I hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend! I have looked into my crystal ball and compiled my list of
Dr. Youn's Top 9 Plastic Surgery Predictions for 2009. Here are #9-#5:
9.
Plastic Surgery Vacations will become more and more popular. As the nation undergoes a dire economic recession, greater and greater numbers of people will pack their sunblock, passports, and ice packs as they combine
plastic surgery and vacations. Americans will travel to Mexico, Brazil, and even India in an attempt to save money and look better. This trend will unfortunately bring about an unprecedented number of disturbing complications, as people bring their botched results back to the U.S. for American plastic surgeons to treat. The lucky ones will come back looking both rested AND younger.
8.
Fat, from both from animals and people, will become a new Green resource. I've already reported on the
renegade Beverly Hills radiologist who used liposuction fat to power his SUV to work each day. With the continued push toward "green" energy, scientists and some physicians will continue their work on Biofuels, with
liposuction fat on the periphery of this trend. No, I don't plan on ever doing this.
7.
Sculptra will gain FDA approval as a liquid facelift for the general population. Sculptra is currently only FDA-approved for treatment of HIV-associated facial wasting.
Sculptra has been used in Europe for many years under the name Newfill, and is the only injectable filler that can produce generalized volume replacement in the face without excessive cost. With the realization that
facial volume loss is an integral component of the aging process, this treatment may take center stage in the fight against facial gauntness.
6.
2009 will bring with it a plethora of new extreme, bizarre, and unusual plastic surgeries. 2008 brought us such plastic surgery oddities as
cosmetic leg lengthening, the
G Shot, the
Boob Jab, and the
Acupuncture Facelift. I expect fringe medical practitioners to do the same in 2009. Can we expect to see actual rib removal to thin the body, removal of the omentum (fat around the intestines) to decrease a protuberant tummy, or tummy tucks performed at the time of C-sections? Time will tell.
5.
Will Gummy Bear Implants Boost Busts in 2009? In November 2006 the FDA lifted the ban on
silicone gel implants... at least the fourth generation ones. Since then plastic surgeons and patients in the know have been waiting for FDA approval of the form-stable, "gummy bear"
breast implants. These are the firm, textured, tear-drop shaped implants that are made to retain their shape and not conform to the shape of surrounding tissues. They are already in widespread use throughout many other countries in the world. Will the FDA approve these implants for general cosmetic use in 2009? Thousands of plastic surgeons and patients hope so.
Tomorrow I will post the rest of Dr. Youn's Top 9 Plastic Surgery Predictions for 2009. Stay tuned! Same bat time... same bat url.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
