Throughout the centuries civilizations have had different ideas regarding what constitutes the perfect female body shape. For example, in today’s society large breasts, straight hair down to your shoulders, a big butt and full lips are considered the ideal standards of female beauty.

But if we were to put that same woman in a time machine and send her to the 1920’s, she wouldn’t be considered very attractive. In the 20’s men tended to favor women with a boyish type of body, flat breasts and a short curly hairdo.

It’s interesting to see what people considered to be the ideal standards for the female body type and shape since the dawn of civilized society. Here is a brief history on what was considered beautiful throughout the years.

Some of the beauty standards might lead you to believe that things haven’t changed that much throughout the millennia.

Ancient Egypt – Women who were slender were considered the ideal standard of beauty amongst the ancient Egyptians. Their society placed a heavy value on a high waist and symmetrical face as well. Not unlike today’s society, the Egyptian people have been described as being “extremely vain”. Body hair was considered to be a sign of impurity and uncleanliness amongst women.

Rome – The Romans took their standards of beauty to an all new level never seen before in history. If plastic surgery were a thing in Roman times, the surgeons would probably be wealthier than the emperor himself.

For the average Roman woman to be considered beautiful, she had to have:

• Small, sharp nose
• Pretty feet
• Pale white skin (only the slaves worked under the hot sun in the fields)
• Wide thighs
• Small breasts
• Lack of body hair
• Large almond-shaped eyes, oval cheeks and chins.

The ideal of beauty for women was small, thin but robust constitution, narrow shoulders, pronounced hips, wide thighs and small breasts. Considering that there was no such thing as rhinoplasty in Roman times, women had to work with what they were given.

Greece – In ancient Greece, women were considered disfigured versions of men. Society placed a higher value on the male physique than the female physique. Women who were plump and full bodied were deemed the most attractive in this historical timeperiod. As with the Egyptians and Romans, fair pale skin was most desirable amongst fashionable women.

Italian Renaissance – This was the golden age for women who were “plump and voluptuous”. The Italian standard of female beauty placed a heavy focus on women who by today’s standards would be considered “overweight”.

It’s interesting to note that Roman women did not use a lot of cosmetics. They placed a heavy value on women whose bodies were completely natural -as given to her by God. The Italian Renaissance would probably be one of the last places a time-travelling plastic surgeon would want to set up shop and offer liposuction services.

Victorian England – As with the Italian Renaissance, Victorian English society placed high value on women who were “desirably plump” and full-figured. However, it wasn’t an all-you-can-eat buffet in terms of beauty standards. A cinched waist was considered to be very sexy and in order for most women to achieve this look, they had to wear an uncomfortable corset most of the time.

Pale white skin was also in fashion and to achieve this look women used a variety of cosmetic products that contained such toxins as lead and arsenic.

Roaring 20’s – Flash forward 90 or so years and the 1920’s version of female beauty is the exact opposite of what it was in Victorian England times. As with the Flappers, women who were flat-chested with a downplayed waist, boyish figure and short bob hairstyle were considered the ideal standard of beauty.

Golden age of Hollywood (30’s-50’s) – Marilyn Monroe gave rise to the popular curvy, hourglass figure of the 1930’s-1950’s. Women wanted large, pointy breasts and used a wide variety of bra contraptions to achieve this look. As with Victorian women, a slim waist was also valued.

1960’s – The ideal standard for attractiveness in women was slenderness. A British model by the name of Twiggy became very popular in America and many women tried to emulate her look. She had a skinny frame and boyish look to her. At this time Americans were gaining weight faster than ever and Twiggy gave birth to the “skinny is better” mantra that most fashion magazines still promote today.

1990’s –The 90’s were unique in that they had two main beauty ideals. Women like Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford gave rise to the athetic-but-curvaceous body figures. On the other hand, such models as Kate Moss gave rise to the popularity of “heroin chic” in which it was fashionable to look as skinny as a drug addict. It’s interesting to note that having a big butt or a large thigh gap was considered to be overweight.

2000’s – Present day – Nowadays women are looking to have large breasts and butts. This is due in part to the rise in popularity of various “reality t.v. shows” where the stars have big breasts and posteriors. Women nowadays also want to look “healthy skinny”, not the “heroin chic” that was so popular in the 1990’s.

A thigh gap is also seen as attractive. More so than any other time in history, women nowadays regularly get plastic surgery to achieve the look they desire. When supplemented with regular exercise and a healthy diet, it’s relatively easy to obtain a healthy and athletic look.

Over the history of mankind, the standards for beauty have changed considerably. Considering plastic surgery did not exist until recently, women were stuck with what they were born with. They couldn’t change the size of their breasts or shape of their nose as medical science was in its infancy.

Nowadays, women are fortunate in that plastic surgery is a safe, routine and reliable way of changing and improving their body and looks. At Dr. Adams plastic surgery, we have helped countless women get the look that they desire. Give us a call to schedule an appointment.

Kim Kardashian, Iggy Azalea, Nicki Minaj.

What do these 3 women have in common?

They are all known for having large butts. Many women want to emulate the posteriors of their idols and sometimes that’s easier said than done. You’re either born with a big butt or you’re not. There are some women who won’t take “no” for an answer and instead opt for elective surgery to increase the size of their butts.

We’re going to take a look at the history of butt implants, along with several reasons why you should avoid this surgery unless medically necessary.

History of butt implants

Dr. RJ Bartels was credited with creating the first butt implant in 1969. He and his team were under the impression that they could do it successfully if they used a standard breast implant. The results from that very first butt implant surgery were less than optimal. It did not have a natural look to it and this was because the implant was primarily designed for breasts, not butts. Not to mention he put the implant between the skin and the gluteus maximus muscle. This led to it moving around and creating an extremely unnatural appearance.

That literally allowed the patient to manually re-arrange her the shape of her butt with her hands.

Flash forward to a few years later (1984) and Argentinian surgeon Jose Robles decided to try putting an implant between the 2 layers of muscle in the butt. He called this procedure a “submuscular gluteoplasty”. It was the best working butt implant so far…but it was very technically challenging and no surgeon really wanted to attempt it.

After a few decades of trial and failure, doctors realized that the human butt was never going to accept an artificial implant. Unlike the human breasts, the butt is naturally designed to take on a lot of weight and stress. No implant would ever stand the stresses created on a daily basis by the butt.

The Brazilian Butt Lift

In the same year as Sir Mix-A-Lots #1 single “Baby Got Back” came out, the “Autologous fat transfer” procedure started appearing in medical journals. By this point in time, doctors had come to conclusion that implants were too tricky and something more natural had to be done. The procedure originated in Brazil, hence the name “Brazilian Butt Lift”.

The surgery was relatively straight forward: the doctor would take a tube and stick it in an area in your body where there was too much fat (eg: your legs, hips, or thighs) and suck the fat out. The fat would then be medically treated and injected into a plastic-like bag in your butt.

The beauty of this procedure is that it only takes 90 minutes to complete, and was relatively free from complications (vs. the post-operative infections and scarring you’d get from implant surgery).

Why Butt Implants are Not a Good Idea

Doesn’t the Brazilian Butt Lift sound kind of cool? Let’s all go out and get a buttock implant!

Not so fast.

Several medical doctors are advising against butt implants unless they are medically necessary. The claim that not enough time has passed to study the long-term effects of those people whom have had butt implants. Recently a video came out on the internet where a lady was literally able to manually maneuver the implant in her right butt cheek. It was kind of creepy and a cautionary tale about going under the knife to increase the size of your gluteus maximus.

Here are 4 reasons why you should avoid getting a butt implant:

Higher Risk of Complication

The butt implant surgery comes with high risks. The surgery calls for the surgeon to insert the implant above or below the gluteus maximus. This can lead to movement of the implant (after you’re healed up), capsular contracture or even fluid collection. Not to mention that if you start gaining weight, it could cause the implant to move or distort the entire shape of your butt. There are also no real long-term conclusions as to the safety and reliability of this procedure.

Results Are Not Permanent

Did you know that butt implants cannot remain in the human body for much more than 10-12 years? Just like breast implants, it is strongly recommended that patients replace the butt implants every decade. This requires another painful surgery along with a painful and long recovery process just to keep the shape of your butt the way you like it.

More Downtime After Procedure

Due to the complicated nature of the butt implant procedure, recovery time can be anywhere from 4-6 weeks. It has also been described as a very painful process to undergo.

Butt implants gone wrong

The implant itself is not dynamic. This means that it has one shape and one shape only. While your butt will get bigger with an implant, it will not look natural. The shape and the size will appear “off”. The implant itself could come loose (as shown in the video above) and you’ll have to undergo the knife yet again and deal with a painful 4-6 week healing process.

Butt implant surgery should not be undergone by anyone unless their doctor specifically recommends it. The risk vs. reward factor is too great. You will be in pain for a month or more after the surgery and there is a greater risk for complications than with breast implant surgery.

Doctors have been reporting that many people are coming into their offices with concerns about the way their neck looks. This is most likely due to the prevalence of the cell phone camera and people taking pics with their phones. As more and more pictures are being taken, more and more people are starting to get self-conscious and as such are looking for ways to fix such things as ‘turkey neck’. A neck lift is one such option.

Turkey neck usually results from old age. As we age, our skin loses elasticity and gravity takes over. The neck skin area starts to sag and it resembles the ‘gobbler’ of a turkey neck. This loose neck skin is not attractive and as such people look for ways to fix it.

Doctors usually recommend one of two ways to go about getting a neck lift: surgical and non-surgical. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks. We’re going to look at these two methods of neck skin tightening and see which one would work best for you.

Surgical Neck Lifts

According to Doctor Michael Lee, non-invasive treatment options cannot compare or come close to the longevity or duration of a surgical neck lift. If surgery is the only viable option, a lower rhytidectomy (aka “neck lift”) will help reduce the jowls and tighten the neck skin.

A lower rhytidectomy is a surgical procedure that is performed while the patient is under general anesthesia. The surgery can take anywhere from 2-3 hours and usually takes place in the office of the plastic surgeon. Incisions are made around the ears and lower scalp. The surgeon then takes the fat and sculpts it and/or redistributes it from the jowl area. The tissue under the skin of the neck is repositioned as well. Each surgery may be a little different based on the needs and wants of the patient.

The overall recovery time from this surgical procedure is around 2 weeks. Patients usually report feeling better after a few days. As with any surgical procedure, swelling and bruising will most likely occur. The average person will most likely be able to return to work 5-7 days after the procedure.

The results from a lower rhytidectomy are permanent. You will notice a difference and in 10-15 years from now you will still look a lot better had you not undergone the surgical procedure. However, keep in mind that all the surgery in the world is not going to prevent your body from aging any further.

Non-Surgical Neck Lift

According to Sean Doherty, MD, Non-invasive treatments can’t even begin to approach the quality of results that you would get from surgery. However, if the patient is not a suitable candidate for surgery (due to age or other health restrictions), or if they can’t afford the cost of a surgical procedure, then non-surgical procedures might be a better option.

If the underlying neck problem is just fat (and not age-related), then there are some really good non-surgical options, such as Kybella (deoxycholic acid). It was recently approved by the FDA and is used to treat the fat in the neck area.

Kybella is injected into areas with fat problems. For most people it can be 15-20 injections, but for others it could be as high as 50 injections at a single time. It usually takes several treatment sessions before you can see the full benefits. However, since Kybella actually dissolves fat, the results are permanent. Dr. Doherty says that men generally tend to do better with Kybella and other non-surgical treatments.

“CoolSculpting” by Zeltiq along with in-clinic liposuction is another good non-invasive option according to Dr. Michael Lee. Cool Sculpting is when doctors take a wand and “freeze” the fat cells in your neck. This kills them instantly and over time your body will consume the fat naturally, leaving less fat in the general area.

CoolSculpting and Kybella are just two of many different, non-invasive techniques that are available to help treat neck fat and tighten the skin. Lasers, radiofrequencies and forced ultrasound procedures also exist and are being used nowadays with some varying degrees of success. Each doctor has his/her own preferred method of treating patients who opt for non-invasive procedures. While the non-invasive treatments are not meant to last for a long time, they can provide marginally good results, which is good enough for most people considering the level of commitment and financial investment that is required for a surgical procedure.

Which One Is Best For Me?

When it comes time to getting rid of loose neck skin and fat, surgery is the only real option that can fix the problem permanently. However, due to time, health, or money constraints, some people opt for non-surgical treatments such as Kybella or CoolSculpting. According to Dr. Doherty, non-invasive treatments can stimulate the skin to improve a little bit of elasticity; up to 30% in some cases.

Doctors Doherty and Lee both agree that proper treatment of neck issues starts with patient education regarding what their options are, and the pros and cons of each option. Then a good discussion with their doctor on the best way to proceed. Afterwards they will have enough information to make an intelligent decision on the best way to go about tightening the neck skin, neck wrinkles and removing neck fat.

If you’re looking for more information regarding the neck lift options available to you, please contact our offices today to set up a consultation with Dr. Adams.