After over a year and a half of being stuck in quarantine, the world is finally starting to re-open. While returning to civilization is an exciting prospect to most people, the very notion has others worried and self-conscious about their appearance.

The course of the pandemic has not been kind to the wellbeing of many people, and these hard times can be reflected on their appearance. Given all the uncertainty we’ve faced lately, not to mention gym closures and a lack of activity in quarantine, it’s perfectly understandable that many have gained weight during the pandemic. At the same time, stress and sleep problems may have accelerated new gray hairs, eye bags, and wrinkles.

These new insecurities have resulted in a boom of cosmetic procedures performed, as people flock to plastic surgeons to have procedures such as the mini facelift performed.

So what are the most common procedures are people seeking to help turn the clock back the clock on aging?

A Facelift

The world of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures has been flooded with all kinds of new solutions and non-surgical procedures over the last few years. However, the traditional facelift remains one of the most popular go-to anti-aging solutions. It was the third most popular plastic surgery in North America with 234,374 procedures in 2020.

There are a few different options for facelifts people are able to choose from, starting with the full facelift to treat wrinkles and sagging around the whole face.

The mini facelift is another, less intense surgery option for those looking to stay ahead of the aging process and don’t quite need a full facelift yet. Finally, there is the mid-facelift, which targets issues in the eyes and cheek areas.

Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

Not surprisingly, blepharoplasty increased in popularity during the pandemic. Millions of people saw their faces in a new light on daily video calls with work or family, and many started to zoom in on the signs of aging in their eyes, whether it be drooping eyelids or sagging under-eye bags.

Plastic surgery, as a whole, experienced a mini-boom during the lockdown, with 70% of surveyed plastic surgeons reporting an increase in business, and 83% of those respondents attributed that increase to people wanting to look better on video calls.

Overall, blepharoplasty was the 2nd most popular plastic surgery in North America in 2020, rising dramatically in numbers since 2018 when it was the 4th most popular surgery.

Liposuction

Over 60% of all surveyed Americans said that they put on weight during the lockdown. While this has been named the Quarantine 15, 10% of those surveyed have actually gained over 50 lbs. Public gyms have been opening and re-closing at an annoying rate, while stress eating is at an all-time high.

Contrary to popular belief, however, liposuction isn’t a dedicated weight loss procedure; in fact, you need to be close to your weight loss goal even to be considered for it. Instead, liposuction targets stubborn fat cells on the body, which may not go away through diet and exercise alone.

Liposuction can help one trim the most stubborn areas of their body, including arms, legs, butt, and stomach. A targeted liposuction procedure can help you claw back a few inches or sizes when supplemented with a diet and exercise routine.

Tummy Tuck

Tummy tucks are often confused as being the same as liposuction. While they share similarities, they are procedures to enhance body contouring, tummy tucks are specific to the abdomen, and the procedure goes little further than liposuction.

Tummy tucks remove not only fat deposits but excess skin as well. When fat is removed during liposuction, but no skin resection is performed, the space can cause the skin to appear loose and flabby. Those who have had extreme weight loss may notice similar effects of loose skin. Tummy tucks pull the skintight and remove that excess, so the stomach appears tight.

Hair Transplant

These past few years, even before the pandemic, have been a bit nerve-wracking. While the world is slowly on the mend, fears of new variants and restrictions still give us new daily anxieties. Unfortunately, these stresses can also cause hair loss.

Being in a high state of anxiety and stress, especially for a prolonged time, has been confirmed to be a contributing factor to hair loss, and these trying times would certainly qualify one of those periods. In addition, one of Covid-19’s lingering side effects can include hair loss.

Consistent high levels of anxiety and stress have been linked to accelerated hair loss. In addition, those who have contracted Covid-19’s have reported hair loss as one of their long-term side effects. With that in mind, it’s no wonder this procedure is one of the most popular that men get done.

But gone are the days of fake “doll hair” looking plugs. Modern hair transplants are nearly undetectable from natural growth.

An FUE hair transplant provides a person with patterned baldness with a seamless solution. The procedure is performed by taking healthy hair follicles from an inconspicuous area, usually the back of the scalp, then transplanted into the balding area.

This procedure isn’t just for men either; nearly 40% of women report that they have some form of detectable hair loss by age 50. Women don’t usually suffer from pattern bald spots, but their concerns are of overall thinning hair, giving the appearance of “see-through” hair.

Nose Job

Believe it or not, rhinoplasty, or the nose job, is the most popular plastic surgery that people get done. Beating out the boob job, liposuction, or butt lift’.

Almost 65,000 men and 300,000 women had a rhinoplasty procedure performed in 2020 alone.

It’s easy to see why this is a common insecurity of people; after all, the nose is dead centre on our faces, so when it’s is bent, bumped, or pushed to one side, it throws off how others perceive symmetry on your face.

Symmetry is a big factor in the subconscious way we perceive attractiveness in the faces of others, even if we may not know what is “off” about it.

Some studies have shown we may subconsciously see a person’s symmetry as a sign of good health. Others suggest that better symmetry makes it easier for our eyes to process information.