Current fads in Cosmetic surgery

Dr. Chetan Satish, Consultant Plastic and Cosmetic surgeon, Columbia Asia Hospital, Yeshwantpur

Cosmetic surgery has often been looked upon to enhance looks and gain in confidence.

This article enlists some latest cosmetic surgeries that people are getting done by plastic surgeons. Most of these procedures are day care with patient getting discharged the same day and with minimal or no marks.

Having a dimple is a recent fad and is considered cool for youth. Many college guys and girls are coming in with a request to get a dimple either on one side or both sides. Very often the procedure is accompanied by a nose job. Getting a dimple is a day care procedure and is either done under local or general anesthesia depending on patient preference. The preferred location of dimple is marked prior to surgery. It is usually about 1 to 1.5 inches from angle of mouth. After anesthesia, the surgery is done from inside the mouth. The buccinators muscle is partially cut and attached to skin so that when the patient smiles, the buccinators muscle contracts and a dimple is seen. General the dimple is present both and rest and on smiling for about a month and then comes only with smiling.

The patient needs to be on a liquid diet for a week and recovery time is usually a month although routine work can be resumed next day.

Six pack abdomen or an 8 pack abdomen is another recent trend. Here superficial liposuction is done along the muscle raphe to create these packs artificially. However, the person should have a good muscle tone to achieve good results. It is often used by models before a shoot. Good compliance with pressure garments are a must for this surgery. Six pack surgery is also a day care procedure and recovery time is usually a month. Routine work can be resumed in 1 or 2 days after procedure.

Autologous fat transfer is another recent trend. Often done to enhance the face, breasts or buttocks. Many persons having hollow cheeks despite having good eating habits often resort to augment their cheeks and lips to give a fuller and rejenuvated look. As the fat is taken from the persons own body there is hardly any complication. Fat transfer is also used often to augment breasts and buttocks. Brazilian butt lift involves autologous fat transfer to buttocks. The fat is usually harvested from the abdomen or thighs by liposuction. Recovery time is about 2 weeks and is again a day care procedure. Pressure garments are a must for speedy and smooth recovery for at least a month.

Although silicone implants are the gold standard for breast augmentation many young ladies opt for fat transfer to augment their breasts. The only drawback to this surgery is that some of the fat can get absorbed over a period of time.

Getting a not so good looking smile correction with gums showing to a good smile with gums covered is another recent craze. Here the abnormal muscle attachments are corrected to result in a better looking smile.

Many people have moles on their body and want their moles to be transferred to their face to enhance their looks. Mole transfer or mole reduction is another newer trend.

Among the other requests to plastic surgeons are mummy makeover where in the after effects of pregnancy including breast sagging and lose cellulite of abdomen are taken care with a breast lift and tummy tuck in the same sitting. This surgery is done after the patient has completed her family and is done to restore the shape of her body to pre-pregnancy state. Recovery period is about 2 weeks and requires about 3 days of hospitalization.

Trans conjunctival blepharoplasty is another recent trend to get rid of bagging eyelids when it appears in younger age. Here the fat is removed and repositioned with no marks visible. Pre-op testing for intra-ocular pressures needs to be done and recovery time is about 2 weeks.

Botox and fillers have often been used to hide the effects of aging prior to marriage functions or film shoots and the trend continues keeping the plastic surgeons busy.

Emphasis on getting these surgeries from properly trained plastic surgeons is a must to avoid any unwanted side effects or complications.