Cosmeticsurgeon.co.uk - UK Cosmetic Surgeons

2009 saw a substantial increase in a lot of cosmetic procedures. According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons there was a 6.7 percent increase of surgical procedures since 2008. There was an 80 percent increase in breast reductions for men and a 43 percent increase in brow lifts for both men and women. Many other procedures increased as well but a particular one has made the headlines.

The Harley Medical Group is UK’s biggest cosmetic surgery provider and has helped more than 450,000 patients to get the bodies that they have always dreamed of. In a press release, they reported a 17% increase in neck lift procedures during 2009 as compared to 2008. Excess skin hanging off of the neck, called ‘turkey neck’, is associated with getting old. The decrease of collagen in the skin causes it to lose it’s elasticity and makes it more susceptible to sag. 63 year-old Brenda Scott had a face and neck lift performed at The Harley Medical Group, and said “The loose flapping skin on my neck and under my chin bothered me for years so I would cover it by wearing scarves and high-neck jumpers. I always felt young for my age but where I could help disguise the lines on my face with good make-up, my neck was more
exposed.” During 2009 many women rushed to the surgeons office to get these turkey necks chopped off.

Lisa Littlehales, Regional Clinic Manager at The Harley Medical Group, said, “A neck lift procedure will give a long-lasting firm, and youthful looking appearance – liposuction is also often used in the same procedure to eliminate the fat pocket under the chin. The procedure does require an overnight stay in hospital and will require up to two weeks recovery time. Our patients are advised to keep the incision
out of direct sun light and wear sun block until colour and bruising has completely faded – so if you’re going to have this type of surgery winter is the perfect time of year to do it.” This does not bother most people because they would rather be in doors during the cold months. Why not spend that time recuperated from a beautifying procedure?

Neck lift procedures can make a person’s neck look years younger. The hanging skin under the neck usually indicates a person is old and getting rid of it really does magic to their appearance. The number of neck lift procedures increased substantially in 2009 and will probably continue to increase as people see the amazing results.

January is a popular month for inquiries into plastic surgery. With the coming of the new year people begin to think about their goals for another year in their lives. The emphasis that society places on good looks, influences these goals and thus many people decide to look better in the new year. Dr. Richard Chaffoo, a triple board-certified plastic surgeon, said in a press release, “Most New Year’s resolutions boil down to one simple desire: to look and feel more like the person you want to be.” More often now, than previous years, people hope to accomplish this through plastic surgery.

Make Yourself Amazing (MYA) cosmetic surgery is a leading clinic in the UK. They reported that between January 1st and Jan 14, 2010 there was a 15% increase in enquiries when compared with the same time period in 2009. John Ryan, MYA Chairman, says, “January is a busy time for the cosmetic surgery industry. After the Christmas and New Year period people often start setting new goals or New Year’s resolutions.
These goals often include improving one’s appearance or completing a goal they never achieved last year. We get a lot of people coming in saying that they have been interested for a while but have never got round to arranging a consultation.”

The figures for enquiries showed that breast augmentation was the most sought after procedure. The number of enquiries for this procedure actually increased 21% over last year. Breast augmentation is followed by liposuction, breast uplift, nose reshaping, and tummy tuck, in that order. These numbers show that plastic surgery is continuing to grow in popularity and no end to this growth is in sight.

The GoodSurgeonGuide performed a study at the end of 2009 which revealed that women in particular are putting more emphasis on looking good in 2010. This study showed that 51 percent of the women surveyed expressed that they were considering having cosmetic surgery. Christina Clogg, co-founder of the guide said, “We were surprised that it [looking good] was more important to some than a more successful career or finding someone special.” Looking good has become a very important factor in society and women feel it more strongly than men. Women are expected to look young and pretty, so under going plastic surgery is an understandable extension of this ideal.

According to these surveys, 2010 will prove to be a very popular year for cosmetic surgery. People have become much more comfortable with having procedures done, and society has become much less judgmental of people who have had them.

With cosmetic surgery becoming more and more important in our society, the popularity of the types of procedures that people are choosing is shifting. Breast augmentation was the most popular procedure in 2009, and a recent survey by MYA, a plastic surgery group, has found that it has also been the most popular surgery in 2010 so far. Liposuction is not very far behind in the popularity ratings. What is surprising, is that liposculpting is slowly overtaking full liposuction in popularity.

According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, nearly one in ten procedures performed in 2009 were liposuction procedures, with a total of 3,509 surgeries in the UK. Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery where fat cells are removed from the body in medium to large amounts. This reduces fat in areas below the chin, upper arms, lower stomach, hips and thighs. Liposculpting, on the other hand, is a
liposuction procedure where small to medium amounts of fat cells are removed. This procedure is designed to sharpen features and accentuate areas with a more sleek appearance. The areas normally associated with liposculpting are the neck, lower cheeks, upper stomach, outer buttocks, calves, and ankles.

The refined and more localized procedure of liposculpture has slowly become more popular than liposuction. Mario Russo, medical director at The Hospital Group, said, “The market and business demands of the patients are moving very much towards localised [liposuction] now and therefore the main requests are more for minor areas and more for sculpting one or a few areas at a time.”

Liposculpting is a less invasive and less extensive form of liposuction. Instead of a large incision, a small incision is made and the cannula is inserted there. It is usually an outpatient surgery due to its reduction in invasiveness, compared to liposuction. The procedure also requires less recovery time, and thus many people are rushing to the surgeons for some sculpting.

Liposculpting is not a weight loss procedure. It should be understood that having this procedure done will not create drastic changes like liposuction. Liposculpting is the sculpting and reshaping of small to medium problem areas on the body. Little pockets of fat are sometimes very frustrating. Some people have tried every exercise, weight loss pill, or diet, and still cannot get those pockets to go away. Liposculpting is a surefire way to remove those pockets for good. Many people have found that liposculpting has accentuated parts of their body and given them the look that they had only ever dreamed of.

During a consultation, a plastic surgeon will help a person decide what procedure is right for them. They will be able to give the patient advice as to whether they should get liposuction or merely liposculption. They can encourage chemical peels or a face lift. One thing that they try to do is give the patient a visualization of what they will look like after the procedure. Most surgeons will rely on before and after pictures of other patients. Some may even have a computer program that can give them an idea of what the results of the procedure will be. One surgeon has gone much further than that. He has a 3-D simulator, that will give the patient a picture of what they will look like after the surgery.

Dr. Brett Kotlus, of the Allure Medical Spa in Michigan in the US, has an innovative 3-D simulation system. This system ‘sculpts’ a 3-D image of the patient’s features into the more desirable profile. He reported, “This 3-D system has a clever interface that constructs a realistic, modifiable image that can be sculpted in the same way that cosmetic surgery would sculpt a nose or a breast. Within minutes, we can see possible surgical results. In this scenario, a picture is truly worth a thousand words.” He likes that the system allows him to make modifications or changes based on the patients desires, before they go under the knife.

It is called the Vectra 3-D system, from Canfield Imaging Systems, and has become an integral tool in Dr. Kotlus’s consultations. It captures an image of the face or body with 12 different cameras at a resolution of 36 megapixles. This image is then placed on a computer screen. Dr. Kotlus is then able to make modifications to it and create, before and after images.

There is a Canadian website called Modiface that allows potential patients to see how they might look with a procedure also. This site allows a person to download their picture and then see what it will look like with a nose job or face lift. These images however are not as advanced as those made by the Vectra 3-D system.

Good cosmetic surgeons want to give their patients the best consultation possible. Dr. Kotlus has found that his new imaging system makes it easier for a patient to have realistic expectations, because it gives them a very good picture of what they will look like after the procedure. This has helped to increase patient satisfaction and makes them feel more comfortable about having the procedure done.

There are many different types of cosmetic procedures and they are divided into two categories: surgical and non surgical. Surgical procedures include breast augmentation, liposuction, and tummy tucks. Non-surgical procedures include accent laser treatment, Botox, and collagen injections. A non-surgical procedure that is becoming more and more popular is chemical peels.

The Press Association reports that chemical peels have actually become more popular than face lifts. The number of chemical peels performed in 2009 was three times the procedures performed the previous year. The Harley Medical Group’s Obagi Blue Peel is a treatment which gets rid of blemishes, acne scars, uneven pigmentation, sun damage, and wrinkles. It has been called by some the ‘recessions facelift’ due to
the increased popularity of the treatments. Liz Dale, director of the Harley Medical Group, said, “Non-surgical procedures, which saw big growth last year, have continued to be a strong area for us and now account for 32 percent of all our business.”

Chemical peels are a skin resurfacing procedure, in which the top layer of skin is removed so that the body can replace it with new skin. The new skin will grow back without whatever problem had been on the old skin. There are three different classifications for chemical peels. There are light peels which are basically
exfoliants. Intermediate peels are good for fine lines and superficial hyper pigmentation from sun damage. Deep peels can remove deep lines, medium sized wrinkles, and darker pigmentation. Many people find that they do not need to get a face-lift and are happy to settle for a chemical peel which makes their facial skin
look fresh and young.

In the plastic surgery field chemical peels are indeed increasing in popularity but the most popular cosmetic procedure is still, by far, breast augmentation. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that in 2009 there were a total of 8,565 breast augmentation procedures, in the UK. Studies done in January of 2010 also show that breast augmentation should prove to be the most popular
procedure in 2010. The Press Association reported that 75 percent of breast up lift patients in 2009 were mothers.

Undergoing a plastic surgery procedure can help to make a person look and feel young. Chemical peel are a way for some people to achieve this without a surgical procedure. The popularity of these effective yet non-invasive treatments has been increasing quickly and shows no sign of slowing.

Liposuction is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures for both men and women. Pockets of fat around the body are troublesome and very hard to get rid of. Liposuction has proved to be a cure for this for a lot people. Humarira Ansai, in a recent article for DNA, said that many people are using their wedding day as an excuse to finally have a liposuction procedure.

Liposuction is a surgical procedure in which fat cells are removed from the body. Fat cells are designed to store unused energy in the body and removing them is simple and easy. Traditional liposuction is performed using a cannula (hollow tube) and an aspirator (suction device). The cannula is inserted into the body, then it is pushed and pulled to loosen the fat cells. The fat is then sucked through the tool and out of the body.

There have been amazing advances in liposuction, and traditional liposuction is not the only procedure available. There are procedures which now use ultrasound to liquefy the fat cells and suck them out through smaller incisions. This procedure has been touted as the next generation in liposuction. There is also a procedure which uses radiofrequency assisted technology to liquefy the fat. This procedure has
an added benefit of tightening the surrounding skin at the same time.

According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons nearly one in ten surgeries performed in 2009 were liposuction procedures. There were a total of 3,509 Liposuction surgeries performed and men actually make up more than ten percent of these procedures. Mr. Rajiv Grover, consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS Secretary responsible for the UK national audit of cosmetic surgery, 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 realise the positive outcomes that can be achieved.”

The Plastic Surgery Channel, an online resource, said that those who are aware of the benefits of liposuction are not surprised that it is a very popular procedure. Liposuction has been shown to improve health which is a benefit that cannot be overlooked. Most doctors agree that weight loss is the best way to reduce the risk of heat disease, and diabetes. Of course, the most popular benefit is the improved appearance. Removing stubborn pockets of fat can slim and reshape the contours of a person’s body and give them a figure that they are proud of.

According to the Plastic Surgery Channel, people consider liposuction to be a ‘dream come true’. However, they went on to warn people that it is important to not enter into a decision to have a surgery with a ‘cavalier attitude’. The site advised people to research the procedure thoroughly and chose the right surgeon.

Advances in technology are happening every day, and this is especially true with cosmetic surgery. Through the years, the procedures have been streamlined into very efficient surgeries. Procedures, however, are not the only thing, to have changed in the plastic surgery field. The tools available to surgeons has also improved drastically. One such tool is the patented Vaser Technology and the advanced LipoSelection technique.

Vaser Liposuction has been touted as the next generation in body contouring and quickly been dubbed the ‘magic wand’ liposuction. It uses ultrasonic waves in a unique way. Utrasonic waves have been used in medical procedures for many years, for getting that first look at a baby and also for teeth cleaning. Now a technique has been created to use these ultrasonic waves to liquefy unwanted fat cells. The ultrasonic energy is able to target the fat cells and leave surrounding tissue, such as nerves, connecting tissue and blood vessels, unharmed. The procedure is quick and painless due to a local anesthetic. Vaser Liposuction is the ‘new kid on the block’ in cosmetic surgery and is proving to be very effective.

Carla McKay, a Daily Mail Journalist, wrote an article describing her experience with this magic wand liposuction. She had noticed during her yoga class that her stomach was a ‘sagging lump of excess blubber.’ She decided it was time to have liposuction, and chose the new Vaser Liposuction procedure. She wrote, that the doctor made three small incisions and then rubbed the wand over her belly. She found
that she could feel a slight tugging sensation as the fat was liquefied, but there was no pain. Once he had finished with the wand he sucked the fat out through the incisions.

The whole process took about an hour and a half and after two weeks of wearing a corset Carla was done. She wrote, “My waist has reappeared and my stomach disappeared. I am over the moon. The bag containing nine pairs of old, too-tight jeans has re-emerged from the bottom of my wardrobe and some of them are even too loose for me.” She lost three inches on her waist and is very happy with the results of this new procedure.

Exercise and eating healthy is sometimes not enough to loose that extra fat around the middle. The magic wand is giving people the contours that they have always wanted, but been unable to get.

The pressure of looking good and having a nice body has grown overwhelming in today’s society. Men and women alike feel that they must look good to be successful. In many ways, this is true. In order to remain marketable in the job market or to get those promotions, looking good is essential. This ideal has leaked into the psych of teens, who are undergoing a rising number of cosmetic procedures.

The pressure of looking good is felt very keenly by teens. They are picked on at school because of a wide range of physical differences. It doesn’t take much of a difference for a bully to pick at. Many teens are awed by a celebrity idol and they dream of looking as beautiful, as that celebrity. The teen years have always been hard, but now there is a way to lighten some of that burden. Plastic surgery can help to give teens the confidence that they lack and allow them to be more accepted among their peers.

Natural News reported that the figures for 2008, from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, showed that surgeries performed on people under the age of 19 was very high. In fact 160,283 U.S. residents of that age underwent some form of cosmetic surgery. The surgeries ranged from breast augmentation and liposuction to hair removal and birthmark removal.

369 people of that age group actually had a controversial procedure called blepharoplasty. Blepharoplasty, also know as ‘Asian eye surgery,’ is a surgery where the eyes of people of Asian descent are widened. Gerald Pitman, a plastic surgeon in New York City, told USA Today, “The kids I see, their desire is almost uniformly to be normal, non-deviant. Kids don’t want to stand out in a negative way.”

The fact that cosmetic surgery has become very mainstream has made society much less judgmental about it. If a person is willing to undergo a procedure to make themselves look and feel better wouldn’t they do the same for their child? Donn Chatham, president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, told Natural News, “…parents may themselves even be undergoing cosmetic surgery and may feel for our children that it’s not such a stretch.”

Many parents and surgeons believe that since the technology exists and can benefit their children, then there is nothing wrong with using it. Most people have cosmetic surgery to give them confidence and allow them to live a happier, more full life. In this regard, people under the age of 19 are no different.

Plastic surgeons perform millions of procedures around the world. These procedures include invasive surgeries such as breast augmentation, liposuction, and tummy tucks. They also perform non-invasive surgeries such as botox and face lifts. When asked what surgeries these surgeons have underwent themselves, liposuction was a popular response.

The Plastic Surgery Channel reported that the American Society of Plastic surgeons performed a survey on some of its members. It reported that, of the 276 members surveyed, 62 percent had undergone procedures themselves. Most of them had undergone noninvasive procedures such as botox injections, laser skin resurfacing, and chemical peels. The Cosmetic Surgery Review said that there were more female surgeons who had opted for these non-invasive surgeries than male surgeons. However, the survey did reveal that a higher percentage of male surgeons underwent cosmetic procedures than men in the rest of society.

The most popular surgical procedures among these plastic surgeons were liposuction and breast enhancement procedures. In fact, more than 30 percent of the surgeons reported that they had opted for invasive procedures. This figure is not as high as the percentages for the general public, however it is encouraging. The fact that surgeons are willing to undergo their own procedures allows them to be a walking advertisement for plastic surgery.

Liposuction is a very popular procedure throughout the world. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that there were 3,509 liposuction procedures performed on men and women in the UK during 2009. This means that nearly one in ten procedures done in the UK are liposuction surgeries. This procedure is popular because it can be applied in many areas on the body, to tighten them up and give the body a more streamlined look.

Liposuction procedures are quick, usually taking between 20 and 30 minutes. It is a procedure that removes pockets of fat from problem areas on the body. It is done by using a suction tube called a cannula. The cannula is inserted into a small incision and then it is pushed and pulled through the fat cells. This pushing and pulling breaks up the fat cells, allowing them to be sucked out of the body. The results are amazing and many people have learned this fact for themselves.

This survey will surely make people more comfortable with choosing to have plastic surgical procedures. Knowing that many plastic surgeons choose to undergo the same procedures they perform may raise the confidence of prospective patients.  

2010 has seen a large number of people making resolutions to change the way their body looks. Diet and exercise are of course on most people’s list of resolutions, but not surprising is the number of people who want to have cosmetic surgery. Those who can afford it make a resolution to have at least one of any number of different procedures. Those who can not afford it still include it on their wish list of things they would like to do.

A recent survey showed that 54 percent of adults would undergo plastic surgery if money were not an issue. On behalf of RealSelf.com, Harris Interactive performed the survey and analyzed it to make a wish-list of cosmetic surgeries. Tom Seery, president of RealSelf.com, said, “We found it interesting that so many are open to a significant surgery procedure like tummy tuck, in contrast to minimally invasive Botox injection.”

The survey involved 2,227 adults who answered a variety of questions concerning what procedures they would have if they did not have to worry about the cost. Teeth whitening topped the list for both men and women, with a total of 52% saying that they would have it done. Most people do not realize that there is a whole field of cosmetic dentistry and teeth whitening is a very popular procedure.

Tummy tucks and liposuction were the next two procedures on the list for women. Thirty-nine percent of the women surveyed said that they would have a tummy-tuck. The tummy is a very important area for a woman who wants a sexy body. Liposuction, with 34 percent of women, has a variety of applications that can help to contour and reshape the body. Women also said that hair replacement would be a desirable
procedure. Many women begin to lose their hair either because of aging, sickness, or changes in hormones due to menopause. The hair loss typically manifests itself in a thinning of the hair. Hair replacement can restore the fullness and luster that their hair once had.

The wish list for men was similar to that of women, with men’s top three dream procedures being teeth whitening, hair replacement, and liposuction. Though most women say that they do not put much emphasis on the way a man looks, men obviously want to look good too. Society has put a lot of stress on men to look good to be successful and this survey shows that men do indeed care about their appearance.

The survey showed that many people would have plastic surgery if they did not have to be concerned with cost. Big News reported that loan companies are giving money for people to use on cosmetic procedures. This could remove the concern about cost and allow many more people to have the procedures that they put on their wish list. They may finally be able to attain their dream body.