If the waiting room at your plastic surgeon’s office seemed especially busy last month, that wasn’t your imagination. The first week in January—and, really, the entire month—is thought to be the busiest time of the year for cosmetic treatments, according to a new article in Allure magazine.
There’s no overstating the strength of the January “makeover” mentality. Whether you’re hitting the gym on a more regular basis or addressing deepening fine lines, declaring it in the form of a New Year’s resolution makes it go down a little easier.
But practical reasons also played a role in the bump, the article says. “December often means travel, kids home from school, and encounters with friends and family you haven’t seen all year, or in other words, not the ideal time to book an appointment” with your plastic surgeon. With several weeks of winter still in front of us, now is also an ideal time for many to schedule procedures that tend to be more extensive and require lengthier recovery times.
If you’re interested in getting in on the action—no resolution required—these are some of the procedures that are in the most demand at the moment, according to Allure.
Peels, lasers, and facials
Chemical peels and most laser-resurfacing procedures require that patients stay out of the sun for a week or two after the treatment. That’s a lot to ask in the spring in summer. In the dead of winter, not so much. Each treatment, in its own way, treats fine lines, reduces the appearance of pores, enhances firmness and elasticity, and improves skin tone and texture.
Injectables
Anymore, there’s no time of year that isn’t a good fit for Botox or a filler, but they’re an especially safe play when the forecast looks like 50 shades of gray. Sure, the “New Year, New You” pressure is undeniable. But, at the end of the day, this is about doing something good for yourself. And if that something is able to remedy a long-running concern in a half-hour or less, all the better.
Body contouring
Not everyone starts working out in January, even though it may seem that way. If you’ve been faithfully exercising all the while but just haven’t seen the progress you expected, now may be the time to finally consider aggressive, alternative ways of combatting those stubborn fat pockets. CoolSculpting is an FDA-approved body-contouring treatment that freezes and kills fat cells in targeted areas, like the thighs, upper arms, and lower back. These cosmetic treatments take under an hour, and there’s no downtime.