As would be anticipated, Encino, CA plastic surgeon George Sanders, MD’s practice has been doing a lot of tummy tucks and breast combinations as the days lead up to official start of summer on June 21.
“We’re also seeing a lot of facelifts with rhinoplasties, which is an unusual combination,” he adds. “In addition, I’ve been swamped with eyelid lift procedures.”
While Dr. Sanders categorizes the surgeries of choice as “very interesting,” he also answers the million-dollar question to the timing query patients often pose: “Yes, if you have one of these procedures done now, you will be recovered by the first day of summer.”
In keeping with that theme, Eugene, OR plastic surgeon Mark Jewell, MD says the summer season also coincides with increased events—including weddings and travel—and that’s consistently a time frame in which fillers and injectables steadily gain popularity. La Jolla, CA plastic surgeon Robert Singer, MD agrees: “Patients get Botox, Dysport and fillers before vacations and liposuction before weddings.”
“We have had a lot of requests for the Clear + Brilliant non-ablative laser lately,” Dr. Jewell says. “Ulthera treatments and HydraFacial treatments are popular as well,” he adds, stressing that, in his opinion, if you’re a patient looking for a body-focused or major facial-aesthetic surgery to show off by end of June—Pasadena, CA plastic surgeon Lily Lee, MD pegs it as “deadline surgeries”—you probably should have considered booked slightly earlier: “At this point in May, most patients do not have time to recover from major breast or body-contouring surgeries for the first official day of summer.”
Calling out the months of May and June in specifically, Tucson, AZ plastic surgeon Raman Mahabir, MD says he is seeing a rise in “short recovery, high-yield with less downtime” surgery, and he pinpoints three surgeries—breast augmentation, breast lift and liposuction—in particular.
“There’s definitely an increased interest during these months in breast augmentation,” he notes. “Women want to fill out clothes and swimsuits to be ready for summer fun—and, with enhanced recovery protocols and above-the-muscle implants, there is really minimal downtime and patients can be ready for the beach in no time.”
Dr. Mahabir also points to the popularity of the breast lift (mastopexy) during this season. “While the surgery creates more scars than an augmentation, a lift is often needed for 35-to-45-year-old women after children. Patients are asking for lifts so that swimsuits fit better and so that they can wear one with less with less support, as a lift creates natural support and an ‘internal bra.’”
And, of course, liposuction looms large: “Targeting those troubled areas that are more visible as we wear less clothing coverage through the summer,” he adds. “With an eighth of an inch incision, we can literally remove pounds of extra tissue from where it does not belong or is less desirable. I would say these three procedures are the most requested surgeries as we approach the summer months—and they all involve mostly small incisions, with very little downtime, but make a noticeable difference. Done right, these patients can still look like their natural, authentic selves, just with a little help in the right places.”
Likewise, Nashville plastic surgeon Daniel Hatef, MD saw a liposuction and body-contouring wave, but, at his office, it peaked in spring. “I think people were getting ready a while ago. What I’m seeing currently is more requests for noninvasive body-contouring devices and medical weight-loss medications like Wegovy and Ozempic.
I think now the goal is to find something that doesn’t have a lot of downtime—but can get you that last bit of toning or weight-loss before the summer.”
