2/01/07
The number of people undergoing liposuction in Great Britain has increased by 90% in 1 year, prompting experts to warn it is not a solution to obesity. The operation has jumped from being the eighth most popular aesthetic procedure in Britain in 2005 to the third most popular in 2006, behind breast and eyelid surgery.
According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), a total of 29,000 plastic surgery procedures were carried out in 2006. Of these, 26,500 were performed on women. The most popular procedure for women was breast augmentation (6,200) with rhinoplasty the most popular among men (525).
“Judging by the dramatic rise in certain procedures, it is clear we are becoming a more body-image-conscious society,” says Rajiv Grover, MD, consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS council member.
Grover notes that it is important for physicians to tell their patients that liposuction and tummy tucks are not a treatment for weight management or obesity. They are body-contouring procedures for patients near or already at their ideal body weights.
[news.sky.com, January 29, 2007]