The Latest Trends in Cosmetic Plastic Surgery
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (or ASPS) is the largest plastic surgery specialty organization in the world. Representing 94% of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the U.S., this organization strives to advance quality care to plastic surgery patients by encouraging the highest standards of training, ethics, physician practice, and research. In an effort to track emerging trends and changes in attitudes towards plastic surgery, the ASPS also conducts an annual census that compiles detailed statistics on the number of plastic surgery procedures performed during the previous year. By carefully examining this information, the seven board-certified plastic surgeons at Atlanta Plastic Surgery can gain valuable insight that can help us provide our patients with the most advanced technologies and most effective plastic surgery options.
In the past year, the overall number of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures performed in the United States continued to grow steadily, and breast augmentation surgery kept its place as the most popular procedure. Facelifts, which had dropped from the top five most popular cosmetic surgical procedures in 2015, made a comeback in 2016, suggesting that even though non-surgical facial rejuvenation is as popular as ever, patients are still very attracted to the dramatic, long-lasting results that can only be achieved through a full facelift. More interesting, however, are the significant changes that suggest two areas of rapidly growing interest.
Lower Body Contouring
While most forms of cosmetic plastic surgery showed modest growth over the past year, the largest gains were almost exclusively in the area of the lower body. Specifically, surgeries to help treat excess, sagging skin from the abdomen, hips, and thighs after significant weight loss, a procedure commonly referred to as a lower body lift, increased by 34%. Similarly, the number of patients undergoing buttock augmentation, using either fat grafting or the less popular artificial implants, increased by an average of about 20%. All of these procedures allow patients to sculpt and contour their lower bodies to achieve a more defined and aesthetically pleasing silhouette.
Fat Transfer Techniques
One plastic surgery technique that has enjoyed a dramatic increase in popularity over the last few years is fat transfer. Unwanted fat that has been removed, via liposuction, from the patient’s abdomen, hips, or thighs can be purified and re-injected to add volume and projection to the buttocks, breasts, or even the face, accentuating contours and restoring a more youthful, rounded appearance. Because the fat comes from the patient’s own body, the results from fat transfer are typically longer lasting than those achieved with facial fillers.
Ever since it was founded in 1968, Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. has been recognized throughout the medical community as one of the leading cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery centers in the southeast. Over the years we have continued to explore new techniques and technology so that we can provide our patients with the most effective and advanced plastic surgery options. If you are interested in in learning more about what fat transfer or any of the other cosmetic plastic surgery procedures we perform at Atlanta Plastic Surgery might be able to do for you, please contact Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. at our Atlanta, Alpharetta, Cumming, or Newnan office to schedule an appointment for a consultation. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.
