Kylie Jenner won the approval of fans this weekend when she revealed that she’d had the fillers removed from her lips. The 20-year-old model and social-media star confirmed she’d had the procedure reversed after one of her Instagram followers pointed out that she resembled “the old Kylie” in a new photo she posted. “I got rid of all my filler,” responded Jenner, who has reportedly made more than $420 million from her pout-enhancing makeup line. Fans flooded her feed with remarks that she looked “much prettier” and “cuter” without fillers. The post went viral and sparked a conversation about the merits of natural beauty. The timing of Jenner’s decision is interesting. An increasing number of women seem to be shunning the “pumped up” trend so favored by the voluptuous Kardashian clan. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of surgical cosmetic procedures has gone down 6 percent since 2000. Most notably, buttock implants plummeted to 1,323 last year, down by 56 percent from 2016. So what do NYC cosmetic surgeons make of this move away from “bigger is better”? Dr. Constance Chen, clinical assistant professor of surgery at both Weill Cornell Medical College and Tulane University School of Medicine, says the bodacious trend has been replaced by a more athletic look. “Fillers and implants can often make you appear as if you’ve gained weight or even matronly, whereas slimmer, fitter and healthier is more popular,” says Chen, who specializes in breast-implant removal. “Women increasingly want to look like they do triathlons and are super-fit.” Meanwhile, Dr. David L. Cangello, of Cangello Plastic Surgery on the Upper East Side, is getting loads of requests for the “natural” look. “Patients are not going to the extremes,” he says. “There is much more demand for results that look real.” Here, the two experts dish on the reversal and removal of the most popular curve-enhancing plastic surgeries. Fillers such as Restylane and Juvéderm can last anywhere from around three months to two years, but doctors can use injections of hyaluronidase, an enzyme, “as an eraser” to break down the volume, says Chen. Removal cost: $500 to $750 Drawbacks: “You can’t always predict how it’s going to remove, so you can have slight asymmetries,” says Chen. “If you have a lot of filler and are trying to get rid of it, you can end up with excess skin and wrinkles.” Cangello adds that some people can develop allergic reactions to the enzyme used for removal, though that is rare. Other fillers, such as Radiesse and Sculptra, can’t be removed, but will eventually fade on their own. “Cheek implants are made out of silicone because it’s thought to be less reactive,” says Chen. “They are more easily removed than a dermal filler because the doctor can make an incision.” Removal cost: $6,000 to $8,000 Drawbacks: “In addition to the cons of any surgery, the biggest drawback is that the body doesn’t like empty spaces,” says Chen, who adds that cysts can form in those spots. “It can become a problem if it becomes infected, but the procedure is generally pretty straightforward.” Implants only last 10 to 15 years, so they need to be replaced every so often, though some women opt to have them removed altogether, either for aesthetic or health reasons. “There has been more education over the past few years over anaplastic lymphoma being associated with breast implants,” says Chen. Removal cost: $8,000 to $20,000 Drawbacks: “It is a lot harder to take out an implant than put it in,” says Chen, noting that breasts can appear uneven postsurgery, sometimes prompting another round of implants or a breast lift. This is a more complex procedure than breast-implant removal because the patient is face down and more vulnerable. “The surgeon usually goes through the same incision that the implant was inserted through,” says Chen. Removal cost: $14,000 and up Drawbacks: “Depending on the size of the implant, you could have some drooping or sagginess to the buttocks,” says Cangello. Chen adds that the more involved process of a capsulectomy (taking out the hard area that may have formed around the implant) is advisable, to prevent problems such as cysts.
Kylie Jenner, who reportedly made more than $420m from her pout-enhancing make-up line, has confirmed that she has had the filler removed from her lips. The news comes as an increasing number of women appear to be shunning the pumped up look. In a recent interview with Glamour, Jenner said she was “very pleased” by the results and added that it is “a great feeling” for her.