Breast surgery: women could now prioritize shape over size

From New York to Los Angeles to Sydney, breast reduction already seemed to be gaining popularity in certain regions of the world, but it is now in Europe that the procedure could become essential. A real social phenomenon in the making if we consider that breast augmentation has (for a very) long time dominated trends, testifying to the desire of women to modify their silhouette in a lasting way and to strive towards greater authenticity. At this stage, breast reduction has not yet replaced augmentation, but 2024 could mark a turning point.

As is often the case, it was in Hollywood (and on the red carpets) that breast augmentation began to see its popularity decline. Celebrities who have helped to popularize it in recent years, or decades, have followed one another in recent months to express regret about this procedure, and their intention – in certain cases – to remedy it. Victoria Beckham, Denise Richards, and Ashley Tisdale are among them, and their confessions could have played a role in the expected boom in breast reductions for the year 2024. It could even be one of the most popular procedures , according to Marc Pacifico, cosmetic surgeon and president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

Asked by the Daily Mail, the professional believes that breast reduction could be among the most requested procedures during the year. They will in any case increase, to the detriment of the installation – or even the conservation – of bulky implants from which women are slowly but surely turning away. And if some seem to want to backtrack, regretting having succumbed to breast augmentation, the reasons for this craze for breast reduction are in reality as diverse as they are varied, as the cosmetic surgeon explains.

“Shape over size”

It could be that the contours of a new female silhouette will emerge by 2024, with women now preferring to focus on the shape of their chest, rather than on the size. In any case, this is what Marc Pacifico declared to the British media, specifying that women were now turning more to “smaller implants combined with a breast lift“. The idea is to give up overly generous breasts, which can be sources of pain and physical problems, such as back pain, poor posture, or even difficulty practicing sports, to prefer a small breast, but raised and firm.

According to the surgeon, motherhood could play a role in the adoption of these new habits. Not only would young mothers forego large implants, but they would turn more towards restoration or a facelift after breastfeeding to regain a certain firmness. And when they choose breast augmentation, it is no longer to benefit from a generous breast, as has been the case for many years, but simply to find the breast they had before breastfeeding or childbirth.

The end of generous breasts?

This trend is reflected in the latest data made public by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), which indicates that generation to renounce a silhouette which perhaps no longer fits with the expectations and concerns of the time. Please note, however, that the professional society estimates at the same time that 35% of breast augmentations were carried out by Millennials in the same year.

Figures confirmed by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) which indicates that breast augmentation remains the most popular surgical procedure for women in 2022, with 2.2 million procedures (+29% compared to 2021), although overall the liposuction has dethroned it in 2021. These figures date back two years, the trend could however be reversed. As seen previously, in all cases, it is the needs and expectations which seem to have evolved with a desire to reconnect with a more natural-looking breast, rather than generous or luscious. A trend that has not gone unnoticed on social networks, with the hashtag #breastreduction already having more than 1.5 billion views.