Cosmeticsurgeon.co.uk - UK Cosmetic Surgeons

In today’s society there is a huge focus on the physical appearance and when it comes to ageing, the issue can start to become emotional. People often feel that they look older than they feel or don’t like the changes in their face and body and want to look younger. A while ago cosmetic surgery was something the rich and famous did, but now as cosmetic surgery becomes more assessable and “normal” more and more people in the general public are having procedures done.

Rise in cosmetic surgery

Even though there is a huge recession going on the actual number of people having cosmetic surgery has risen year on year by 5%. Popular surgical procedures include facelifts, eyelid surgery and nose surgery. Also less invasive treatments have also risen in popularity such as Botox treatment, fillers and chemical peels. There are many dental clinics and beauty salons which offer many of the less invasive treatments at an affordable price.

Natural enhancement

Both men and women are turning to surgery in order to enhance their natural state as surgery and treatments become more and more natural. This means that your average Joe, the banker, the teacher, nurses and shop workers are turning to face and body enhancements. Not everyone wants to look like a “Barbie doll” stereotype but may just want to correct a bump in the nose, or have a mini-facelift or perhaps remove that stubborn muffin top that will not shift. Cosmetic surgery for the masses must address that fact that everyday people want a natural look and a boost to their confidence rather than a frozen face or huge lips.

Many believe that these kinds of treatment offer a way for patients to self-improve and boost their self-esteem and confidence.

Treatments that many patients have for lines and wrinkles and signs of ageing are treatments such as Juvederm, Restylane and Botox that can be completed in a short period of time with natural results.

In the past, it seemed to be the general consensus that cosmetic surgical remedies were unmanly and reserved for the female species alone. This is no longer the case, however, and an increasing number of men are turning to cosmetic surgery to fix or improve areas of their bodies.

According to the 2011 report from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, cosmetic procedures performed on men accounted for around 800,000 of the total procedures reported for the year, which makes up only 8 percent. However, that 8 percent is a more than a 120 percent increase on statistics recorded back in 1997.

Among the top surgical procedures sought by men were liposuction (the removal of fatty deposits from different areas of the body), rhinoplasty (commonly known as a “nose job”), eyelid surgery (remove fatty deposits or fix sagging), ear surgery (to “pin back” larger ears), breast reduction (to remove excess fat) and even total facelifts.

Today’s men are really no different from the men one, ten or twenty years ago. However, attitudes toward work and casual, everyday life have changed. Men are more conscious of how they look, and how those looks are perceived by the world around them. According to the same research from the ASAPS, men are judged by what they look like more now than ever before. That translates into possible difficulty in finding jobs and maintaining relationships. Men today are more self-conscious of their flaws and how these flaws may be holding them back – and a growing number of men are seeking remedies to what they see as physical imperfections.

Cosmetic surgery among men is also becoming increasingly popular due to the emergence of more stylised male celebrities, openly expressing their strong desires for physical perfection. Celebrities such as Al Pacino and Robert Redford have spoken openly about undergoing facelifts in the past, while lifelong heartthrob Burt Reynolds has admitted to getting a hair transplant. The late Patrick Swayze was among the first male celebrities to seek porcelain veneers to improve the look of his teeth.

Men and women, rich and poor, celebrity and everyday Joe, have one thing in common, and that is the pursuit of perfection in all of its forms. There is no longer any shame in a member of the male species seeking that perfection through a cosmetic surgeon.

Plastic surgery has progressively grown more popular throughout the years. As more and more women undergo cosmetic procedures the public gain a better understanding of its benefits. Having simple procedures done can change a woman’s life drastically, giving her the confidence and beauty that she has always dreamed of having. In fact more than half of all women surveyed said that they had hopes of having cosmetic surgery soon.

The GoodSurgeonGuide performed a study which revealed that British women are placing a lot of emphasis on looking good in 2010. They are much less concerned about getting a promotion or even finding love. Christina Clogg, co-founder of the guide said, “We were very surprised that it [looking good] was more important to some than a more successful career or finding someone special.” Looking good has become a
driving factor in our society and women are finding that they must strive to meet the ever climbing expectations of beauty. Women have made new year’s resolutions to reshape their body in 2010 with the most popular resolutions being cosmetic surgical procedures, more stringent diets, and new exercise regimens.

Fifty-one percent of the women in the UK have expressed the desire to have plastic surgery done. The most popular procedure for women is breast augmentation followed by eyelid surgery. Women can have liposuction or face lifts. With the growth of plastic surgery, the procedures to choose from are limitless. A woman can completely change the contours of her body to attain that slim sexy body that they envy. Or
they can alter features on their face to maintain their youthful looks.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that in 2009 there were 32,859 plastic surgeries performed on women in the UK. This is compared to 31,183 in 2008, a 5.4 percent increase. The highest rise in procedures was actually breast reductions which rose 17 percent over the last year. Even though breast augmentation is still the most popular procedure, this rise in breast reduction procedures shows that there is indeed a wide range of different things women expect from plastic surgery.

The President of BAAPS, Douglas McGeorge, said’ “When performed under the right circumstances, cosmetic surgery can have a positive psychological impact and improve quality of life.” The abundance of positive testimonials concerning plastic surgery is a strong motivator for women. They have heard about its benefits through the media and from people who are close to them. Women find themselves considering
having a procedure done because of the happiness they see emanating from others who have had plastic surgery. Being beautiful and happy is a state of being that all women pursue and cosmetic surgery can help them to get there.

According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), the number of men undergoing plastic surgical procedures has risen substantially in 2009. The increase is an amazing 21% in overall procedures performed on men. Cosmetic surgery is quickly becoming a men’s trend too.

The BAAPS reported that the increase in male procedures was most profoundly shown in the breast reduction (gynaecomastia). These procedures rose an astounding 80% between 2008, with 581 procedures. It is the third most popular procedure in men behind nose-jobs (rhinoplasty) and eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty).

Many men have excess fat cells across there chest that they wish to have removed. Some even suffer from gynecomastia, the development of abnormally large mammary glands resulting in enlarged breasts. Men have tried in vain to get rid this excess fat through work outs, and diet plans.  Out of options, men have turned to plastic surgery to rid them of the embarrassing flab on their chests.

Many new advancements in technology have improved many of the procedures for plastic surgery. In fact, a new procedure is now available for breast reduction which utilizes radiofrequency assisted technology. This technology allows for a much less invasive procedure to remove the fat cells while at the same time tightening the loose skin. This replaces the painful pushing and pulling of liposuction and is drawing more and more patients.

The media has also made an impact on the plastic surgery scene. Mr. Rajiv Grover, consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS Secretary said, “This year we have recorded a dramatic rise in a number of male surgical procedures, probably due to heightened media attention, which has allowed men to realize the positive outcomes that can be achieved.”

The negative opinion that society once had toward plastic surgery no longer exists. People are much less judgmental of others who have undergone such a procedure and thus everyone is more apt to talk about the results of their procedure. With the plethora of positive testimonials available men are more inclined to consider a procedure to give them the body that they desire.

Seventy-three percent of the females surveyed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said that they believe that looking younger will help a woman to be more successful. Though many powerful women believe that their positions are safe, in many fields keeping a young appearance is nearly as important as that power.

Eileen Bradbury is a consultant psychologist and told the Guardian that nearly every person that has been referred to her, says that their greatest motivator in seeking plastic surgery is getting older. Cosmetic procedures can leave an older woman looking much younger and feeling more confident. Some of these women get a face lift or lip lifts. Others get brow lifts or eyelid surgery. Wrinkles can be removed,
loose skin tightened, and sagging features lifted.

The Guardian reported that Miriam O’Rielly and her three colleagues were removed form their rural affairs broadcast on the BBC. The show was moved to a peak-time slot and the producers decided to remove the older women from the show to replace them. These four women are indeed not the only ones who have been shoved out of their positions to be replaced by younger looking women. In order to compete in the
work place women must look younger.

Looking throughout the rest of society it is very clear that older looking women are nearly non-existent in the media. News broadcasters are expected to be young and attractive. Billboard models are almost never older women. Even women in important positions in large companies are expected to look good. Many women as young as 40 years old seek out cosmetic surgery to keep their youthful looks and stay competitive in the career field.

Older women who have turned to plastic surgery to adopt a younger look are impressed with the results. They find that they receive more attention at work and have an edge in the competition for positions. They have all the experience that age accumulates without all the wrinkles.

The eyes are very often the first thing we notice about another person and the first thing which another person might notice about us.  The eyes can offer the key to our beauty but can also age us dramatically, especially as modern-day life makes us more and more tired. This is probably why eyelid surgery and the removal of bags from beneath the eye are among the most popular cosmetic surgeries around.  More and more people are attempting to make themselves look younger by changing how people first see them. 

Sometimes, however, such surgeries can leave the skin looking stretched or strained and often times it is easy to tell when someone has had such surgery. This is clearly not good for those who wish to keep their anti-aging techniques secret. Well help may finally be at hand from New Jersey plastic surgeon, Dr. Paul Parker.

Natural looking results are now said to be available by using the latest techniques and a high level of skill.  Blepharoplasty is a surgery which it is essential to get perfect, results either way will be highly visible and thus every effort must be made to achieve the highest level of aesthetic naturalness.   Parker says that he strives for an “un-operated” look but that this is hard because “millimetres matter” when it comes to a part of the body as small as the eye.  However, Parker thinks that his painstaking attention to detail and craft pays off; a youthful look is often achieved.

However, he has also warned that patients should be realistic when approaching this type of surgery.  Parker likes all his patients to be “on the same page”, to know what to expect and thus he shows his potential clients imaged photographs of what he believes the finished results will look like. This seems like a wonderful idea because, as well as allaying any fears a patient might have, it will also stave off their disappointment by preparing them to be realistic about what surgery can actually achieve for them. Eye surgery was the second most popular procedure amongst both men and women in the U.K last year and thus it is easy to see why doctors are keen to go to so much trouble to make sure the results look natural. We all want to stay looking young, we just don’t want to look like staying young is making us age with effort!

Fat Expansion could be the cause of baggy lower eyelids

Researchers at UCLA in America have discovered that fat expansion that takes place in the eye socket is what causes sagging eyelids as we get older. It comes after many years of speculation over what causes this side effect of the aging process.

Researchers say that removing fat from the eye should be a component of treatment for patients who want to return their eyes to a more youthful look. This would involve changes to the traditional way the surgery is carried out.

Dr Sean Darcy is a research associate in the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine: “A common treatment performed in the past and present is surgical excision of fat to treat a ‘herniation of fat’ — meaning that the amount of fat in the eye socket does not change but the cover that holds the fat in place, the orbital septum, is weakened or broken and fat slips out. This orbital septum weakening or herniation-of-fat theory is what most plastic surgeons have been taught.” The study by his team has shown that there is an increase in fat with age and it is likely that this is what causes the baggy eyelids associated with this, rather than a weakening in the ligament.

This study is the first study to look at this. It was published in the September issue of Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
To carry out the research Darcy looked at the MRIs of forty people between the ages of twelve and eighty. They found that as age increased, the size of the lower eyelid tissue also increases, which is attributed to a fat increase in the area.

The study’s co-author Dr. Timothy Miller added “Our findings may change the way some plastic surgeons treat baggy eyes. The study showed that a component of a patient’s blepharoplasty procedure should almost routinely involve fat excision rather than [the methods used currently].”

Blepharoplasty involves making an incision in the lower eyelids and correcting the tissue so that it removes crow’s feet and the effect of the eyes looking ‘hooded’ or tired. To quote Cosmetic Surgeon’s description of the treatment: “Blepharoplasty is designed to remove the excess fat, skin and atrophied muscle from the upper and lower eyelids.”

Patients who might want to undergo the treatment may have excess skin around the eyes and want it to be removed so that their eyes appear younger.