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A Better You ILLUSTRATION: NADYA USTYUZHANTSEVA/GETTY IMAGES
Be the best version of yourself with new and popular aesthetic procedures. By Abernathy Miller
It’s no secret the pandemic changed everything about our lives—including how we see ourselves. Despite a freeze on elective surgeries in 2020, Americans spent $9 billion on aesthetic surgeries that year according to a report by the Aesthetic Society. This pandemic-fueled boom in cosmetic medicine—which might be attributed to the increased opportunity for discrete recovery time thanks to remote working, according to the report— shows no signs of slowing in 2022. We asked Central Ohio plastic surgeons and doctors to weigh in on the biggest trends they’re seeing and the new procedures they’re excited about. Figure Over Face Though face-centric procedures dominated the industry in previous years, 2022 is all about the body. From fat removal treatments to combat COVID-era weight gain to top-to-toe body makeovers, patients are more focused on achieving an enviable figure than ever before.
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“When businesses started bringing employees back into the office, I think a lot of people became very aware of their bodies when their clothes didn’t fit,” says Dr. Mary Beth Mudd of New You Aesthetic Medicine. While liposuction remains the gold standard for removing excess body fat, noninvasive procedures—like CoolSculpting, which uses cryolipolysis to freeze fat away, or laser techniques that heat and melt fat cells while tightening skin—are attractive alternatives. “We’ve seen a huge uptick in nonsurgical options, like CoolSculpting, that work well [and] require very little downtime,” says Dr. Robert Heck of Columbus Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery. In addition to removing fat, technologies like EmSculpt can help patients achieve a more sculpted silhouette. These devices use high-intensity electromagnetic energy to create targeted muscle contractions that, in turn, bolster muscle definition and tighten skin. “Emsculpt Evolve melts fat, tightens skin and tones muscle, all in a single machine,” says Mudd. “We can melt your fat away while you’re answering emails. It’s pretty amazing.” Staying Younger, Longer The clientele is changing, too. Doctors continue to see younger patients starting cosmetic upkeep as young as their 20s. “People who are smart about it are getting to us at a younger age. They aren’t waiting until it’s ‘bad,’ ” says Mudd. “If they wait, there’s going to be a whole lot more that needs done. If we get to these things when they’re little problems, we can get away with smaller procedures for longer.” Though factors like accessibility and social media have undoubtedly contributed to the influx of younger patients, doctors believe it’s a mindset shift bringing more people in for consultations. Younger patients are approaching the industry differently from their older counterparts, with the focus being on maintenance rather than rejuvenation. “I think COVID reset people’s brains. It made us rethink our priorities,” says Heck. “People want to enjoy their life more and be happy with the way they look sooner.” Cosmetic Cocktail While aesthetic preferences and new innovations drive industry trends, doctors are noticing a shift in how clients are approaching plastic surgery. “We have been busier since COVID than ever before. Not just in the number of patients, but the number of surgeries per patient,” says Heck. “There’s been a huge uptick in patients getting multiple procedures at once.”
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“I think working from home has a lot to do with it, too,” he adds. “People can’t have a major surgery and go back to the office in a week, but they can work from home two days later.” Mixing and matching multiple treatments is becoming a popular approach even when recovery time isn’t a factor. “People are getting more savvy about the limitations and potential benefits of different procedures,” Mudd says. “They realize one procedure can’t fix everything, so if you want a comprehensive improvement, we’ll have to use a couple things to achieve it.” Going Natural In past years, social media has been a major influence in aesthetic trends and cosmetic medicine, but doctors have reason to believe that the days of Kardashian-grade curves and overstuffed fillers are behind us. In 2022 and beyond, doctors agree patients are more interested in fine-tuning their appearance than undergoing a dramatic overhaul. Dermal fillers, injections, laser treatments and fatgrafting techniques are allowing more people to make tweaks without drastically changing their general appearance. “We’ve been seeing a backlash of those extremes looking kind of weird,” says Mudd. “On the East or West Coast, it’s a status symbol to be plumped up with filler or immobile with Botox. People in the Midwest want to look good, not extreme. If we’re going to enhance something, we want it to be aesthetically pleasing.” Better Results, Less Recovery The cosmetic industry is always making advancements and turning out new devices, techniques and procedures that get optimal
results faster, with less pain and a shorter recovery. The latest crop of treatments are designed to correct everything from sagging skin to cellulite, with as little inconvenience as possible. “Certain things in my industry never go away—one of them is demand for less downtime,” says Mudd. Micro-coring, a technique that uses hollow-point needles to remove tiny cones of skin to improve the look of sagging skin without going under the knife, and radio frequency microneedling, which targets cellulite by melting fat, tightening skin and increasing collagen production, are set to blow up in 2022. Less abrasive laser treatments like Sofwave offer quicker skin tightening and collagen production with less pain than predecessors like ultherapy. “With no downtime or discomfort, Sofwave is an easy option for many people,” says Mudd. “I think it’s going to be big for everyone interested in collagen production.” Not only are new technologies making recovery times shorter, they’re cutting down on procedure times and achieving great results with a wide range of patients. “The Halo Hero laser can remove dark spots in 10 minutes. It used to take hours,” says Heck. “It’s the best laser on the market and it offers something for everybody. We’re getting great results on 20-year-olds and 80-year-olds.” With fewer roadblocks and a variety of tools available to address a range of issues for a broader group of patients, it’s never been easier to upgrade your image. “The standbys like liposuction, tummy tucks, breast augmentation and lifts will always be there,” says Heck. “But there’s something for everybody and every price point.”
PHOTO: ALEKSANDR RYBALKO/GETTY IMAGES
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