With cosmetic surgery constantly evolving, so too are the trends and ideals. We take a look at what’s on the cards for breasts in 2017.
While the days of rock-hard Playboy Bunny boobs are falling out of fashion, our current obsession with social media and the explosion of selfies has created a new trend in itself. Not only has it called attention to personal appearance on a whole new level but it’s also created a shift in what is perceived as ‘normal’ (just take a look at Instagram).
Although doctors are seeing a spike in non-invasive procedures, breast augmentations are still among the most common surgical operations, with a whopping 279,143 procedures performed last year alone in the US, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgery.
It appears that young women in their 20s and 30s look at cosmetic surgery a bit differently than the Baby Boomers. In the recent past, breast surgery was often performed later in life, with the goal to repair the visible signs of ageing and the effects of pregnancy and breastfeeding. Today it’s a very different story. Millennials aren’t shy to undergo the knife and present what they believe is the best image of themselves possible.
“There are two distinct age groups with different objectives,” says Dr John Flynn from QLD. “Younger women are wanting bigger, higher breasts, while women in their late 30s and beyond are looking to simply replace what they have lost.”
Compared to older generations, people under the age of 35 aren’t as weirded out by the thought of using medicine to change their bodies.
That said, they don’t necessarily want those changes to be overly noticeable à la Pamela Anderson.
Smaller implants and smaller… nipples?
With the ‘wellness’ movement going from strength to strength, and the rise of lean, athletic body types (every Victoria’s Secret Angel), it appears over-inflated chests are officially out. Smaller nipples and implants complement this new trend of a lean, ‘shredded’ body.
Compared with several years ago, the average size has gone from a Double DD or E cup to a D-C cup. “The younger groups’ requests are larger, however I’ve noticed it’s coming down in size. The average size sits at about 300-400cc. What I’ve been seeing is a subtle change to a more moderate size,” says Dr Flynn.
“A lot of women focus on this mythical value of volume, however the implant itself is more important than the projection of the implant. What shape do you want? There are so many different variations, just simply saying you want bigger sized breasts doesn’t always cover it.”
Along with smaller boobs, smaller nipples are dubbed to be the new trend for 2017. However, Dr Flynn is quick to say this isn’t a new fad but rather a fairly common procedure for women who have undergone breast surgery.
“You would be surprised at how many people undergo a nipple reduction after a breast augmentation. Generally, every woman who has had a breast lift wants an aerola nipple reduction,” says Dr Flynn.
Millennials, boob jobs and social media
Millennials know what they want. They’re savvy, enthusiastic and have researched their options and what is available to them. However, just how feasible these goals are is another story.
No matter how much you don’t want to admit it, the young adult years are a highly impressionable time, and the more we are swamped with celebrity images of Kim K and the likes on Instagram and Snapchat, sadly the more we want to replicate the enhanced, retouched images that are passed off as reality.
While there are 60 million images uploaded to Instagram every day, it would be interesting to see just how many are untouched. There are apps out there that can change everything: your eye colour and size, your cheekbones and, you guessed it, the size of your boobs.
Dr Flynn says, “Part of what I am noticing in the younger age group are exact ideas about what they want to achieve after surgery – they are quite demanding about what they want, but it’s not always feasible.”
“There’s no such thing as perfect breasts. It’s wrong to be thinking about perfect breasts, because everyone is different and the size and shape of your breasts often reflect how your body is built. This is where social media is quite negative.”
“When a woman comes in with a collection of photos, to help her explain what she wants, social media is beneficial in that sense. But there is no way to trust if these social media photos are real or if they are just unrealistic images. It definitely has a potential advantage and disadvantage in one. Reality is hard to find these days.”
As cosmetic surgery becomes more and more normalised, it becomes so important to remember that breast surgery is major surgery. Despite the growing popularity of the procedure, if you’re interested in breast surgery it’s essential to educate yourself of the risks and limitations involved and whether it is indeed right for you.
