The Meteoric Rise of Lipo in 2020

December 18, 2020


Liposuction has officially become the 2nd most popular cosmetic surgery in the U.S., following close behind breast augmentation. Figures show that 265,000 people got liposuction last year, mostly in the abs, arms, and buttocks.

The fact the buttocks and stomach are the most popular regions for liposuction isn’t shocking—we’re all aware that it’s insanely hard to get rid of stubborn fat from those areas. However, what is shocking is that 1 in 6 liposuction patients is under 30 years of age.

But why? Let’s look at some of the reasons behind lipo’s meteoric rise in popularity.

1. We’re all editing our bodies for Instagram anyway… It’s not a big leap to edit our bodies IRL.

Instagram culture, Snapchat, and instant filters on our phones allow us to edit our bodies virtually in a few seconds. Whenever we scroll through Instagram, we can find hundreds of perfectly-curated, color-coded, and thematically-arranged feeds with influencers whose perfect bodies may or may not be edited.

When we upload pictures online, most of us edit our facial features and bodies to more accurately represent how we feel in the moment. We also see celebrities and influencers ditch the virtual fillers and use actual dermal fillers to achieve the desired cosmetic changes for real. As such, Instagram has blurred the boundaries between virtual and physical lives. Since we’re using fillers and editing our pictures anyway, why not make the leap and simply edit our bodies?

2. Liposuction is one of the only body sculpting procedures offering instant gratification

Millennials love instant gratification. Nothing quite beats the kick you get from seeing yourself instantly transform with an Instagram filter. Similarly, nothing quite beats seeing the results of your cosmetic procedure immediately. And that’s what liposuction offers—instant results and instant gratification.

The liposuction procedure literally suctions the unwanted fat tissues out of your body, giving you an instantly slimmer appearance. Sure, you may experience some swelling and redness for a while, but you can still see that your figure is a lot more slender.

According to Dr. David Rapaport, Liposuction’s immediately-visible results make it far more desirable than treatments that take weeks or months to show marginal results, such as CoolSculpting. With Liposuction, you get the immense kick of seeing exactly what you’ve paid for without any delay.

3. Our cultural shift towards transparency and the celebration of individual choices has wiped away the taboo.

At one point in the not-so-distant past, patients who opted for cosmetic surgeries went away in hiding for weeks to recover in secrecy. They avoided discussing the procedure and claimed the results are completely natural. However, the past decade has seen an immense cultural shift towards transparency.

We no longer have such hangups about maintaining inauthentic images about who we are. As a result, more people are talking openly about liposuction procedures, including celebrities. As more people talk about liposuction, it becomes even more normalized and popular, and more people seek treatment to address their concerns.

People are becoming more educated about liposuction and understanding that it’s truly a procedure that does not involve weeks of downtown and recovery.  In fact, most patients who undergo a liposuction procedure on Friday will return to work on Monday!  You can start working out in as little as 3-5 days following most liposuction procedures.