According to a new survey, there has been an "overall increase in procedures performed by plastic surgeons in 2021 with more than 12.8 million surgical, and 17.5 million non-surgical." The survey, by The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), released the results of its annual Global Survey on Aesthetic/Cosmetic Procedures showing a 19.3 per cent increase in such procedures. These latest results come after a drop of -1.8 per cent in all procedures and -10.9 per cent in surgical procedures seen due to the impact of Covid-19 on global practice. The report shows a continuing rise in aesthetic surgery with a 33.3 per cent increase over the last four years. "Both surgical and non-surgical procedures showed increases since the last survey (18.5 per cent and 19.9 per cent respectively) with a significant increase of 54.4 per cent in non-surgical procedures in the last four years," it read. The top five most popular surgical procedures were liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, and abdominoplasty. The top five non-surgical procedures are botulinum toxin, hyaluronic acid, hair removal, skin tightening, and fat reduction. Surprisingly, while breast augmentation remained the most common surgical procedure for women, with only a slight increase of +0.5 per cent in the last four years, surgery to remove implants increased by 22.6 per cent (+49.6 per cent in the last four years), and breast lifts by 31.4 per cent in the last year, mentioned the ISAPS survey. Dr Gianluca Campiglio, Global Survey Editor and plastic surgeon in Italy noted that the "data clearly reflect the experience of recovery from the previous year's negative impact of Covid-19 on aesthetic procedures and numbers now exceed the pre-pandemic ones". "We noticed an interesting increase in surgical procedures related to so-called 'body contouring', such as liposuction, which is now ranked as the most common procedure, ahead of breast augmentation for the first time in many years, and also a similar emerging trend for abdominoplasty, thigh lift, and buttock augmentation. The lower increase in breast augmentation, and related increase in implant removals, also reflects our experience following publication of reports on BIA-ALCL in the preceding year," she said in the press statement. According to MayoClinic.org, liposuction is a surgical procedure that uses a suction technique to remove fat from specific areas of the body, such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, arms, or neck. Rather than being a weight loss method, liposuction is a body contouring procedure that also helps give shape. Being an invasive procedure, liposuction needs ample recovery time, said Dr Debraj Shome, senior cosmetic surgeon and director, The Esthetic Clinics. Breast augmentation, referred to as ‘boob job’ and ‘augmentation mamoplasty’, is a surgical procedure in which cosmetic surgeons use breast implants or fat transfer to enhance the shape and volume of the breasts and create more balance, he explained. "The ultimate goal for a plastic surgeon for breast augmentation is to enhance the natural curves and create the ideal breast profile. Breast augmentation surgery in India is done to enlarge naturally small breasts, restore breast size and volume after pregnancy and breastfeeding, restore symmetry to the asymmetrical breasts, rebuild breasts post-surgery and treatments, make breasts appear voluminous and perkier, and correct tissue underdevelopment," Dr Shome said. So, what is driving the demand for liposuction? People go for liposuction as breast augmentation is linked to BIA-ALCL, a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - a cancer of the immune system that one can get due to implants, Dr Shome told indianexpress.com. "Liposuction is more popular than breast augmentation as it helps to manage gynecomastia, which causes fat deposits under a man’s breasts leading to breast enlargement in men. Liposuction surgery helps in male breast reduction, tackles obesity, removes fat pockets, and lends smoothness to the skin. It is used on all body parts, doesn’t cause bruising, and reduces bleeding. However, it is imperative for the patients to undergo any procedure with the help of a certified expert only," Dr Shome further said. 📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don't miss out on the latest updates!
