Leading plastic surgeons have revealed how patients are shunning obvious cosmetic procedures for subtle surgical enhancements.
It’s known as the ‘Midwest Makeover’, a nod to the understated nature of Midwesterners compared to the extremes seen mainly on the west coast.
This beautification process entails a mix of minimally invasive procedures instead of going under the knife, with a range of cutting edge devices and techniques meaning that nips and tucks are barely noticeable.
New York-based cosmetic dermatologist Dr Michele Green told DailyMail.com that extreme makeovers were in vogue for years, with patients requesting overly pumped up lips, Brazilian butt lifts and overdone Botox to get the ‘Kardashian look’.
But last year she noticed a ‘real shift’ with more people wanting to ‘subtly improve their complexion, so that no-one would be able to tell what they’ve had done’.
Dr Green says she and other cosmetic surgeons have started coining it the ‘Midwest makeover’ as ‘women in this region have traditionally always favored a more elegant look compared to other parts of the US – especially in Los Angeles’.
As part of the Midwest makeover, laser treatments have been booming, as they can instantly lift the skin and provide a glowing complexion with little downtime.
Laser skin treatments use light beams to improve skin texture, tone, and firmness.
A patient pictured before her subtle Midwest makeover (left) and after her transformation (right). Dr Michele Green treated her with filler to restore volume and structure to her cheeks, chin, and jawline
Dr Chris Funderburk, who is a body sculpting specialist at the Neinstein Plastic Surgery group in New York, says his patients want a less obvious look. Above left, a female patient before a subtle tummy tuck and after, right
They vary in abrasiveness, with less intense laser treatments requiring no downtime but laser skin resurfacing – where the outer layer of skin is burned – could result in redness for up to 48 hours.
Dr Green adds: ‘The technologies have also improved, so we have so many cutting edge treatments that make a real difference, without going under the knife.’
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Some of her most in-demand treatments currently include the Thermage FLX treatment, which typically ranges from $2,500 to $5,000, depending on the area of the body.
Explaining how this works at rejuvenating the skin, Dr Green says: ‘It uses radiofrequency technology to heat the collagen-rich layers of the skin, stimulating collagen production and reducing skin laxity or loose skin.’
The cosmetic expert says the targeted blasts of heat causes an ‘immediate contraction of existing collagen fibers’, which helps to stimulate the production of new collagen.
While in the past people opted for lots of filler for an overdone look, the doctors say people want something less obvious. Above, a female patient before (left) and after (right) having filler in her cheeks and under eyes
This in turn helps to rejuvenate the skin and ‘produce younger-looking, smoother skin in just a few months’.
Dr Green says the results can last up to two years.
Meanwhile, Sarah Bonner the beauty director of Skinney Medspa in New York, says her clinic offers non-invasive facelifts which provide ‘a really natural result without going under the knife’.
Her favorite treatment currently is Sofwave, which costs $3,800 for a full-face makeover.
Over the course of 30 minutes a machine delivers ultra-sound beams through the skin to ‘painlessly reduce the signs of aging by stimulating the production of collagen, restoring elasticity, smoothing wrinkles, and lifting the skin resulting in a younger looking appearance’.
Ms Bonner says: ‘Your friends and family would see a difference with Sofwave but they would find it impossible to tell what you’ve had done.
Even when people do choose surgical intervention, Boston-based surgeon Dr Akshay Sanan says they want it to look as natural as possible. Above, a female patient before (left) and after (right) a neck lift to improve her neckline
Dr Chris Funderburk, who is a body sculpting specialist at the Neinstein Plastic Surgery group in New York says people ‘definitely want a subtler look for their whole body’. Above, a female patient before (left) and after (right) a more natural looking breast augmentation
‘Clients see an instant lift with it getting better month by month.’
This differs to treatments of the past, where the only option was for patients to go under the knife with days, if not weeks, spent recovering.
Dr Amir Karam, who is a facial plastic surgeon based in San Diego, puts the rise of the Midwest makeover down to the ‘horror stories of some celebrities, who have clearly had too much work and have stepped out with an overdone look’.
He told this website: ‘The public has been truly traumatized by seeing some of these incredibly deforming and identity altering surgical and non-surgical procedures that they yearned for something much more, ‘subtle’, but in reality, they want full correction and yet to look natural.
Dr Funderburk says: ‘With buttock enhancement, gone are the days of the overly-filled, large fat transfer BBLs. Over the last few years, patients have instead requested refinements and mild enhancement to the buttocks’
Dr Green says: ‘The technologies have improved, so we have so many cutting edge treatments that make a real difference, without going under the knife.’ Above, a female patient before (left) and after (right) having facial fillers
A patient pictured before (left) and after (right) some subtle aesthetic treatments, which involved facial fillers and Thermage, a non-invasive radiofrequency treatment to smooth, tighten and contour the skin
‘Ultimately, people want to look as young as they feel.
‘The key to this is well performed procedures that are based on the theory that you’re restoring the face back to what it used to look like and not creating a new level of appearance or new change.
‘This is the new state of surgical and non-surgical rejuvenation and one that needs to be embraced by those practicing in this field.’
Even when people do choose surgical intervention, Boston-based surgeon Dr Akshay Sanan says they want it to look as natural as possible.
This, he says, compares to the past where people would want more of a pin-up or Hollywood look.
One of his most popular surgeries is a neck lift, with it providing the ‘best neckline contour possible for you anatomy’.
The treatment involves just one incision hidden in the crease below the chin. Through this minimal incision approach, Dr Sanan is able to contour multiple layers of the neck, including the deep muscle layers and fat tissues.
Dr Chris Funderburk, who is a body sculpting specialist at the Neinstein Plastic Surgery group in New York says people ‘definitely want a subtler look for their whole body, not just their face’.
A male patient before his makeover, left, and after he had received Botox and CoolMini, a type of non-surgical procedure that uses cold to reduce fat cells in targeted areas of the body
As the demand for minimally invasive and noninvasive procedures grows, the US aesthetic medicine market size is expected to reach $90.82 billion by 2030. Above, a female patient before (left) and after (right) having intensive laser treatments and Botox
The plastic surgeon specializes in boob jobs, tummy tucks and Brazilian Butt Lifts BBLs and he has noticed a shift in trends over the past 18 months or so.
He says of his clients, who splash up to $80,000 on full body makeovers: ‘In regards to breast enhancement surgery, patients are often requesting a more natural-appearing augmentation.
‘Similarly, with buttock enhancement, gone are the days of the overly-filled, large fat transfer BBLs. Over the last few years, patients have instead requested refinements and mild enhancement to the buttocks.’
As the demand for minimally invasive and noninvasive procedures grows, the US aesthetic medicine market size is expected to reach $90.82 billion by 2030.
