Tweaked rather than tucked – a change of emphasis for 2016?

Posted: 01/04/2016

There is little doubt that demand for cosmetic surgery is increasing and new procedures are hitting the market to meet that demand. However, there may be a change in the tide in that many people are now requesting less extensive surgery in search of an enhanced but more 'natural' look. Subtle changes could well be set to become all the rage with candidates considering a cosmetic procedure looking for minor results that perhaps only they will notice, something which surgeons are dubbing 'tweakments'.

"Having less obvious surgical face treatments is a definite trend for 2016," says British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) former president Dr Rajiv Grover. “It’s very much Hollywood celebrity culture driven, where the tendency is to have small procedures spaced out, rather than one extreme makeover. Somebody might have a lower facelift rather than a full one, then they might have their eyes done later on.”

But many women want to avoid the knife altogether, hence the constant evolution of non-surgical facelifts. One of the largest UK cosmetic surgery providers in the private healthcare market has very recently started offering a new treatment called Silhouette Soft, during which the face is numbed with local anaesthetic and dissolvable threads are injected and used to lift specific areas. The procedure is quoted as being marketed towards people wanting a redefined, lifted face, with restored volume and an overall smoother appearance, without the need to undergo a full surgical facelift.

Alison Johnson, a senior associate in the cosmetic surgery team at Penningtons Manches LLP, says: "It's good to see that many patients are genuinely looking for a more subtle and understated look from cosmetic surgery. Hopefully this trend is indicative of a greater understanding of the risks and benefits of this type of surgery, of candidates considering all their options fully and having realistic, achievable expectations. This can surely only be a positive development."

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