A top 5 leading plastic surgeon in Paris, DESC plastic/reconstructive surgery, Gold Medal of the Residents of Paris Hospitals, before training and managing in plastic / reconstructive surgery services in the most prestigious medical structures in France (Saint Louis, Henri Mondor, Trousseau,  Pitié-Salpétrière, and Foch public hospitals), Dr Vincent Masson already gave us an interesting interview a few months ago. He provides us now with plentiful of interesting information about the latest, 2024 trends and inovations in plastic and cosmetic surgery.





First Class Around The World: -Thanks a lot, Dr. Vincent Masson, for receiving us in your new cabinet close to Parc Monceau! We would like that you to help us and our readership understand more about the most updated trends in plastic surgery.

Dr. Vincent Masson:“-Thanks for visiting me. My speciality is most dynamic, and we could spend hours developing trends and technical improvements for a better result user lighter procedures...”

First Class Around The World: - Overfilled lips, disproportionate breast enhancements, and exaggerated cosmetic procedures seem to be on their way out, with patients visiting plastic surgeons to look more like their filtered photos or a Photoshop version of themselves. What do you think of the new rise of «Tweak-Ment»?

Dr. Vincent Masson:“-Yes, indeed: more and more patients visit me with this new type of request, strongly influenced by pictures found on social networks like Snapchap, Instagram or Facebook. Not to forget Photoshop-style filters for selfie, reflecting a dreamed image of themselves. I do not think that this is very profitable. On the contrary, this is, quite problematic for the specialist I am. Some of those patients do not show actual aesthetic imperfection, as much as they don't feel any specific physical complex; they want to be as pretty as they look like through those filters. The plastic surgeon is not dealing anymore with a cartesian approach. The patient request is often blurred: he/she doesn't precisely know what he/she expects from me, and why. I have to deal with this by myself. I observe how it can be managed, whenever this is appropriate. Let me describe the typical situation, when a patient approaches me with glossy pictures of a sexy young woman, wearing a fashionable bikini on a dreamed beach, exhibiting her XXL breast implants and artificial body shape. This is a subjective view of the to-be-perfect woman; nothing to do with the natural beauty of the body. I have to deal with the ritual and highly problematic request: “-Doctor, I want to look like this movie star (model, singer...)!”. This is the way to hell. One can meet an upgraded better version of oneself through cosmetic surgery, with some limits of course. One of them is: never try to copy someone else. Do not forget that the best cosmetic surgery is the one that is not visible. This is what I like to call “the French touch”. Natural, chic, and safe. Any excess must be avoided: over injecting filler in the lips, for instance. The patient comes once, twice, thrice... again and again, resulting in an unaesthetic result. The best is the enemy of the good. There is a border when a surgeon should diplomatically say “-No!”. Trust that this is a very delicate part of the job.”

First Class Around The World:  -Yet, breast augmentation remains a trend, doesn't it?

Dr. Vincent Masson:“-It does. Breast augmentation still has good days ahead. Techniques are progressing fast and well. Conventional augmentation scars are performed in the under-breast groove, appearing smaller and smaller thanks to the micro-invasive technique: featuring retractors with integrated light, and a new generation of prosthesis implanters. There are frequent cases when we can limit the surgery to the level of the aureola: completely hiding the scar by performing dermal-pigmentation. The latest generation of mammary prostheses is smooth or nano-textured, round-shaped, with a cohesive silicone gel adjusting the anatomy with the position of the patient. Resulting in the most natural breast augmentation ever! Moreover, the dual-plane subpectoral technique, adjusting the prosthesis at the same time behind and in front of the muscles, provides incredibly natural results. Thus, let me remind you that any category of implants needs to be removed and re-implanted after some years, and that there is a risk of rejection. This is the reason why breast surgery shouldn't be decided on a whim. In France, a period of 15 days is mandatory before finalizing any project of breast surgery. May I mention another trend, called French Breast Facelift? Targeting women who have lost weight, breastfed babies, and having unaesthetic saggy breasts, the method consists in setting up a breast implant, associated with a facelift of the skin and the mammary gland. I would also like to stress the particularity that my patients can clearly evaluate the possibilities of surgery before the operation, using our new GC Aesthetics Eve 4.0 scanner. I just need to take a 3d picture to show, in real-time, what their new look will be. We can adjust together with the size and design of the breast by the millimeter. This is a fantastic tool, and we are the first in Paris introducing it to our patients. It can be adapted to facelifts or liposuction too.”

First Class Around The World:  -Traveling in Asia, particularly Thailand and Korea, we have noticed how popular was what people commonly call “V-Shape” surgery. The medical term is “Jawline Contouring”, isn't it? Could you tell us more about it?

Dr. Vincent Masson: “- “Jawline Contouring” defines a new trend in our plastic surgery. It has a very high demand, and consists in redrawing the oval of the face. This was in the past mostly wanted by patients who showing an age-related skin slackening: the surgeon performed a facelift to tighten the skin and return the anatomical structures to their original position. Since it meets is nowadays an increasing request from part of much younger patients, who want to cope with the contemporary trends of beauty, we are using a different technique, bypassing the jawline. Note well that it mainly concerns patients who still didn't meet the effects of aging, and therefore no sagging skin. The goal consists in changing the shape of the lower jaw to make it more geometric and better drawn. We will inject hyaluronic acid (fillers) at the corners of the mandible to create a more square oval and at the chin to accentuate the demarcation between the neck and the face.”

First Class Around The World:  -Is this a painful procedure? What is the global cost in a cabinet like yours?

Dr. Vincent Masson: “-No, this is not a particularly painful procedure, and it is realized in the office under simple local anesthesia. The postoperative course is quite simple with simply swelling that can occur for 48 hours but the result is visible at the end of the injections. The price depends on the filler, because there are several types of more or less cohesive hyaluronic acids. It also varies with the volume of the injection. A syringe of 1 ml is charged globally 400 euros in Paris. It often takes several injections to reach a significant result. Note well that this cosmetic procedure lasts 9 months to 12 months: hyaluronic acid is a resorbent molecule that will gradually melt over time.”

First Class Around The World:  -We recently heard about another trend, which seems a bit odd: nymphoplasty. Could you tell us more about it?

Dr. Vincent Masson:  “-Nymphoplasty or labioplasty is what could be somehow described as a «confidential surgery». It is not aired in the media and even in the family circle, because it concerns female intimacy. But in practice, this is a top 10 developing trends in plastic surgery. When it comes to my cabinet, I am meeting at least one daily request. Patients may describe an aesthetic gene in their vagina, with labia minora protruding from the labia majora. Thus, most of the time they rather describe functional problems: pain during sexual intercourse, discomfort in clothing or doing sport, local infection. Labial surgery consists in removing excess volume. This is quite a minor operation, associated with a short convalescence. Last but not least, this results in a very discreet scar.”

First Class Around The World:  -What is the average age of your patients for that kind of surgery? What is the price?

Dr. Vincent Masson: “-We are usually dealing with 20 – 35 years old patients. Price varies in Paris: let's say between EUR 2000 and 4000.”

First Class Around The World: -Mini Facelift is more and more popular, isn't it?

Dr. Vincent Masson:  “-We have more and more demands for Mini Facelist / Soft Facelift. Once again, we are dealing with younger and younger patients: therefore adjusting the procedure for this high-trend in plastic surgery. Please do note that a Mini Facelift is still a facelift; the difference is the fact that we concentrate on the face and the upper section of the oval. This involves incising beside the ear, lifting the skin, pulling back the underlying muscle and fat compartments, before regulating the skin by removing any excess. It is simpler than the classic (cervicofacial) facelift, involving complementary incision behind the ears and in the capillary part, and where the neck is also operated..”

First Class Around The World:  -Is non-surgical facelift a good, eventually cheaper alternative? What would you rather recommend to a 45 years old patient?

Dr. Vincent Masson:  “-There are non-surgical techniques: principally bioresorbable tensor threads. These are small resorbent notched wires, introduced under the skin to retention. The mini surgery is done under local anesthesia, and not general anesthesia like for Mini / Soft Facelift, or traditional facelift. Moreover, the operation is performed in the cabinet; not in a clinic operating room. However, the results are ephemeral because of the bioresorbable components. Moreover, note that this not indicated for certain types of faces. Last but not least, from 45 injections such as Botox, hyaluronic acid, even tensor threads can still be a solution; yet I would rather recommend mini facelift providing a longer-lasting result.”

First Class Around The World:  -What about the new MicroAir Pal Liposuction vs the classic Vaser System? Which method would be the most efficient for a patient with 10 kilograms to lose, expecting a harmonious and fast body reshape?

Dr. Vincent Masson:  “-MicroAir Pal Liposuction is a revolution, indeed, compared to ancient liposuction techniques. The cannulas are equipped with a micro-vibration system allowing an easier and ore regular aspiration of the fat. Post-operative swelling and pain are minored by the faster procedure, limiting the duration of general anesthesia, while the skin tends to tighten better after the operation. One often forgets that the principle of liposuction consists in treating the silhouette by deep fat removal; nevertheless, the surface of the skin doesn't vary. It, therefore, may be in excess after the operation. The Vaser System remains interesting when it comes to shaping male patients' abdominals, using its ultrasound system.”

First Class Around The World:  -Is “Loub Job” a trend or just a short term fashion? It has been much promoted in the women's press for a few months, and seems to be one of the top plastic trends in 2023?

Dr. Vincent Masson:  “ -“Loub Job” remains to date quite marginal compared with conventional procedures of cosmetic surgery: such as breast implants, liposuction, abdominoplasty, facelifts or eyelid surgery. This surgery is relatively unknown to the general public, and there are not many applications in France in daily practice. Thus, this light intervention can greatly relieve the pain on patients wearing high heels on frequent occasions (fashion models for instance).”