In the world of medical aesthetics, it is the surgical procedures that occupy the highest level of efficacy and therefore are capable of the most dramatic changes in the human body. Though surgical techniques for augmenting the body date back to ancient times, it is only since World War I that what is now considered the “modern tradition” of cosmetic surgery in western medicine, has emerged.
In the current landscape, patients seeking body shaping treatments have two major categories to choose from: surgical or non-surgical (also referred to as non-invasive). While the rapid rise of new technologies in non-invasive body shaping have garnered major media and pop culture attention due to recent dramatic evolutions in efficacy, it is without question the surgical options that provide the “gold standard” by which all body shaping treatments are judged. Here is a brief summary of the three most common procedures.
Breast augmentation, which first became popular in the 1970’s and 1980’s, is perhaps the most well-known and publicized surgical body shaping procedure. It is also statistically the most popular surgical body shaping procedure. While the basic procedure has not changed in decades, there have been refinements both in the surgical technique and the prosthesis (implants) used. Today there are multiple options both for the surgical approach and implant type to be used. Surgical options include placement over or under the muscle, as well as belly-button or under arm incision / access. Implant choices have expanded with a menu of traditional silicone, saline or the latest “gummy bear” type implants now available.
The second surgical intervention is the tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty. This procedure addresses the lower abdominal or belly area and is usually sought as a result of the effects of childbirth or extreme weight loss, which leave the area with loose skin and slack musculature. To address these concerns, a tummy tuck flattens and firms the lower abdomen surgically via a combination of skin tightening, suturing of the underlying muscle fascia and sometimes liposuction.
Rhinoplasty, or a nose job, rounds out our top three surgical body shaping procedures. The technique of surgically augmenting or correcting the nose dates back to 800 B.C. India. Over the years, and especially in the 20th century, surgical techniques for rhinoplasty have evolved significantly. Today’s procedures are effective for a broader range of aesthetic correction, as well as being safer than ever, and of course, well-known for delivering some of the most dramatic transformational results in all of body shaping.