The Most Bizarre Plastic Surgery Procedures
We're all a little self-conscious. Many of us look in the mirror and wish there was one thing we could change. For those who want to enhance their image, there's plastic surgery to take care of that. You're probably familiar with the standard procedures: liposuction, implants, botox — but there are some new plastic surgery procedures out there you might not be aware of. We're bringing you this list to catch you up on the latest trends in plastic surgery.
Want to be taller? There's surgery for that. Want longer eyelashes? There's surgery for that. How about a snake-like tongue? Surgery can take care of you there, too. You can even go under the knife for those dimples you always wanted.
Lengthening Your Legs
Leg extension surgery is a real procedure in which a surgeon breaks and separates healthy leg bones to make them heal up longer than before. Think Ethan Hawke in 1997's Gattaca. The procedure, distraction osteogenesis, was originally created to help fix skeletal deformities. However, men and women have turned to this controversial (and potentially dangerous) procedure in order to gain a few inches of height.
The LimbplastX Institute specifically caters to this kind of cosmetic surgery, which can cost more than $100,000 to add up to 3 inches to a person's stature. Why go through such an intense and risky procedure? The institute's marketing specifically notes that online dating has made it more difficult for shorter men to get the matches they desire, and Dr. Kevin Debiparshad, an orthopedic surgeon at the institute, suggests it's a way to boost a person's confidence. “I don’t think [dating is] the main reason people do that,” he told Futurism. “I certainly see that, and I don’t think it’s less of a reason. If you feel unconfident, I can change that. Sometimes 1 or 2 inches makes a world of difference.”
Teens Are Getting Plastic Surgery To Look More Like Snapchat Filters
Dubbed "Snapchat dysmorphia," plastic surgeons have noticed a new trend with their younger patients. Instead of bringing the typical photos of a model or a celebrity to the plastic surgeon's office, teens frequently come in with a filtered photo of themselves from apps like Snapchat to show doctors how they want to look. While Snapchat offers unusual filters such as dog ears and floral crowns, you can also use it and similar apps to smooth out your skin and adjust the size of facial features. Some surgeons are concerned with teens becoming too obsessed with unobtainable physical perfection due to modern technology and even turn away prospective patients that seem heavily influenced by things like Snapchat.
Labiaplasty For Yoga Pants
In 2014 and 2015, a new vagina-centric trend prompted some cis women to get labiaplasty in order to look good in tight fitting clothes like yoga pants. In an effort to "enhance the appearance" of their genitalia, these cis women opted for procedures to reduce the size of the labia minora (the inner lips). How popular did the painful cosmetic surgery become? The American Society for Aesthetic Surgery said there was a 48% rise in 2014 from 2013.
Freeze Your Fat And Poop It Out
Looking to lose weight quick without the hassle of diet and exercise? You just need some high-powered cooling plates and plenty of cash. A new procedure called CoolSculpting promises to freeze your fat cells so that you can poop them out.
As part of the process, doctors squeeze your fat between two cooling plates and gradually freeze them. Because fat cells freeze faster than skin cells, you can get perfectly frozen fat before frostbite sets in.
After the procedure, docs do a quick massage of the area and you're good to go. White blood cells attack the frozen fat cells and convert them into triglycerides that are then metabolized by the liver and eliminated through your urine or feces. Sounds outlandish, but it's actually cleared by the FDA!
The downside? You can only freeze small areas at a time, so there's a good chance you won't see a ton of difference on the scale. And it's expensive: The procedure can cost between $400 to $1800 per session.
A Surgery That Turns That Frown Upside Down
As one ages the corners of the mouth drops, making it nearly impossible for senior citizens to turn their frown upside down. Plastic surgeons have developed a new, non-surgical facelist called Ulthera that promises to lift skin around the jowls and cheek sagging and loose skin around the neck.
By removing heavy skin above the mouth, doctors have found a way to allow seniors to frown only when they're disappointed, not 24 hours a day.
Change Your Palm Reading for Good
Don’t like your palm lines or your palm reading? Reclaim control of your own destiny with palm line surgery. Palm line surgery has become all the rage in Japan and Korea. The procedure is conducted by actually creating small scars on the hand with an electric scalpel. These scars are supposedly indistinguishable from the lines that naturally appear on your palm, and might change your fortune in the process.