Cosmetic surgery insights and trends from 2016 revealed with predictions for the year ahead

Less is more as ‘mini facelifts’ look set to be biggest trend for 2017, with enquiries up 589% in past three months

  

• Breast implants top the list of 2016’s most popular surgical procedures
• Enquiries into Liposuction up 64% and Tummy tucks up 56% in 2016
• Mini facelifts set to be the procedure of 2017 with 589% increase in enquiries in the last 3 months of 2016
• Dimple creation enquiries up 82% in 2016
     
  
  
  Most popular cosmetic surgery procedures of 2016:
  
  
  Breast implants remain the cosmetic procedure of choice in the UK despite a slight decrease of 9% in enquiries compared to the previous year. Yet the numbers seeking this cosmetic enhancement surgery almost doubled those of the second most popular procedure, eyelid surgery. At number two on the top ten list, is eyelid surgery, with an 8% increase in enquiries, and an average cost of £2,691, in the UK. 
  
  
  Fat reducing surgeries also featured on the list, showing double digit growth in enquiries during 2016. Liposuction saw a 64% increase in enquiries and jumped to third place on the most popular procedures list. Enquiries for gynecomastia, or male breast reduction surgery, saw a 58% increase on 2015 figures and costs £3,567 on average. Despite its higher average price tag of £5,168 in the UK, tummy tucks have also seen a huge increase in enquiries in 2016, up 56% in the past 12 months.
  
  
  Dr Foued Hamza, Cosmetic Surgeon, Queen Anne Street Medical Centre, London said, “More and more patients are seeking less aggressive and less invasive procedures, in particular ones that have faster recovery times. Patients are seeking ‘lunchtime procedures’ which means they are in and out quickly and get more subtle treatments.”
  
  
  Mini facelifts are the fastest growing trend of 2016, with enquiries up by 135% over the past 12 months. The youth-enhancing procedure is set to continue its domination as a key trend for 2017 since figures from WhatClinic.com show a massive 589% increase in those seeking mini facelifts during the last three months of the year.

2016's top 10 most popular cosmetic surgery procedures based on volume of traffic to WhatClinic.com
Procedure	Change in enquiries over the last year	Average price UK
1. Breast Implants	-9%	£4,118
2. Eyelid surgery	8%	£2,691
3. Liposuction	64%	£2,954
4. Rhinoplasty	21%	£3,772
5. Tummy Tuck	56%	£5,168
6. Fat Transfer	-23%	£2,921
7. Gynecomastia	58%	£3,567
8. Breast Reduction	11%	£5,089
9. Facelift	-5%	£5,585
10. Breast Lift	-14%	£4,800

Fastest growing cosmetic surgery treatments in 2016

Topping the list of 2016’s fastest growing cosmetic surgery trends was the mini facelift, which costs £4,745 on average in the UK. Coming in at number two was dimple creation surgery, which was up by 82% in 2016. Liposuction at number three, and also featured as one of the most popular treatments, remains a very common cosmetic surgery enhancement, while abdominal etching, which contours and shapes abdominal fat to give patients a flatter stomach, increased by 57% in 2016. Alarplasty, a procedure to pins back the ears, and cheekbone reduction both saw a 47% increase in enquiries in 2016.

2016's top 10 fastest-growing cosmetic surgery procedures (by increase in enquiries)
Procedure	Change in enquiries over the last year	Average price UK
1. Mini Facelift	135%	£4,745
2. Dimple Creation	82%	£1,200
3. Liposuction	64%	£2,954
4. Gynecomastia	58%	£3,567
5. Abdominal Etching	57%	£2,283
6. Tummy Tuck	56%	£5,168
7. Alarplasty	47%	£3,098
8. Cheekbone Reduction	47%	n/a
9. FFS - Facial Feminization Surgery	30%	£3,823
10. Butt Lift	22%	£4,203

Trends to look out for in 2017

Data from the past three months suggests that mini facelifts will continue to increase in popularity in 2017, as will vaginoplasty, a process of strengthening the muscles and tissues of the vaginal canal and removing excess or damaged tissue. Vaginoplasty, in the number two position on 2017’s predicted top trends, saw a 130% increase in enquiries in the last three months of 2016. Celebrity favourite, nose jobs (rhinoplasty), has long been one of the most popular cosmetic procedures but saw an uptick at the end of 2016, with enquires up 71% in the past three months, indicating that it could be even more in demand in 2017. Chloe Madley and Charlotte Crosby both admitted to having the procedure done in 2016.

2017's new trends
Procedure	Change in enquiries in the past 3 months	Average price UK
1. Mini Facelift	589%	£4,745
2. Vaginoplasty	130%	£4,068
3. Rhinoplasty	71%	£3,772
4. Cheek Implants	67%	£1,887
5. Facelift	59%	£5,585

Commenting on the data trends, Philip Boyle, Head of Consumer Matters for WhatClinic, said:

 “The cosmetic surgery industry continues to thrive in the UK and 2016 saw an increase in enquiries for some procedures, with mini facelifts clearly the stand out procedure this year.”

“This is an industry that moves quickly and demand is high, but in some cases, so is the risk. That’s why it’s so important for patients to have realistic expectations, and to not be swayed by offers or deals. Sometimes it’s better to wait for the ’latest’ thing to become tried and tested before you sign on the dotted line. Nothing is risk free, so start by researching the treatment, and read reviews to make sure you pick the right clinic for you. ”

2015’s cosmetic trends revealed: ‘Full abdominoplasty’ the fastest growing surgical procedure, while ‘dermal fillers’ prove to be most popular non-surgical treatment

Cosmetic treatments were big news in 2015, ranging from popular procedures like breast implants and lip plumping à la the Kardashian-Jenner dynasty to more subtle dermal fillers for supermodel Cindy Crawford and tattoo removal for queen of style Victoria Beckham. New data from healthcare search engine WhatClinic.com reveals 2015’s most popular surgical and non-surgical treatments and highlights which cosmetic trends will be big in 2016.

A full abdominoplasty was the fastest growing surgical procedure of 2015, with a 351% increase in enquiries*, despite a hefty price tag of £5,491, on average, in the UK. The procedure involves the removal of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen in order to tighten the muscle and fascia of the abdominal wall. 

Breast implants topped the list for the second year in a row as the most popular procedure of the year, with the largest number of enquiries to cosmetic clinics in the UK at an increase of 183% since 2014. This procedure shows no sign of slowing down as it featured as number seven on the top ten list of fastest growing surgical trends even though it includes a price tag of £3,817, on average.

Those looking to reduce their breast size showed a much bigger increase as enquiries for breast reduction surgery soared ahead to be the fourth fastest growing trend for 2015, seeing a 212% increase in enquiries over the last 12 months, and an average price of £5,160. Breast reconstruction also proved to be growing quickly in-demand, coming in at number two on the list, with an average cost of £4,638.

Enquiries for arm lift surgery have increased by 252% since last year and this procedure is set to be one of the more popular in 2016 as number three on the top trends list. Those looking to get rid of their ‘bingo wings’ will pay an average of £4,290 for this procedure.

Liposuction, the second most popular surgical procedure for 2015, increased in popularity by 167%. Now at an average price of £2,800, the procedure increased in price by a third (up from £2,107) since 2014. Tummy tucks also saw a massive increase in enquiries at 209%, and came in as the third most popular treatment in 2015 while also featuring as number five on the top trend list of biggest increase in enquiries.

Commenting on the data trends, Emily Ross, Director of WhatClinic.com, said: “The cosmetic surgery and medical aesthetic industries continue to thrive and 2015 saw a massive increase in enquiries for procedures in the UK. On the surgical side of the market, abdominoplasty is the stand out treatment of 2015.”

“This is an industry that moves quickly. Demand is high, but in some cases, so is the risk. That’s why it’s so important for patients to have realistic expectations, and to not be swayed by offers or deals.”

The following table shows the surgical procedures that have seen the biggest increase in enquiries from UK patients in 2015:

Procedure	Increase in enquiries over past year	Average price UK
Full Abdominoplasty	351%	£5,491
Breast Reconstruction	263%	£4,638
Arm Lift	252%	£4,290
Breast Reduction	212%	£5,160
Tummy Tuck	209%	£4,647
Butt Lift	202%	£3,373
Breast Implants	183%	£3,817
Calf Implants	181%	£3,141
Breast Lift	173%	£4,798
Neck Lift	168%	£3,528

The following table shows the cosmetic surgery procedures that have seen the highest volume of enquiries from UK patients in 2015:

Procedure	Increase in enquiries over past year	Average price UK
Breast Implants	183%	£3,817
Liposuction	167%	£2,800
Tummy Tuck	209%	£4,647
Rhinoplasty	150%	£3,608
Fat Transfer	147%	£2,476
Labiaplasty	134%	£2,877
Eyelid surgery	81%	£2,193
Gynecomastia	120%	£3,753
Otoplasty	101%	£2,279
Facelift	162%	£4,921

Non-surgical treatments:

Focusing on non-surgical treatment trends, thread lift was the fastest growing treatment with the biggest increase in enquiries at a whopping 470% compared to 2014, when it also topped the trends list. The price tag has increased alongside its interest, from £570 in 2014 to £645 in 2015 (up 13%), on average in the UK. 

A newcomer to the list, chin augmentation comes in at number two on the top trends list with a 156% increase in enquiries. The treatment has an average price of £338 and is now the second fastest growing procedure in the UK and looks to become even more popular in 2016.

Enquiries for platelet rich plasma fillers, also known as the ‘Vampire Facial’, increased by 152% over the past 12 months, and are now the third fastest growing non-surgical procedure in the UK with an average price of £416 per session.

Following on from 2014, the top three most popular treatments remain the same for 2015 with dermal fillers at number one with the highest volume of enquiries and saw a further increase in enquiries (up 113%), followed by mole removal (up 114%) and then lip augmentation at number three (up 114%) and all three featured on the top trends list too. 

As the most popular procedure two years in a row, dermal fillers experienced a drop in price of 10% compared to 2014, now costing an average price of £252. As eighth on the list for largest increase in enquiries, dermal fillers will continue to be in high-demand for 2016.

Enquiries for tattoo removal have increased by 73% since last year, moving up to fourth place on the popularity list, and those looking to get rid of their etching can expect to pay £63 on average per treatment - with many tattoos requiring three to five sessions for removal.

The following table shows the non-surgical cosmetic treatments that have seen the biggest increase in enquiries from UK patients in 2015:

Procedure	Increase in enquiries over past year	Average price UK
Thread Lift	470%	£645
Chin Augmentation	156%	£338
Platelet Rich Plasma Filler	152%	£416
Treatment for Wrinkles	121%	£201
Mole Removal	114%	£212
Laser Lipolysis	114%	£779
Lip Augmentation	114%	£284
Dermal Fillers	113%	£252
Carboxytherapy	105%	£96
Scar Removal	93%	£208

The following table shows the non-surgical cosmetic treatments that have seen the highest volume of enquiries from UK patients in 2015:

Procedure	Increase in enquiries over past year	Average price UK
Dermal Fillers	113%	£252
Mole Removal	114%	£212
Lip Augmentation	114%	£284
Tattoo Removal	73%	£63
Spider Veins Treatment	58%	£107
Scar Removal	93%	£208
Non-Surgical Nose Job	54%	£335
Facial Thread Veins Treatment	89%	£107
Thread Lift	470%	£645
Sclerotherapy	53%	£187

Ms. Ross continued: “Regarding non-surgical treatments, injectables are more popular than ever, with record demand for dermal fillers in particular. Botox-type wrinkle treatments and lip augmentation have definitely gone mainstream in comparison to just a few short years ago. 

“Sometimes it’s better to wait for the ’latest’ thing to become tried and tested before you sign on the dotted line. Nothing is risk free, so start by researching the treatment. Reading reviews is a good way to start!”