Cosmetic ops fall to lowest in ten years
THE number of women having plastic surgery plunged to its lowest in a decade last year thanks to economic uncertainty, surgeons claim.
The biggest falls were for eyelid and eyebrow lifts, facelifts and fat transfer and liposuction operations after many opted for cheaper non- surgical treatments such as Botox and other fillers.
In a report, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) said 28,300 women went under the knife in 2016 – down 39 per cent on the previous 12 months and the least since 2007.
Data on male operations, which account for less than 10 per cent of all plastic surgery in Britain, revealed a bigger fall, with those having cosmetic surgery in 2016 down by half in a year.
Former Baaps president Rajiv Grover, who wrote the report, said uncertainty surrounding terrorism, Brexit and the economy meant people were opting for cheaper, quick-fix chemical peels and fillers, rather than investing in more expensive surgery.
He added: ‘In a climate of global fragility, the public are less likely to spend on significant alterations and become more fiscally conservative, by and large opting for less costly nonsurgical procedures such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion, rather than committing to more permanent changes. The background of negative news and economic uncertainty seems to have re-invigorated the famous British “stiff upper lip” – achieved, however, through dermal fillers and wrinkle-relaxing injections rather than surgery.’
However, Dr Grover warned that people should be careful when opting for cheaper, non-surgical treatments because they were often less regulated and more likely to be carried out by cowboy operators than more invasive procedures.
He added: ‘The non-surgical sector is rife with lax regulation, maverick behaviour and unethical promotional gimmicks, so the public must remain vigilant. Non-surgical does not, and never has meant non-medical.’
In total, 30,750 cosmetic operations were carried out on men and women last year – a fall of 39.9 per cent on 2015. Breast enhancements were still the most popular cosmetic operation for women. Although they fell by a fifth last year, more than 7,700 women still underwent the operation. Eyelid surgery, breast reductions and facelifts were the next most popular.
Nose jobs remained the most frequent surgery for men, with more than 500 last year, followed by operations to pin ears back and liposuction.
Tummy tucks in men were the only cosmetic procedure to rise last year – by almost half – with 172 men opting to have their spare tyre jettisoned surgically in 2015.
Experts said this was likely to be because there is no other option for getting rid of excess skin, especially after weight loss, other than surgery.
‘Terrorism, Brexit and the economy’