Plastic Surgery Trends

By Dr. Howard Silverman

Trends in 2025:

Having looked back at 2024, I thought it would be fun and hopefully interesting to look ahead to my take on plastic surgical trends that we might see in the coming year.  I hope you won’t hold me too closely to these predictions, but here goes!

Firstly, let’s talk about fat!  Removal always seems like a good idea for most of us, but what about moving fat around to areas that we may be a bit lacking?  This is known as fat grafting, and although fat grafting is not as reliably predictable as synthetic fillers like hyaluronic acid fillers, but it’s your own tissue and can be available in large volumes, and once it has taken, it stays for prolonged periods of time.  Fat can be used to augment and enlarge breasts, buttocks, faces, lips, eyelids, and even muscle shape, and I think we will continue to see much more application and improved reliability in fat grafting.  Ozempic and other similar medications were the blockbuster drugs of 2024 and I have seen frankly amazing outcomes from use of this class of medications.  This has resulted in dramatic weight loss in many patients that seemed otherwise unattainable or at least unsustainable by most other means.  Time will tell regarding long term outcomes, but it sure looks like a magic bullet for many patients so far.  However, patients have also noted that loss of facial, breast and buttock fatty tissue can actually look less youthful, or even deflated, and replacement with fat grafting from remaining fatty areas to the face and body may be very helpful to restoring some of that lost volume.  There are limits to how much fat can be successfully transferred at one stage, but come on in for a consultation if this sounds like something that you might be interested in.

I also think that this will be a year of moderation in form and shape.  I find that patients are still looking for volume enhancement in body and breast contouring, but are seeking more proportional and subtle results than in years past.  This translates to smaller breast implants, less obvious Brazilian butt lifts, and more natural lip enhancement and enlargement. These things do change over time as fashion and beauty trends evolve. For example, I might see someone who previously might have opted for very full breast implants to fill out a deflated and descended breast envelope, but now seeks a more subtle implant with a lift, or even a lift alone with no implant, or some fat grafting for modest volume and shape enhancement.  I have also seen an increased number of patients who have previously undergone breast augmentation, that are now seeking to downsize or remove their implants with a breast lift to elevate and resuspend the smaller breast envelope.  Fat grafting to the buttocks, or Brazilian butt lifts, are still popular, but many patients are looking for shape and firmness as opposed to a very exaggerated shape that was previously desired.  Of course, everyone can make their own choices and decisions about their aesthetic goals, but I think that a number of patients are now looking for more toned, lithe and athletic shapes.   As always, it’s best to have a conversation with us to explore your options and see what works for you, and best suits your lifestyle and desires.   

My last prediction relates to cosmetic breast reduction.  In line with more moderate aesthetic outcomes, I think that there are a lot of women out there who find their breast silhouette is larger and heavier than they would prefer, but don’t qualify for government insured breast reductions.  These patients do not suffer from breast related problems like back pain, skin rashes, and arm and hand numbness, but still feel too large and seek more comfort in clothing and bra wear and selection.  I think that the demand for this surgery will increase dramatically in the coming year.

Unfortunately, in our province and region, the constraints of our provincial health care system have led to very limited resources and surgical operating time for plastic surgeons practicing in hospital and government insured environments, and operations like breast reductions, while important, are not seen as a higher priority than cancer or trauma care, and have become extremely difficult, if not impossible to receive under government health plans. This lack of resources forces surgeons to prioritize these more urgent surgeries ahead of more elective surgeries, leaving little to no operating time available to perform procedures like breast reductions.  At OPS, we always receive frequent requests for breast reductions, but unfortunately can only accept breast reductions that would be otherwise uninsured by the provincial health plan, meaning that the desire for smaller breasts is mostly cosmetic in nature and would not be eligible for coverage by the ministry of health. This certainly does not mean that the desire or need for a smaller breast in such patients is an inappropriate desire, just that this would be considered as any other cosmetic procedure, like a tummy tuck or a facelift, and as always, we at OPS are very supportive of patient choice and autonomy to chart their own medical needs, and are here to help with these choices. 

Watch for these trends, and we will review next year to see how I did!