Fat injections more popular than lipo

The number of women who are transferring fat from one part of the body, such as the hips or thighs, to areas that have lost plumpness through age, including the face or hands, has increased by 13 per cent in just one year.

Meanwhile, the number of women who had lipo has gone down by 14 per cent, according to data from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps). A total of 2,641 women underwent a “fat transfer” procedure last year, making it the seventh most popular cosmetic surgery conducted by Baaps members. Liposuction has dropped to eighth place, with 2,638 women undergoing the procedure in 2012.

Even though anti-ageing procedures are increasingly popular, breast augmentation is still the most common cosmetic surgery – almost 10,000 women had breast implants in 2012.

Of the 43,172 surgical procedures carried out by Baaps members last year, one in ten was conducted on men. The most popular procedures for men were nose jobs, eyelid surgery and breast reduction.

Baaps president Rajiv Grover said: “The growth rates for surgical facelifting and other anti-ageing procedures showed a double-digit rise, despite a  double-dip recession.

“Interestingly, for the first time we see a greater number of women having procedures to re-insert fat – to add volume to the face – than to remove it.”