Plastic Surgery, from Lip Lift to Deep Plane: the Latest Trends Driving Hollywood Stars — and Beyond — Crazy

Aesthetic treatments aimed at achieving a reshaped face worthy of an eternal teenager (or almost) are now taking centre stage compared to traditional, more “invasive” surgical operations. This seems to be the dominant trend in today’s plastic surgery and in the endless pursuit of beauty. As always, major actresses and Hollywood stars set the tone, even though not all their “touch-ups,” according to fans, have achieved the desired results. Sometimes the pursuit of a “beauty ideal,” as it is called in the English-speaking world, has followed too standardized a model, failing to consider individual needs and the holistic balance between image and well-being.

As in every field, turning to unqualified professionals or exaggerating with unattainable beauty stereotypes has led many international celebrities to regret Botox and similar treatments. A striking case is Meg Ryan, who, according to journalists and fans worldwide, clearly overdid her quest for rejuvenation, risking the opposite effect. The trend of the moment, therefore, is to rediscover the “non-invasiveness” of aesthetic medicine and plastic surgery treatments. Scalpels are acceptable when necessary — but without excess — leaving room whenever possible for non-invasive procedures or, for younger women, specific makeup routines to make the face truly “Zoom-proof,” or video-friendly, since our interactions with the world increasingly take place through online platforms.

Among the most popular treatments to restore youthful radiance to the face — and make it truly video-call ready — is the so-called Full Face approach, which aims to eliminate signs of fatigue by giving new light and vitality to facial features through fillers with varying doses of hyaluronic acid.

The obsession with ageing — as proven by American star Sarah Jessica Parker, icon of the TV series Sex and The City — goes hand in hand with the rise of rhinoplasty, known in the U.S. as the Nose Job. It’s the era of gentle rhinoplasty, or Preservation Rhinoplasty: no more “button noses” at all costs. While in the past surgeons tended to remove every irregularity through resection, today multiple small grafts are preferred to rebuild the nose. This more conservative approach reshapes nasal anatomy with minimal tissue removal, ensuring a more natural and less stereotyped final appearance.

Facelifts are also evolving: whereas they once involved mainly incisions and skin removal followed by stretching and suturing, today the popular technique is the Deep Plane lift — a procedure that works deeply on the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS), located beneath the skin. The goal is longer-lasting and more stable results over time.

The leading post-Covid trend for lips, on the other hand, is the Lip Lift, involving true lifting surgery that goes beyond traditional dermal fillers. The Lip Lift surgically shortens the distance between the nose and upper lip to improve the smile: the teeth become more visible, and the lip appears slightly rotated upward — an especially desired effect among American divas, for whom a radiant red-carpet smile is a must.

Maria Serena Patriarca