HOT CELEBRITIES: Anna Friel's fix for saggy skin and the instant Pippa body, the cutting edge of cosmetic surgery

Get a body just like Pippa Middleton

We may live in straitened times but one luxury that women – and, increasingly, men – seem unwilling to cut back on is cosmetic surgery. Latest figures from the British Association of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgeons show demand has risen for every type of procedure – with  more than 43,000 carried out last year. Here  the experts describe the seven most requested  new treatments . . .

SAGGY SKIN TIGHTENING

THE TREATMENT: Fractora / IntraCell
WHAT IS IT? A hand-held device delivers radio-frequency (RF) waves via hair-fine needles that puncture the skin. This heats the lower layers, stimulating production of collagen – the protein that gives youthful firmness. Sometimes it needs to be performed under local anaesthetic.
Cosmetic surgeon Angelica Kavouni says: ‘The Fractora system I use can help tighten bingo wings, jowls and bellies.’ It also treats stretchmarks. Actress Anna Friel is among the  celebrities who have admitted to using RF  skin-tightening treatments on her face.
DOWNSIDES? Patients can be red and swollen for days. Plastic surgeon Charles Nduka says: ‘There is little data on the long-term skin-tightening effects of any RF system and some barely show an effect at all.’
Dr Nick Lowe, who uses the IntraCel system, adds: ‘Ask your doctor if the system they use has safer insulated needles so the heat is delivered accurately, and where the needles do not penetrate the skin at an angle, as this can possibly cause burns.’
COST: From £800 a session. Three treatments may be needed.

drnicklowe.com; cosmetic-solutions.co.uk

THE PARIS FREEZE

THE TREATMENT: LipoCryo fat-freezing body slimmer
WHAT IS IT? For men and women who are slim but who want to target localised fat, such as love handles. Freezing subcutaneous fat to under 5C (41F) will destroy it. Zeltiq, the first device to use freezing as a slimming treatment, was introduced to the UK last year. This American device takes an hour to treat each area.
LipoCryo is lighter and faster, taking up to 30 minutes to treat each area. Dr Georges Roman, a Parisian liposculpture specialist who brought the device to the UK, says: ‘My patients like the speed of this device, which radiates very cold temperature through the skin, targeting the fat beneath. Patients can expect fat loss of between 25 and 45 per cent.’
DOWNSIDES? Results are not instant. About 40 per cent of the final result is evident in 15 days, but final effects take at least six weeks. Patients may experience bruising and a few days of tenderness.
COST: About £700 per area.
Dr Georges Roman, 020 323 2123

THE NEW LIP

THE TREATMENT: Restylane Lip Refresh
WHAT IS IT? Trout pouts and duck lips are out for 2012. Instead the latest lip treatments give natural definition and a youthful texture. This involves a very fluid form of hyaluronic acid – similar to the naturally occurring substance in skin that keeps it moist – with the painkiller lidocaine being injected into the lips, to plump them for four to six months before being safely reabsorbed by the body.
Dr Tracy Mountford, at the Cosmetic Skin Clinic, says: ‘Restylane Lip Refresh is ideal for women who wouldn’t otherwise consider having lip injections.

Actress Anna Friel has had radio-frequency skin-lightening treatment on her face

‘The formula is injected in small quantities just under the surface of the lip where it becomes very smooth and attracts water. This gives the lips a youthfully moist, plumped surface.
‘It revitalises the lip to give gloss rather than adding bulk. Another advantage is that clients don’t need local anaesthetic.’
DOWNSIDES? Your lips may be swollen afterwards for about 48 hours. Treatment needs to be repeated every six months.
COST: From £250. 
cosmeticskinclinic.com

‘PIPPA’ PILATES BODY

THE TREATMENT: Vaser 4D Sculpt
WHAT IS IT? A liposuction treatment – where the most superficial layers of fat under the skin are removed and sculpted to create a lean, toned look, which could include a perter bottom. Ultrasound pulses delivered under the skin liquefy fat, before it is sucked out via hollow needles.
Specialist Dr Ravi Jain says: ‘Women have been asking for a soft yet defined-looking body like Pippa Middleton’s – which she achieved through Pilates. I can sculpt the superficial layer of fat around the muscles to reveal them.’
The system is approved for medical use, is normally performed under sedation and local anaesthetic, and recovery takes a week to ten days.
DOWNSIDES? For slim people only. Patients must wear an elastic corset and leggings for about ten days. All liposuction has a risk of creating irregularities.
COST: £6,000 to £8,000.
riverbanksclinic.co.uk

NO-IMPLANT BOOB JOB

THE TREATMENT: PureGraft or BodyJet liposuction plus fat graft to the breast
WHAT IS IT? Fat is taken from the stomach, bottom or hips via liposuction and transferred to the breasts. The special liposuction means that the fat contains stem and regenerative cells that keep it alive. The procedure takes three hours and is done under local anaesthetic. Dr Dennis Wolf says: ‘This is set to become more popular this year in light of the PIP implant scandal. We can restore volume to breasts.’
DOWNSIDES? Surgeon Angelica Kavouni warns: ‘You need to be at least a size 12 or 14 to have enough fat to be used to increase breast size significantly.’
Surgeon Charles Nduka says: ‘Results are unlikely to be as good as surgery using good-quality implants. Fat transfer may leave breasts looking heavy.’
COST: Starts at £4,500.
theprivateclinic.co.uk

TRY-BEFORE-YOU-BUY NOSE JOB

THE TREATMENT: 3D Rhinoplasty
WHAT IS IT? These body scans create a photo-realistic three-dimensional computer-graphic image of a patient’s face that can then be manipulated, so doctors can show how new features – from a nose job to breast implants – will look from all angles. Plastic Surgeon Lucian Ion, who introduced 3D Rhinoplasty, says: ‘Patients often arrive with a picture of their favourite celebrity nose, so we use 3D imaging to see if it would suit them.’
DOWNSIDES? Although imaging is very realistic, patients must be aware that no surgeon can guarantee 100 per cent accuracy.
COST: From £5,500.
aesthetic-plastic-surgery.co.uk

THE EYE REFRESHER

THE TREATMENT: Temple filling
WHAT IS IT? The newest ‘tweakment’ uses hyaluronic fillers to fill areas at the sides of the brow. ‘This area can become gaunt in slim women, as they age,’ says surgeon Yannis Alexandridis. ‘A little filler smooths the area, adding volume and elongating the brow.’
Surgeon Dirk Kremer says: ‘I use highly dilute hyaluronic acid and inject under the muscle as the skin in this area is so thin here that lumps can show through. Always choose a doctor with the right experience.’
DOWNSIDES? There may be bruising and, in inexperienced hands, a risk of lumpiness.
COST: From £350.
111harleystreet.com; www.harleystreet aesthetics.com