· 473% increase in arm lifts as patients wave goodbye to bingo wings
· Buffalo hump removal up 350% in 2013
· ‘Moobs’ a hot topic as enquiries for male breast removal doubles
· 221% increase in those opting for buttock lifts
From Kim Kardashian’s infamous derriere tweet sparking surgery rumours, to Heidi Montag’s breast reduction –in 2013 cosmetic surgery was a talking point. New statistics from clinic comparison site WhatClinic.com, shows what cosmetic treatments were hot or not in 2013.
Arm lifts saw a whopping 473% increase in 2013 as many patients waved goodbye to those dreaded bingo wings. Fluctuations in weight and growing older can cause the upper arm skin to sag, which is what the surgery – also known as brachioplasty – corrects. The cost, however, is not for the faint hearted – averaging £3,872 – over a third (35%) more than it cost in 2012.
With Beyonce’s booty once again taking centre stage in her raunchy new video, ‘Partition’, it’s not surprising that enquiries into buttock lifts more than tripled (221%) last year. However, the surgery, which aims to contour and sculpt patients’ rears, comes with a hefty price tag of around £4,226 and experts recommend no physical exertion for three to six weeks following treatment.
One of the more unusual procedures trending in 2013 was buffalo hump removal, which had no interest in 2012, but saw a 350% increase in 2013. This surgery removes the fatty build-up at the base of the neck caused by excessive weight gain. Although it’s still not widely available in the UK, demand amongst British patients is certainly on the up.
It wasn’t just women going under the knife in 2013, as male breast reduction enquiries more than doubled (119%) last year. However, over a third (35%) of those looking to banish their ‘moobs’, went overseas to countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Belgium, where surgeries are considerably cheaper.
Full abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck, saw enquiries fall by half (46%) last year, while abdominal etching dropped by almost a fifth (17%). Etching, hugely popular in the 1990s, is aimed at people who are quite fit but have a small amount of fat covering their abs. Demand for both procedures is now falling as many patients opt for alternatives like fat transfer, which saw a 126% increase in the past 12 months.
Mini-facelifts also dropped by 60% as less invasive treatments, such as non-surgical facelifts and dermal fillers (both up 93%) and Thermage skin tightening (up 80%) proved more popular with patients.
The following table shows the treatments that have seen the biggest increases in enquiries in 2013:
|
Treatment |
% increase in enquiries over past 12 months |
Average price |
|
Arm lift |
473% |
£3,872 |
|
Buffalo hump removal |
350% |
£3,315 |
|
Cleft lip palate |
260% |
£350 |
|
Buttock lift |
221% |
£4,226 |
|
Eyelid surgery |
158% |
£2,125 |
|
Thigh lift |
141% |
£4,298 |
|
Fat transfer |
126% |
£2,548 |
|
Neck liposuction |
123% |
£2,142 |
|
Male breast reduction |
119% |
£3,493 |
|
Neck lift |
110% |
£3,258 |
The following table shows the treatments that have seen the biggest decreases in enquiries in 2013:
|
Treatment |
% decrease in past 12 months |
Average price |
|
Genital reshaping |
-74% |
£4,707 |
|
Mini facelift |
-60% |
£4,299 |
|
Asian bkepharoplasty |
-57% |
£1,000 |
|
Full abdominoplasty |
-46% |
£4,912 |
|
Breast reconstruction |
-41% |
£5,794 |
|
Eye lift |
-32% |
£1,191 |
|
Pectoral implants |
-28% |
n/a |
|
Nasal tip surgery |
-18% |
£2,317 |
|
Abdominal etching |
-17% |
£5,313 |
|
Jaw contouring |
-16% |
£1,625 |