Wait, When Did Everyone Get So Chill About Lipo?

First, some facts: liposuction is the most common aesthetic procedure performed in India, as stated in a report in the Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery. It is the second most  popular cosmetic surgery in the US, and in 2019 alone, a whopping 2,65,000 people got it on areas like their butt, stomach, and arms. One out of every six of them was under 30 years old.
That last part is the one that’s kind of shocking. We are talking about 45,000 young people getting a rather pricey procedure in uncertain times. We are not one to judge—women can (and should!) choose what to do with their bodies and money—but it’s not like lipo is a low-stakes thing: it’s a legit surgery that requires anesthesia, incisions, stitches, and recovery time...aka stuff people usually try to avoid. Then again, maybe we are not *that* shocked. Because we, too, have IG feeds full of fitspo and transformation pics and #SponCon moments touting buzzy cosmetic procedures. And the increasing popularity of injectables has already made our generation less fazed by poking and prodding- in the name of feeling great.
Here’s another thing millennials aren’t shy about: a desire for instant gratification, which may be why age-old lipo is still kicking in this modern world. According to US-based plastic surgeons Cat Begovic, MD, and David Rapaport, MD, it is one of the only procedures that creates immediately visible change. The same can’t be said for newer treatments like CoolSculpting and SculpSure—which you may also know from Instagram, tend to take weeks or months to show even fairly minor results.
But our biggest bet for the reason lipo has become a thing again? Our generation is hyper-focused on transparency, and young people are 
just a lot more comfortable sharing what we are up to than previous generations were. Take our hero Cardi B, who proudly told her followers about her lipo last year (and the intense recovery process that followed). “I’m probably too open about it,” adds Anandita*, 30, about the lipo she recently got on her chin. “I’ll tell co-workers, first dates, strangers in line at the grocery store.”
We are also more down to discuss the reasons behind our choices. “I work really hard, and I think I deserve to be happy with my body,” says another lipo patient,  Sana*, 27. “This was fully a ‘me’ decision—for me, by me. And I’m really happy 
about it.”
Of course, there are very valid arguments to be made about the fact that if the world were more celebratory of all kinds of bodies, people might not feel the need to make those kinds of ‘me’ decisions in the first place. “Getting lipo made me realise I maybe had some body dysmorphia,” admits Anandita, who, FWIW, has no regrets about her procedure. Almost no-one else we interviewed did either, and truly: to each their own. 

“I’ll tell co-workers, first dates, strangers in line at the grocery store.”

Call it the Facetune effect…