Plastic Surgeon Dr. George Bitar On The Instagram Face And The Current Top Trends In Plastic Surgery - Exclusive

Instagram is the new Cosmopolitan, showcasing beautiful influencers and "everyday" women that look like models and live a glamorous lifestyle. "Like fashion, facial aesthetic ideals go through trends. In the 1970's, Farrah Fawcett was the 'prototype', with thin lips, a nose that was not Barbie Doll perfect, and a thin face with high cheekbones. Today's look is virtually the polar opposite," states plastic surgeon Dr. George Bitar. Enter the famous "Instagram face" — a youthful, heart-shaped face with poreless skin, full lips, cat-like eyes, small nose, defined chin, and chiseled cheekbones. It's highly sculpted and conspicuously white with a hint of "exotic"; many believe the look was inspired by Kim Kardashian. 

The "Instagram face" is the quintessential beauty of the modern day – but should you want one? We sat down with Dr. Bitar, a board-certified plastic surgeon who has performed over 10,000 cosmetic procedures and founded the Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute. In an exclusive interview with Health Digest, he spoke about the "Instagram face" and other current top trends in plastic surgery.

Dr. George Bitar doesn't think the "Instagram face" is for everyone. "In my practice, I don't believe in giving my patients a 'cookie cutter' look. Full lips that look great on an influencer might not fit the face of the patient in front of me. A 'cute' pert nose may not look balanced on everyone's face," said Bitar. 

Even though patients often bring in photos of influencers or celebrities that they want to look like, Bitar says that it's not always realistic for that specific patient. "I have to assess the proportions of the patient I am treating so they have an aesthetic outcome that's proportional and natural. I don't think people should strive to all look the same. Facial beauty and symmetry can take many forms."

If we lived in a world where everyone looked the same, it would be boring — and quite frankly, it would get old fast.

According to Dr. George Bitar, other plastic surgery trends include detailed face work. "People are coming back to redo noses that were done [10 to 30] years ago ... Because of new techniques, secondary rhinoplasties are more successful than they have ever been." 

Facial fillers are popular due to their non-invasive nature and no mandatory recovery period. The injected compounds "fill in" certain places, like lips, cheeks, or jawline. It's like a "liquid facelift," but the results usually only last for several months, while a facelift can last many years. "Fillers are a good way for patients to experiment with enhancing different areas of the face without committing to a permanent change. They are also ideal for younger patients where facelift surgery, neck lift, or blepharoplasty might be too premature."

Dr. Bitar believes more men are also getting work done due to it becoming more widely socially accepted. "There is a large demand for body contouring procedures like liposuction, since people are no longer at home in baggy sweat pants and are wearing more fitted clothing," said Bitar.

Another thing trending right now is micro-dosing Botox, aka "baby Botox." This method involves injecting small amounts of Botox into each target area. It's still effective, adding facial volume and eliminating wrinkles, but reduces the chances of developing the notorious "frozen face" that can happen with traditional Botox.

According to Dr. Bitar, "Botox is still injected at the same strength, there is simply less used per area. The secret to doing it correctly is to disperse each dose more widely with several injection points of contact. There is also more acceptance of this technique because patients can tell their friends, 'I didn't have Botox — I just had micro-Botox,' with the implication that I am not old enough to need real Botox." 

Find out more about Dr. Bitar and his services on the Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute website.