Australia’s cosmetic surgery trends get unusual during Covid pandemic

Australians chasing celebrity looks are shrinking their torsos, lengthening or shortening toes and removing ribcages.

House-bound Australians are investing their time and dollars in unusual cosmetic surgeries with experts seeing the demand for procedures like penis enlargements and toe shortening booming during the past year.

Interest in cheeking thinning, belly button alterations, rib removals and “man boob” removals were also all on the rise, with data from Semrush analysing internet searches over the past 12 months.

Searches for cosmetic surgery boomed in September last year, seeing a 250 per cent increase over the past two years.

Rib cage removals can help people emulate star Kim Kardashian’s hourglass figure. Picture: Instagram

With Sydney battling it’s second wave of Covid-19, restrictions have put an end to elective surgeries including cosmetic procedures — but it won’t stop people from researching in the meantime.

Cosmetic physician Naomi McCullum said patients were pushing doctors to offer more treatments as they became interested in changing more obscure parts of their bodies.

“Penis enlargement using filler is a new one … it’s growing and more people are becoming aware of it. (Men) get a new confidence after (getting enlargements).” she said.

She added that vaginal bleaching and vulva filler were also popular treatments to give vaginas a more “youthful” look after they naturally loose plumpness and darken with age or after childbirth.

Toe lengthening and shortening procedures are also on the rise. Picture: Supplied by Sydney Foot Surgery

“We can also shrink the whole upper body to feminise someone. We shrink the deltoids, biceps. We can create a longer neck. A lot of trans women are really interested in this.”

Dr McCullum said people were coming to her to change “the little things that annoy them when they look in the mirror”.

“We also get people wanting filler in their earlobes to get rid of wrinkles. Calf slimming is really popular in Asia. People have their own tiny little things that irritate them,” she said.

Non-invasive procedures surgeries like lip filler and Botox were the overall most searched while toe shortening spiked in January this year, going up 600 per cent month-on-month.

Sydney Foot Surgery founder Dr Haydar Ozcan said toe shortening and lengthening, foot narrowing and removing curled toes were all common procedures at his practice and has escalated in popularity.

Dr Naomi McCullum said people are motivated by the small flaws they see in the mirror. Picture: AAP.

“Clients are driven by both self-consciousness and discomfort. I’ve had some people who won’t show their feet to anyone, and they are 26. They don’t go to the beach, they don’t go on picnics,” he said.

“20 to 30-year-olds are the most common demographic and I see about 30 per cent men and 70 per cent women.”

Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine chief censor Ron Bezic said increasing amounts of time spent at home during the pandemic had given people the opportunity to focus on their flaws.

Border closures also ruled out the ability to travel overseas to get procedures, leading to a concentration in the local market.

Man boob reduction (gynaecomastia) are also on the rise. Picture: Supplied

“There’s been a general up tick. People not travelling overseas and even interstate to a degree and working from home (gives them) more time to organise (surgeries),” he said.

“People are always looking at photos on social media and comparing them. Eyelid tucks to get rid of bulging or excess skin is another popular one. If you’re on a Zoom meeting, you’d be seeing that a lot.”

Dr Bezic said labiaplasty and “man boob” removals were also on the rise and belly button surgeries alterations were popular among people who had piercings.

“Most practitioners in this area are a lot busier than they were 18 months ago. The economy is general is quite strong. Often the ability to get time off (for surgery) was a problem.”