Tired of looking tired? You’re not the only one.
In a new survey to be released tomorrow by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), plastic surgeons note that one of the rising trends of 2016 was people asking for procedures to help them look less tired. Blepharoplasty, a surgery that corrects drooping of eyelids and under-eye bags—features that contribute to the look of fatigue—was the second most-performed surgical procedure behind rhinoplasty among surveyed doctors.
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“When people look tired, that usually manifests in the upper part of the face,” explains AAFPRS president Fred Fedok, MD. “Regardless of age, toward the end of the day or after several days of poor sleep, the face starts to droop around the eye due to muscle fatigue, giving the look of lack of alertness.”
According to AAFPRS members, the biggest driver for patients electing to undergo cosmetic procedures is due to wanting to stay competitive in the workforce. Forty-nine percent of surgeons surveyed reported that patients cited the desire to remain relevant in the office as a factor in why they opted for a procedure. “The saying ’60 is the new 40′ is true,” says Dr. Fedok. “People are more active healthier and more social into older age than ever before, and they come in because their outer appearance doesn’t match up with how invigorated they feel inside. This is further exacerbated by the popularity of social media photos. Everyone has a camera at all times and people are hyperaware of how they look.”
This general lifestyle shift among Americans isn’t the only factor contributing to the increase in patients opting to go to the doctor’s office. With more noninvasive options than ever before, even those who are wary of going under the knife now have options. “Over the past few years, we have more tools to work with the upper face area,” says Dr. Fedok. “Fifteen years ago we could only do blepharoplasties or ear-to-ear browlifts, but now, noninvasive options like Botox Cosmetic and fillers can erase crow’s-feet, lift the brow area, infuse volume and help smooth out sags and bulges in the lower lids to give results that visually, are as nice as surgery.”
