UK Edition
End of the nip and tuck, as facelifts fall out of fashion
The end of the facelift is on the horizon as modern women shun invasive surgery for gentler methods of preventing skin ageing, new figures suggest.
Data from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) found that the number of cosmetic operations last year dropped 40 per cent since reaching record-breaking heights in 2015.
Face and neck lifts fell by 53 per cent last year to just 3,453, from 6,402 in 2015. Eyelid surgery was also down 38 per cent.
For the first time in a decade total cosmetic procedures for both women and men combined dipped below 31,000, the lowest it has been since 2006.
BAAPS said that non-surgical options such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion were taking over from the traditional nip-and-tuck.
“Patients seem to be getting the message that cosmetic surgery is not a 'quick fix' but a serious commitment and are as a result, carefully evaluating risks as well as benefits surgery may offer,” said BAAPS president and consultant plastic surgeon Simon Withey.
Celebrities such as Kylie Minogue, Amanda Holden and Nicole Scherzinger are all reported to be fans of non-invasive ‘radio frequency’ facials which plump up the skin by zapping molecules beneath the surface.
Therapist Ziggie Bergman, who offers the ‘better than botox’ non-invasive ‘Zone Facelift’ at Grace Belgravia, a spa in London, said that women were increasingly opting for more natural procedures which still allow their features to move.
Her technique, which she she says brings results which are ‘fresh not frozen’, involves facial reflexology and Japanese massage, and promises to ‘take 10 years off in 12 weeks.’
She said: “There has definitely been a shift recently and I have clients flying in from Norway, Monaco, and the USA just to try my natural facelift.
"My clients don't want a facelift they just don't want to age badly meaning look angry when they are not or sag in the wrong places or have dull skin; a couple of age appropriate wrinkles is fine.
"Many of my clients can afford any facelift they want but they are saying no in favour of a spiritual, holistic solution that focuses on results looking fresher and healthier with a lifted face and spirit rather than the facelift stretched and frozen look.
"I believe the face reflects what’s going on inside (emotional and physical) and so masking it with a face lift or botox hides a truth.
"There is research to suggest that botox impacts a woman’s ability to communicate truthfully and there are implications for babies not being able to read their mothers emotions."
There were a total of 30,750 cosmetic procedures carried out on men and women in 2016 - a fall of 39.9 per cent from 2015. Some 28,341 operations were carried out on men, while 2,409 were carried out on men.
The top surgical procedure for women was breast augmentation which accounted for 7,732 operations - down 20 per cent from the last year, while the favoured operation for men was a nose job, accounting for 529 of the procedures, down 35 per cent from 2015.
The biggest fall was in the number of browlifts - with a fall of 71 per cent in the number of men and women having the procedure.
However the number of men having abdominoplasty - or tummy tuck - was up 47 per cent with 172 procedures carried out.
Experts said that the only procedures which had no ‘non-surgical’ alternative had remained popular.
"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 non-surgical procedures such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion, rather than committing to more permanent changes,” said consultant plastic surgeon and former BAAPS president Rajiv Grover, who compiles the audit on an annual basis.
"Some procedures which have no real non-surgical equivalent such as abdominoplasty and otoplasty (pinning back prominent ears) are some of the few which changed little, with demand for tummy tucks actually recording an impressive rise amongst men.
"It's worth however to remember that 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."
New legislation to ensure that all those carrying out invasive cosmetic procedures are trained and registered is currently going through the House of Commons.
The Royal College of Surgeons is also compiling a new register of ‘certified surgeons’ who can carry out cosmetic procedures. To make the list they must prove they have appropriate training, experience and insurance to practice in the UK.