Cosmeticsurgeon.co.uk - UK Cosmetic Surgeons

The number of plastic surgery procedures performed in 2009 hit record numbers. In fact the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) reported nearly a seven percent increase in surgical procedures over 2008. Besides the overall numbers of procedures performed there has also been an increasing number of cosmetic surgeries performed on men. Mr. Rajiv Grover, BAAPS Secretary, said, “This year we have recorded a dramatic rise in the 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 BAAPS actually reported a 23% increase in procedures performed on men in 2009.

The Harley Medical Group also reported an impressive increase in procedures performed on men in 2009, seeing a 5 percent increase over 2008. Men actually accounted for 18 percent of all procedures performed by The Harley Medical Group. Most of the increase can be attributed to men opting for non surgical procedures such as ‘Boytox’ (male Botox and Sweatox).

Men’s busy lifestyles are indeed causing their skin to be at risk for premature wrinkles. Dr. Nick Milojevic is a Botox doctor, voted as the best for Botox in the Daily Express. Concerning men receiving Boytox he revealed, “Young men in the City have been spending a lot of time frowning over the last year and we’re seeing the fallout .. Men coming into the clinics are telling us that they want to stay looking wrinkle-free despite their demanding lifestyles.”

A report by the Dailey Mail reported that much of the increase in cosmetic procedures performed on men is attributed to City bankers spending their bonuses on Boytox. The City clinic saw huge growth once the banker bonuses returned to the agenda with a ’24 percent month by month sales increase in September alone’. Other non-surgical procedures that grew in 2009 were dermal fillers with a 26 percent increase and chemical peels with a 306 percent increase.

Jeremy Baker, Consumer Analyst at ESCP Europe Business School said, “There’s a huge emphasis on grooming in popular culture and the job market is tough – people need to be younger, fitter, and better and this is reflected in the maintenance of personal appearance. Men have now caught up with the times and don’t want to be left behind so I’m sure we’ll see big increases in this sector in particular.” Men have surely
become comfortable with beautifying themselves with cosmetic surgery.

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.

When the new year comes around people begin to set goals for the next segment of their lives. Some decide to quit smoking cigarettes or stop eating so many snacks. Others get a new membership to the gym or buy exercise equipment. But now a new trend has arisen for these New Year’s resolutions: plastic surgery.

Dr. Richard Chaffoo, a triple board-certified plastic surgeon, indicated that people are seeking a fresh new look in the new year. In a press release he says that “Most New Year’s resolutions boil down to one simple desire: to look and feel more like the person you want to be.” Many people may have met their goals of weight loss for the previous year but when they look in the mirror they don’t see the thin fit body that they were looking for. They have exhausted their repertoire and are looking something to shape their body into the shape that they want.

The most popular procedures throughout the whole year are breast reduction and liposuction. New Year’s is no exception. An increase in the volume of breast enhancement and liposuction procedures is always seen at the beginning of the year. These procedures enhance the contours of the body and give the desired look that many people are looking for. Body contouring is exactly what a person is looking for when they have lost a significant amount of weight.

Most people do not realize how important the facial procedures are to a person’s self-esteem. When someone wants to look and feel great the range of facial plastic surgeries available can do just that. When loosing weight the face begins to thin out and become more angular, which is good. But the loss of fat cells in the face usually uncovers problem areas in the face that were not noticeable before, such as crow’s feet and gauntness in the cheeks. These features can easily be fixed with a face lift or eyelid surgery.

As each New Year approaches, the popularity of surgical procedures will increase, as people continue to search for that elusive feeling of well-being. Dr. Chaffoo says, “I see cosmetic surgery as a way to help people live to their full potential….simpler pleasures really are taking center stage and encouraging people
to take a fresh look at themselves.” Looking and feeling great is a very important aspect in a persons life and plastic surgery can make it a reality.

When people think of cosmetic procedures the most common thing that will come to mind are surgical procedures such as facelifts, breasts augmentations and liposuction.

However, there are a variety of other cosmetic procedures that will change your appearance without having to turn to surgical options. Many of these will involve chemicals and lasers that may be used to enhance the appearance of the skin, as well as treatments such as Botulinum Toxins, which are used to rejuvenate the face.

These can range from dermal fillers, which are used to get rid of wrinkles to non-surgical breast enlargements using something such as Macrolane TM breast enhancement. At cosmetic surgery consultants there are a wide range of non surgical procedures that are outlined on the website. Some of them can be considered here.

Starting with Macrolane TM breast enhancement, this a form of non-surgical breast enhancement which is becoming popular because as it will increase the cup size of the breast without causing scarring. Macrolane is a gel that is made up of a hyaluronic acid called Stabilized, Non-Animal hyaluronic acid (NASHA), which is actually created naturally within the body.

There are also various facial fillers such as Juvederm, a form of dermal filler that aims to iron out wrinkles by injecting the Juvederm solution into the relevant area. As a facial filler it can be used as an alternative to surgical procedures such as facelifts. Likewise Restylane is also used to iron out wrinkles and to enhance the lips, and other lines that might appear on the face. It is a gel that is injected to add volume to the skin.

Laser treatments include procedures such as Fraxel Laser, which is another way in which wrinkles can be treated. Fraxel Laser treatment involves lasers being shined onto the skin to treat relevant areas whilst avoiding the surrounding areas. It requires an anaesthetic before the lasers produce microthermal zones within the skin; these are tiny columns that are created to rejuvenate the cells found in the tissue.

Beyond the ones mentioned here, there are many other non surgical procedures, which are outlined on various other parts of the website.

Due to the busy pace at which we are now forced to live our lives, many of us take alternative medicines, such as herbal supplements, to help boost our bodies or maybe just to get us through the day. However, a new study has warned that the taking of alternative medicines could seriously hinder the recovery-time of patients who have undergone cosmetic or plastic surgery. 

The latest issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (Don’t pretend you don’t have a subscription!)  has published the research findings of Dr. David Rowe and his team. These findings suggest that herbal supplements available over the counter can have harmful effects if patients continue to take them directly before and after undergoing surgical procedures.  If you’re wondering whether what you’re taking is safe, then the study has listed such remedies as ginkgo biloba, ginseng and Echinacea as the types of tablets you should stop taking. If you are in any doubt as to whether you are taking something safe or not then consult your GP or your surgeon at your initial consultation.  Alternative medicines may make us feel rather much better about ourselves but, if they risk hindering recovery times, then they are certainly not a viable nor wise solution in the long run.  Indeed, it may seem like surgeons are being over protective, but as Rowe points out: In considering the dizzying array of supplements available, the main concerns of the plastic surgeon are interaction with other medications, cardiovascular effects, alteration of coagulation [bleeding] and sedative effects,”

It is not just alternative medicines which patients should be aware of and try to avoid; aspirin or ibuprofen are also banned for patients going under the knife.  Despite these warnings, more than 40% of patients do use herbal medication in the two weeks prior to them going under the knife. The message coming out of the industry now is that this is simply not a safe nor healthy thing to do.  Even if you are only undergoing a light, non-invasive procedure, you should not think yourself exempt from these rules. If there were complications in your surgery and surgeons needed to put you under General Anaesthetic, then this could become dangerous if you had been taking advised-against medication. In short, if you are concerned or confused, talk to your surgeon or to your GP they will be able to tell you whether you are allowed to keep taking the medication in question.

In the past, many patients have been put off going down the road of Rhinoplasty because they feel they could lose their ethnic identity; they sight precedents such as Janet Jackson as evidence.

But news has reached us that soon patients from all ethnic backgrounds should be able to benefit equally from the surgical procedure. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the ASAPS, has said that concerns over loss of ethnic identity have, in the past, deterred some people from having nose-jobs and other procedures.  However, money which has been invested into specialised training in the field and new technology now means that rhinoplasty needn’t obscure the ethnic heritage of the patient in question!

Dr. Julius Few spoke out at the annual conference on the ASAPS, saying that:” It is vital to preserve the ethnic heritage of the given patient and understand that ethnic rhinoplasty is more about balance of the face and not assuming the look of another racial or ethnic group – a fear that many African American patients still have.” This news will be welcome by the industry as a whole and will be seen as a key way on introducing more and more patients into the growing field of cosmetic surgery.

Rhinoplasty has long been one of the most popular procedures performed in the U.K, helped by the famous celebrity associations which it has, and both men and women have been going under the knife in order to gain the perfect sniffer!  It has long been thought that it was really easy to tell which people have had rhinoplasty performed on them and this became even more the case when the procedure had been performed on those of ethnic heritage.  As the public has become and more aware of rhinoplasty, with more of the population knowing what that word means than know where the stomach is located in the human body, they have become more astute at spotting who has had the procedure done. This new breakthrough should hopefully make nose-jobs more clandestine.

Not that they need to be, much of the stigma which once surrounded plastic surgery has now receded. However, the news that more and more people will be able to benefit equally from cosmetic procedures is great news and one can only hope that more and more breakthrough’s of this magnitude keep on coming!