The holistic wave undertaking the medical aesthetics industry has especially impacted facial plastic surgery.
A 2026 facial plastic surgery trends report published in February of 2026, notes how subtle and more strategic approaches with natural-looking outcomes is what’s driving the now 19 percent projected increase in facial procedures nationwide. The AAFRS report also noted an increased procedural demand for overall wellness to be standard for success.
This holistic approach, which the U.S. Department of Health defines as “whole person healthcare” is being driven by the growing information available for clients and a deeper understanding of inner and outer beauty and how they’re interconnected.
The same is the case with aesthetic professionals. According to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery , aesthetic physicians are increasingly becoming experts in health and wellness, with many using holistic techniques like lymphatic drainage massages and IV vitamin therapy to help patients prepare for and recover from surgery. This both signals an acknowledgement that beauty and health share the same treatment space.
No longer are patients solely seeking facelifts, rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), blepharoplasty (eyelid lift), brow, and neck lifts. Much like other medical aesthetic treatments, patients today care about their overall health and are seeking out treatments that impact their lifestyle, overall health and emotional well-being in addition to their aesthetic goals.
The approach is more than a trend, it’s a paradigm shift in how long-term, natural-looking results are achieved today – one that emphasizes combining surgical procedures with regenerative medicine and lifestyle management.
MedEsthetics tapped Houston-based, double board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon Anthony E. Brissett, MD, FACS to discuss how holistic aesthetics is impacting plastic facial surgery.
Brissett, who became the new president of The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) in September of last year, shed light on the surge in facial plastic surgery, the rise of preventative aesthetics and all the other ways holistic aesthetics is showing up in his line of work in a series of Q&A’s
The Procedure Boom: A Post-Pandemic Surge
Facial plastic surgery is projected to increase nearly 19% in 2026, marking one of its most significant periods of growth in recent history, according to data from the AAFPRS. The surge indicates the evolution of how plastic surgery is perceived. Dr. Brissett sheds light on how the perception changed.
“We certainly see that there's an almost 20% increase in patients that are seeking facial surgeries, facial rejuvenation procedures, Dr. Brissett says. I think there's a variety of things: One is that there's much better awareness in terms of facial rejuvenation procedures, facial plastic surgery. So more people, more people know about it. Additionally, there's also a greater desire. So not only is there awareness, but there's also a desire and acceptance of people wanting to optimize their appearance.
On Younger Patients & Preventative Strategy
A big part of that shift has been in the age of clients that are now coming in for consultations, as 57% of surgeons report an increase in patients under 30 seeking cosmetic procedures.
“We see people coming into the market at a much younger age, Dr. Brissett says. “We once saw just our grandmothers seeking face rejuvenation procedures, we see people coming in their 20s and 30s that are looking for rejuvenations or wanting to enhance their appearance, and they don't want to wait. They would like to see changes in their current state.
Brissett goes on to say that although physicians struggle when they’re seeing patients that are younger, it’s up to professionals to adapt. “There's nothing wrong with starting rejuvenation at a young age,” Brissett says. “Sometimes you have to be the guardian of reality, and sometimes you have to protect patients from themselves, because not always what they're looking for is what's going to be in their best interest.
Brissett adds that the best preventative treatments are already available to us. “The best rejuvenation is sunscreen, that's where we start. However, there are patients that certainly decide in their younger years that there's some aspects that they recognize they want to keep control of. So for example, they may notice that they are starting to see big furrows in between their eyebrows at the age of 20, 21, 22 and rather than wait until those furrows develop, they want to take a more preservation style approach to maintaining the appearance, as opposed to correcting one’s appearance. Having said that, we have to balance that with judgment, experience, expertise, ethics and morals and identify what is in the best interest of the patient," he says.
The “Natural Results” Era – Facial Harmony Over Feature Fixing
The shift from dramatic change to subtle refinement is also a byproduct of an holistic approach to facial plastic surgery. Patients reportedly are more afraid of looking “done” than of downtime or cost. The natural results” trend, Dr. Brissett tells us, is an indication that clients want harmonious outcomes over what has previously been overdone results.
“Oftentimes patients come in with one or two things that specifically bother them. It could be I'm concerned with I'm concerned with my nose, and maybe I'd like to have my upper face or eyelids or brows, and oftentimes there is one specific thing or a couple of things that bring them in, but the nuance of a facial plastic surgeon is to be able to identify what might be bothering them specifically And then provide them with a specified or unique plan that provides both, that addresses their needs but also ensures that they're having harmony, balance, symmetry and refinement in their experience themselves,” Brissett says.
“When we look for natural results. We're thinking of harmony, balance, symmetry, you know, all of those sorts of things that are in line with one's facial appearance, so that not one aspect of their facial appearance stands out as being unique or different to them – It just brings everything into balance and harmony, and that's really what patients are looking for now,” Dr. Brissett says.
“Some of the things that really gave plastic surgery a bad name were patients that were pulled too tight, or patients who had lips that didn't match their face, or a nose that didn't match their race or culture. Those sorts of things were a harbinger of having “work” done. Now patients want that subtlety. They just want to look good.
When defining success, however, Dr. Brissett offers a formula he believes lends to the best results. “I've seen lots of patients that are happy with their outcomes, but their outcomes, to me are maybe not necessarily what I would describe as being optimized. Sometimes they can be exaggerated and out of line with what is appropriate for their faces or even their bodies. We see that, and so when we define success – success comes together: When you have a happy patient and a happy surgeon and they together, realize that they've been able to achieve their outcomes that they're looking looking for, and that allows them to feel that their life has been improved as a result.”
The Rise of Regenerative & Volume Restoration
GLP-1-related facial volume loss has drastically reshaped facial plastic surgery, as use of weight-loss supplements has spiked the demand for minimally invasive aesthetic treatments. Clients whose initial goal was weight loss, however, provide yet another opportunity for physicians to offer holistic, full-body wellness, as clients come in seeking procedures that will make them look and feel the way they intended.
Dr. Brissett goes on to say that GLP-1 use is one of the current areas of research he’s been conducting within his research department. According to Brissett, it’s not just being able to recognize that there is volume loss, but rating it, grading it, categorizing it, and determining how these GLP-1’s are affecting clients. He says physicians should research the trend to better serve their clients, as he sees use of the gut hormone medication expanding.
“I think that we need to better understand how these GLP-1’s and other weight loss related medicines and aspects are impacting facial appearance,” Dr. Brissett says. “Flashback to the early 2000s when patients were started on protease inhibitors that had HIV, they had significant amounts of volume loss in their face, and that was a hallmark for patients that were undergoing HIV treatment. In fact, my group was one of the initial groups to create a grading scale to evaluate and treat these patients. My speculation is going to be that there will be ongoing volume loss in the in the face of significant weight loss, and we're going to need to be able to manage that, and that's why we see an increase In fat transfer in many ways, in order to camouflage and help to enhance the appearance in this scenario.”
On a larger scale, Dr. Brissett sees a more permanent shift toward surgical volume restoration as weight-loss medications become long-term lifestyle treatments
“I think that fat grafting ends up being just one option within the armamentarium of volumization,” says Dr. Brissett. “Fat grafting has a lot of advantages, but there's also some downsides as well. The technology in relationship to fillers has certainly expanded over the years as well. So I think that there's going to be a place for both of those types of treatments. But the key, again, is to have judgment and experience and determine who is going to be the best patient to be able to receive the appropriate type of intervention as well.”
The Expanding Male Patient Base
Another trend facial plastic surgeons have been witnessing is the rise of the bro-tox, as the gender gap is narrowing across many procedures.
“I do identify that men are approaching the consultation differently. They're oftentimes more aware or less aware of what they'd like to have done. So either they're very aware, and they say, ‘you know what, I don't want this turkey neck,’ or, you know, ‘I'm not happy with my hairline,’ or, you know, ‘I want my nose changed,’ and they know exactly what they want done – they can sometimes be very decisive. Or there are others who come in and say, ‘I know that I want something, and my partner has sent me in and I like how they're looking, so tell me what you think I might need to look more youthful.’ So, sometimes they don't really know. They just know that they would like to look on the outside as they feel on the outside, and they just want that to match. So it's a continuum. But sometimes they're much more decisive and sometimes they're to be directed and pushed into a path that they feel is appropriate,” Brissett notes.
The Holistic Aesthetic Practice
Recognition and research of how holistic aesthetics impacts procedures and treatment is only one half of the task at hand for medical aesthetic professionals. The business side – how physicians plan on incorporating skin health, lifestyle, and emotional wellbeing into a surgical consultation – is another. Dr. Brissett says it’s imperative to marry the two for a lasting business model.
“We're certainly seeing a focus on health and wellness, and health and wellness as it relates to kind of longevity and the impact that that can have in relationship to quality of life. And we see individuals, plastic surgeons in general, incorporating that into all aspects of their practice. I mean, we see facial plastic surgeons that develop practices that are not just facial plastic surgery but wellness and well being and spa like experience as well. We see facial plastic surgeons incorporating many aspects of wellness into their practices. So it could be skin care, it could be diet and nutrition, it could be medical spas. I think all of those aspects come together,including the micropeptides and regenerative aspects of medicine. So I think that now we're seeing, you know, an explosion of all worlds coming together in order to treat the patient holistically, even mental health,” he says.
“It goes beyond appearance. Appearance is only one aspect of who we are and what we offer, and we're expanding that aspect of offerings to be more of an offering about health and wellness. Health and wellness, again, come together and appearance, provide some of those aspects as well. And so it can be, we can, as facial plastic surgeons, offer more to our patients than we have, as opposed to just surgical or office based treatments. And so again, it can be diet, it can be nutrition, it can be regenerative medicine. It can be mental health and mental wellness. It can include a variety of other aspects that all come together.
Dr. Brissett says a true holistic approach takes everything into consideration – patients, health and wellness. He also says it’s about looking at where patients may be in relationship to their continuum through life. “And so if they are perimenopausal, we're looking at where they are in terms of hormonal balance and endocrine if we're also looking at some unique aspects in relationship to skin care and optimizing, and not just optimizing, but also creating unique treatments that are catered towards their unique skin types and skin care needs. Additionally, we are looking at options that might be non surgical within the office that allow for not just correction, but also prevention as well as maintenance,” he says.
Technology & AI-Driven Personalization
When asked to look ahead five or 10 years as to what will define the next era of facial plastic surgery, Dr. Brissett says automation and personalized care.
“I think that technology is going to be where we move in the future. I think that artificial intelligence is going to have a huge role in terms of who we are and what we offer patients. And I think that customizable healthcare, customizable rejuvenation, customizable skincare and other aspects are going to be able to really go in direction that well. It's not going to be cookie cutter in relation to what patients are offered. It's going to be customizable in relationship to what their genetic predisposition may be,” Dr. Brissett says.
