidly obese individuals looking to lose an extreme amount of weight, so too has the demand for the arm lifts, thigh lifts and body lifts required to remove the excess skin left behind after all of the weight and fat has been lost.

The lower body lift, or belt lipectomy, typically offers a dramatic transformation of the mid and lower body by removing excess skin and fat from the abdomen, hips, outer thighs, and buttocks.  This procedure is commonly broken into components (tummy tuck, thigh lift, buttock lift) via a surgical procedure that’s performed in stages or a single session.

As more and more people are adopting a healthier lifestyle, this procedure has been more popular among those individuals who’ve lost an extreme amount of weight (often 100 lbs or more) without first having a gastric bypass surgery and even some patients who’ve not lost any weight at all as many of our tummy tuck patients opt for this procedure as well since it helps to tighten the skin in the thighs and buttocks.

Butt Augmentation

While there are many different types of butt enhancement surgeries for you to choose from, one of the most popular, if not the most popular, is the Brazilian Butt Lift.

Since it’s less invasive and easier to recover from as compared to a butt implant surgery, the BBL, as it’s known throughout social media, is not only the most popular butt enhancement surgery in our Manhattan office but one of the fastest-growing surgeries among all patients in the US.

Thanks to Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams, Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj and songs like Ms. Booty, Big Booty Girls, and Baby Got Back, the last decade can easily be called the resurgence of the butt and the many different butt augmentation procedures available only help to spur their popularity.

Pectoral Implants

Up by 25 percent over the last year, and the only fastest-growing procedure dedicated solely to men, pectoral implants are typically an option for men who are unable to produce the chiseled chest they desire no matter how many bench presses or other exercises they performed to help define their chest muscles.

In many cases, pectoral implants are also a popular option for our gynecomastia patients who are left with malformed chests as a result of that procedure or men who’ve survived cancer surgery and have similar issues they want to scuplt and transform with a pectoral implant. 

Fat Injections

While the specific procedures discussed above are trending upwards, one of the most popular requests these days involves how the procedures themselves are performed.  

Although many of the reconstructive plastic surgeries you could have performed may use silicones and other chemical fillers, one of the most recent American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) data shows many patients are looking for a more natural alternative:  their own fat.

Since it can be used to perform a number of different procedures, from fat injections to breast augmentations, harvesting one’s own fat, typically from their abdomen by way of a liposuction, and then injecting that same fat back into another area of their body has become one of the most popular trends over the last few years.

In 2016 alone, the ASPS saw a 13% increase in minimally invasive fat injections, a 26% increase in fat grafts of the buttocks, and an astounding 72% increase in breast augmentations that used fat injections as opposed to traditional silicone or saline implants.

Facial plastic surgery

Aside from breast augmentation and liposuction, 3 of the top 5 surgeries performed in 2016 were facial plastic surgery procedures, which shouldn’t come as a shock considering it’s the most visible part of your body and the one which shows the signs of aging most often.

While eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, and facelifts are the most common facial plastic surgery procedures performed here in our New York City office the same as they are nationwide, there are many others our patients turn to in order to make improvements to their face.

As noted above, many of our patients are using fat transfers to address the wrinkles, sunken cheeks, and bags under their eyes while others are choosing to have cheek implants, chin implants, hair transplants, or cheek lifts to transform the look of their face.  

Non-surgical procedures

Out-numbering surgical procedures by a 7-to-1 margin, minimally invasive plastic surgery procedures are not only one of the most popular types of surgeries performed, but fastest growing as well.  

Considering many people are afraid of having surgery, especially an optional procedure like the one required of a facelift, many of them are going a different route by choosing to use non-surgical facial rejuvenation, fat reduction, and laser removal techniques instead.

Whether a skin peel to reduce wrinkles and sun damage, an acne treatment to reduce the appearance of acne scars or more traditional facial rejuvenation techniques like Botox, Ultherapy, Juvederm, and Fraxel lasers, many of the patients who come into our office in Manhattan would rather not go under the knife to get the look they desire.  Given the cost of these procedures is typically less than a surgical one, it’s no surprise either.

Thanks to Coolscuplting, mesotherapy, Cellfina, and Kybella, our patients have a number of non-invasive fat reduction options available to them which allow them to address the appearance of cellulite on their thighs and buttocks, double chin, ab sculpting, cellulite and fat shrinking needs without having to undergo a more costly surgical procedure.

In the past, our plastic surgeons had limited options when it came to helping our patients remove hair, spider veins, stretch marks, moles, and tattoos, but thanks to the advancements in laser technologies that’s no longer the case, providing our patients with an affordable and non-surgical procedure to address those concerns.

What’s The Next Big Trend?

While it’s difficult to predict what’s going to happen in plastic surgery over the next couple of years, we’d like to think we know a thing or two and have a pretty good finger on the pulse of what’s happening, and going to happen in the near future.

Even though none of these procedures will likely surpass the top 5 we spoke of earlier, don’t be surprised to hear your friends, family, and the media talking about some of these procedures and techniques over the coming years as they become more popular and widely accepted.

Designer Fillers

With Juvederm Voluma, to add volume to the midface and Juvederm Volbella and Restylane Lyft currently available to do the same to the lips, one of the biggest trends to look out for over the coming months and years are fillers designed specifically for certain areas of the face.

The Belotero line of dermal fillers already sports many different site-specific options and the introduction of Restylane’s Refyne and Defyne (for smile and laugh lines) will allow our patients a quick, affordable and minimally invasive method of dealing with many of the problem areas on their face.

While many of the neuromodulator injectables on the market today typically last 4 months, a new breed of already approved options is set to enter the market with the introduction of Revance, an application that’s rumored to last almost double that amount of time.

Just Add Dimples

As a young adult, you may have been teased about the dimples on your cheeks.  While they’re cute on a 4-year old, many of the people spent most of their lives being teased about the cute little dimples on their face won’t have to worry about that any longer thanks to one of the newest trends in facial plastic surgery – dimples.

In an attempt to accentuate their smiles, many patients are turning to a quick and simple in-office procedure, called dimpleplasty, which allows them to choose exactly where they want the dimple to be placed and through the use of small incision on the inside of their cheek to avoid scars on the face, have the dimples they’ve longed for.

Naturally, a dimple is created when there’s a small defect in the cheek musculature, causing the skin over this area to stick down to the underlying connective tissue, particularly when you smile and this dimple creation surgery can create that look in as little as 30 minutes under nothing more than local anesthesia to numb the area.

Smaller, More Natural Breasts

Although many women are still unhappy with the look and shape of their breasts, it’s becoming more and more commonplace for them to choose a more natural looking end result as opposed to the bigger breast sizes we’re used to seeing. 

In fact, the largest group of women having breast augmentations are those who’ve had children and aren’t looking for larger breasts, but ones that can be restored to their pre-baby shape and form.  With more and more women choosing to get fit and lean this should come as no surprise, and a number of them are choosing to reduce the size of their nipples as well, again in accordance with the trend of a more natural looking bust.

Coolsculpting

Also known as fat freezing, this non-invasive alternative to one of the most popular surgical procedures, liposuction, is quickly becoming more and more popular with both our male and female patients.  Thanks to the fact our fat cells are more sensitive to cold temperatures than other types of body cells, this body contouring technique uses controlled cooling to target and crystallize your fat cells.

As a result of the Coolsculpting treatment, these crystallized fat cells typically die off and are naturally eliminated from the body.  In the weeks and months following the treatment, the remaining fat cells condense to reduce the layer of fat that was previously there.

Compared to the incisions and fat sucking required of a liposuction procedure, it’s safe to say this will become one of the more popular procedures, due to its cost as compared to the surgical options, fewer risks, and shorter downtime.

PRP Injections

As the list of procedures which use platelet-rich plasma continues to grow, so too, does its popularity.  Whether for use in a hair restoration, lip enhancement, vaginal rejuvenation, or facial recontouring procedure, PRP injections are prepared from one to a few tubes of your own blood, and after being centrifuged, are injected into the abnormal tissue, releasing growth factors that recruit and increase the proliferation of reparative cells.

Considering it’s your own blood that’s being used and the popularity of facelifts overall, one of the more common procedures these days is a vampire facelift.

In this procedure, the withdrawn and centrifugated blood is injected into the superficial layers of the patient’s skin with tiny needles to stimulate the body’s own natural healing and growth abilities to reduce wrinkles, add youthful volume, and improve the quality of your skin.

What Do You Think Will Be The Next Big Thing?

While we’ve tried our best to highlight some of the trends we’re seeing across the United States, as well as in our offices here in Manhattan and Staten Island, we’re always looking for the next big trend, procedure, tool or technology to help our patients achieve the look they desire.

That being said, we’re always interested to hear more about you, your needs, and what you think is going to be the hottest plastic surgery trend in 2018 and we’d love to hear from you.

To get in touch, just fill out the “Get Answers” form at the top of this page and one of our board-certified plastic surgeons will be in touch.