We’ve seen our share of trends over the past year or so. Loungewear, whipped coffee, and at-home hair cuts have shaped most of 2020 and parts of 2021. Not surprisingly, plastic surgery is still trending with some procedures skyrocketing in popularity, with time for recovery and strategic cameras off Zoom calls and filters.
Let’s take a look at the plastic surgery trends that have ruled 2021.
Many of us have spent the past year viewing ourselves and our colleagues and friends through the grainy lens of our laptops on Zoom, prompting a rise in facial plastic surgery trends like chin and jawline filler. “This is likely due to what is called ‘The Mirror Effect,’” explains Gabrielle Garritano, Founder & CEO, JECT. “We are used to seeing ourselves in mirror image, not in camera image which is the way ‘others’ perceive us. We are finally seeing our faces express in real-time and notice things that may not be as noticeable in the mirror.”
Facial Fillers/Injectables and Sculpting
If you spent a little more time focusing on your face in that Zoom square, you’re not alone. “We’re all seeing our own faces a little more than usual these days. So, of course, we’re noticing new things — things that maybe we hadn’t noticed before now,” says Garritano. Many millennials are budgeting for injectables like wrinkle reducers and dermal fillers. She notes that while millennials age differently and have different concerns when it comes to plastic surgery trends, one area has skyrocketed in popularity, the chin. According to Allergan, the chin is the new cheek and people are coming in for procedures like masseter injections to slim the jawline and improve the profile.
Dr. Ryan Neinstein, a Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon and Body Sculpting Specialist in New York City agrees. “Chin and neck sculpting along with jawline contouring has been the most in demand pandemic related sculpting procedure. This reflects people’s constant visualization of themselves on Zoom.”
Additionally, when it comes to plastic surgery trends, remote work has made downtime fears a thing of the past. “The fear of downtime is less worrisome for patients,” Garritano says. With the extra time at home, people opted for procedures they’d otherwise have to change their schedule for to avoid stepping out with additional healing time and post-procedure swelling, redness, or scarring.
Microneedling
“We’ve seen an increase in patients trying new services like lip filler and microneedling, which have always been the ‘I have to work tomorrow’ uncertainty,” she explains. Surprisingly, mask mandates didn’t stop people from pursuing bigger pouts, they actually saw an increase in the procedure with remote work being the new norm. “We’ve even heard ‘I’ll just turn off the camera or decrease the lighting’ if I have to.”
‘The Year of the Rear’
Moving beyond the face, another popular area for tweaks and treatments, the butt. “Our top two most requested procedures this year reflect the phrase ‘this it is the year of the rear’. Many of our moms and fitness enthusiasts are looking for a little extra help to lift and tighten the tush,” says Neinstein. The BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift) has become an increasingly popular procedure. One of the most popular treatments requested by his patients is the Athletic Brazilian Butt Lift. The procedure features liposculpting techniques and fat transfers that offer more downtime but “better not bigger buttocks.”
Another popular procedure for the rear, Emsculpt, and hyperdilute Radiesse, which lifts and tightens with little to no downtime. “Emscuplt is the first FDA-approved device to build muscle. It uses TESLA-like energy in a non-surgical setting to give a dynamic improvement in buttock muscle and shape and core musculature,” Neinstein explains.
Arm Sculpting
The running theme here? Minimally invasive procedures with very little downtime, even with the potential to spend more time at home. Elsewhere on the body, arms are another hotspot for procedures, liposculpting of the arms has had a “dramatic uptake in patients seeking his unique three-dimensional method of sculpting the arms all while under local anesthesia. Patients are no longer are seeking simple fat removal, they want a sculpted athletic and fashionable look,” Neinstein says.
Tummy Tucks
Lastly, double reverse mini tummy tucks have also been popular among plastic surgery trends in his office. “Many fit moms are looking for ways to treat upper abdominal loose skin without having a full tummy tuck,” Neinstein explains. The procedure, “combines the skin tightening technology of J Plasma with hidden skin removal tucked into the breast crease that resembles a breast augmentation scar. This innovative technique can be done minimally invasive to accommodate the busy lifestyles of these patients.”
As for why the past year didn’t slow down interest in augmentations, Neinstein posits a theory. “The pandemic has allowed all of us to recalibrate and refocus on health and wellness. Looking good and feeling good has never been more important to people.”
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