Chinplants are becoming as fashionable as nose jobs

Nosejobs and Breast Enhancements have certainly become mainstream procedures that many people electively choose to undergo. Now chin augmentation seems to be taking off, with figures highlighting so called "chin plants" as the fastest growing plastic surgery procedure. Experts say that use of video chat online, the aging baby boomer population and people who desire to be more attractive to achieve success for themselves, are all reasons for the rise in chin plant popularity. Remarkably, during 2011, the number of people seeking the procedure has grown more than Breast Augmentation, Botox and Liposuction combined with a 71% overall increase. Women and men seem to be about even in their desire for a better visage, with around 10,000 procedures for each sex in 2011. Men increasing 76%, coming in more than women at 66%. In age groups, those over 55 had the greatest number of procedures at nearly 8,500, while those in the 40-54 age group increased the most dramatically at 77%. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) President Malcolm Z. Roth, MD commented that : "The chin and jawline are among the first areas to show signs of aging. People are considering chin augmentation as a way to restore their youthful look just like a facelift or eyelid surgery ... We also know that as more people see themselves on video chat technology, they may notice that their jawline is not as sharp as they want it to be. Chin implants can make a dramatic difference." The article in plasticsurgery.org goes on to cite the example of Lizette Stephens, who said she does regular video conferences with people all over the world, and while the technology makes her life easy, it didn't make her look the way she'd hoped. She said that online photos of herself and watching herself during video chats, made her begin to feel self conscious about her double chin. She wanted more definition. Stephens underwent a chin implant with Darrick Antell, MD, an ASPS Member Surgeon based in New York City. Dr. Antell, who has studied the profiles of many CEOs, said : "We know that CEOs tend to be tall, attractive, good-looking people. We now know that these people also tend to have a stronger chin. As a result, people subconsciously associate a stronger chin with more authority, self-confidence and trustworthiness." Perhaps being more attractive in the workplace does help move people forwards, or maybe its all in vain, but there is certainly the perception that beauty beats brains with other procedures also on the rise. Examples include : Lip augmentation: 49%, Cheek implant: 47% increase, Laser skin resurfacing: 9% increase. A wide-ranging list of statistics are being released today on trends in plastic surgery, including gender, age, regional, national average fees and other breakdowns. They are available in the ASPS 2011 National Clearinghouse of Plastic Surgery Procedural Statistics report, and readers can join Andrew Trussler, MD, for a video chat at www.realself.com/chins on Wednesday, April 18 at 8:15 p.m. EST.