Faster makeovers for people on the move

Radical new techniques are fuelling a boom in cosmetic surgery by cutting recovery times by more than half.

The new procedures - aimed at women who cannot afford to take long off work - include breast enlargements that do not require implants and the "executive facelift" which allows patients to return to work within a week.

Plastic surgeons are banking on the new wave of gentler and less intrusive procedures to woo those who have been put off by fears over long-term scars and length of recovery time.

The new procedures were highlighted at Britain's largest cosmetic surgery event, the Body Beautiful Show in London at the weekend. New forms of liposuction, such as liposelection, were also featured. The new breast surgery, known as "auto augmentation", uses a patient's own tissue to fill the breast instead of an implant. Tissue is taken from the lower part of the breast and inserted higher up.

It was developed by Dr Laurence Kirwan last year.

"It restores the loss of fullness in the upper breast and reduces the scarring," the British surgeon said. "The patient will not have to come back for another surgery in a few years' time and they do not have to worry about an implant. The breast becomes perkier, fuller and firmer."

Dr Kirwan has also developed an "executive facelift". "Traditionally there is a very disfiguring scar going back behind the hairline. This stops just behind the ear," Dr Kirwan said. A patient can return to work after 10 days, rather than the month they would need following a standard facelift.

Dr Roberto Viel said liposelection enabled surgeons to pinpoint fat cells more precisely. Ultrasound waves were used to melt individual fat cells, allowing the fat to be sucked out without damaging nearby tissue. "The result will be better aesthetically and there will also be a quicker recovery time for the patient," he said. "With traditional liposculpture you need five to six weeks before you are ready for the beach. With liposelection it can be only a couple of weeks."

The the show has come under fire from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons for offering vouchers and prizes for treatment.

Adam Searle, president of the association and a consultant plastic surgeon at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, said: "I would be very nervous if anyone was pressured or enticed into having treatments without fully understanding the procedure."

But Mark Brewster, the event director, insisted that every clinic or company at the show had been vetted and approved. "People should never be rushed or coerced into a life-changing decision," he said.

Leading cosmetic surgery clinics have been accused by the association of "trivialising" procedures by offering vouchers and raffle prizes. The private health insurer Bupa was criticised for appointing sales reps paid on commission, while Transform Medical Group - the largest provider of plastic surgery in Britain - was attacked for offering patients loyalty cards.

- INDEPENDENT