Eco-friendly is a phrase that is becoming more present, and necessary, in today’s world. Cosmetic surgery is often a controversial industry that’s constantly on the rise, and is definitely here to stay. Today, getting rid of a tattoo is much like eyelid surgical procedures in Asian countries. From breast augmentations to Botox injections improving the human physique is a craving shared by both unconcerned beauty seekers and earth-conscious individuals.

Can people adhere to the eco-friendly movement and still undergo an optional surgical alteration of the human body? Experts agree that cosmetic surgery can be eco-friendly, maybe because a lot of things depend on the source of the fillers and chemicals used in the procedures. Leaving aside the debate over confidence concerns and the ideal of growing old gracefully, plastic surgery is not going anywhere.

Cosmetic surgery is moving in a more eco-friendly direction

Technology is advancing, which means that the plastic surgery industry is advancing, too. Already, some breast implant material comes from human tissue; the type and source of chemicals used in some interventions (eg. lip injections and chemical peels) have increasingly more sustainable and ethical ingredients.

If you want to have plastic surgery and keep the environment in mind, do your homework. There are numerous ways of looking beautiful and staying healthy without harming the environment. In case you’ve decided to go under the knife and alter your body, make sure to ask all the right questions. Be clear about the surgical materials used and about the origin of the products.

Cosmetic surgery – a business worth billions of dollars

The plastic surgery industry is a developing marketplace worth $2.2 billion in Europe alone. Since Europe comes second after the US, we can only imagine the amount of money involved in the business.

Can eco-friendly plastic surgery develop into a niche? Considering the cumulative number of patients, it’s definitely possible for increasingly more people to want to have an eco-friendly intervention. A lot of people are already earth-conscious and they wish to do whatever they can to prevent the decline of our planet’s natural resources. Breast implants for example, contain toxins known as Freon and Xylenes, which are known to be harmful to the environment.

Eco-friendly cosmetic procedures

Fat fillers are mainly used to pump up the cheeks, scars or thin lips. The body is not injected with any kind of artificial substance, which means the procedure can be considered eco-friendly. The actual fat required for the filling procedure is taken from some other area of the patient’s body (usually the stomach or thighs); afterwards it is purified, processed, and then injected in the targeted area.

With increasingly more individuals joining the go-green campaign, the plastic surgery industry is constantly struggling to make the procedures themselves less harmful to the environment. Using medical remodeling equipment like Velashape and others requires electricity and solar panels have become an alternative. Unfortunately, these depend on weather conditions, so not all countries can use them.

Plastic surgery and eco-friendly are not two ideas that initially appear to fit together, but it is certainly something that is possible and in fact necessary for long term sustainability of the plastic surgery industry. With new developments being made all the time, hopefully eco-friendly options will become the norm instead of a rarity.

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Denny Averill