A few years ago, BBLs, lip injections and buccal fat removal dominated the cosmetic surgery conversation. Today, these surgeons are talking about a broader approach: knowing when surgery is the right choice, where nonsurgical treatments fit and how to maintain results over time. So, where does plastic surgery go from here?
For a look at what’s coming in 2027, we turned to two surgeons helping shape conversations in the specialty: Mississauga, Ontario plastic surgeon Jamil Ahmad, MD, president of The Aesthetic Society, and New York plastic surgeon Nolan Karp, MD, president-elect of The Aesthetic Society. Their leadership roles give them a view of the questions surgeons are discussing and the changing needs they’re seeing in patients. From aesthetic concerns following weight loss with GLP-1 medications to combining surgery with nonsurgical treatments, here’s what they see coming next.
Featured Experts
- Jamil Ahmad, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Mississauga, Ontario and president of The Aesthetic Society
- Nolan Karp, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York and president-elect of The Aesthetic Society
Surgery Is Back, But It’s Not an Either-Or Conversation
After years of new devices and less-invasive procedures dominating the conversation, surgery is moving back into focus. Dr. Ahmad says part of that shift comes from a better understanding of what nonsurgical treatments can realistically accomplish. “I think what’s exciting today is that surgery is back,” he says. “We’ve had 20 years where really innovative treatments have come out, but these treatments have sometimes been pushed to try to address things that they can’t address.”
That doesn’t mean the pendulum is simply swinging from one extreme to the other. “There’s really a place for surgery, and these nonsurgical treatments and minimally invasive treatments are complementary,” Dr. Ahmad says. “But there are still a lot of areas where patients have concerns where surgery really is the right answer.”
GLP-1s Are Creating Plastic Surgery Patients
Weight-loss with GLP-1 medications is also reshaping who is seeking aesthetic treatment and what they need when they get there. Dr. Karp calls GLP-1s one of the most significant changes he is watching. “We’re seeing patients that we never ever saw before,” he says. “We’re seeing patients that were our old patients. I had patients I haven’t seen for 10 years, and now all of a sudden they come back and they’re 50 pounds lighter.”
For some, the change also means revisiting procedures performed years earlier. “The breasts I did, the tummy tuck I did, maybe the facelift I did are all not really working for them,” Dr. Karp says. “Sometimes they’re older, sometimes they’re sicker, so doing cosmetic surgery is not quite as simple. It’s a whole completely new area for us.” As more patients seek treatment for loose skin and shifting proportions after major weight loss, questions around timing, revision surgery and body-contouring surgery are likely to remain part of the conversation.
Minimally Invasive Isn’t Slowing Down Either
Surgery may be getting another look, but Dr. Karp doesn’t see the less-invasive side of aesthetics losing ground. “Minimally invasive surgery, minimally invasive devices, injectables, I think the reality is this area is just expanding and expanding,” he says. “When I started, it didn’t exist, and now it’s really the majority of our umbrella. That is something that’s not going to go away.”
The bigger change may be how all of those choices coexist. A patient may have surgery at one point, use injectables or energy-based treatments at another and focus on skin quality in between. Dr. Ahmad says future surgeons will need to understand the full range rather than treating surgical and nonsurgical aesthetics as separate worlds. “Being an excellent surgeon, understanding the role for nonsurgical and minimally invasive treatments, but then also really trying to help our patients have longevity in the result,” he says, is becoming part of comprehensive care.
‘Aesthetic Longevity’ Is Entering the Conversation
One term Dr. Ahmad expects to hear much more about is aesthetic longevity. “For two decades now we’ve really thought of it as surgical and nonsurgical, and these tend to be done at specific points in time,” he says. “But the idea of aesthetic longevity is really 365 days a year, trying to optimize the way people look and keep them looking great for their entire life.”
His definition extends beyond having more procedures. “It’s really what’s happening day to day to try to give patients the best aesthetic outcome for the rest of their life,” Dr. Ahmad says. “That covers a lot of things, including nutrition, supplementation, different types of treatments, particularly for longevity, wellness, maintenance of healthy weight.” It echoes the broader shift toward skin longevity already happening in beauty, but expands the thinking to a patient’s overall aesthetic plan.
The Next Era May Be More About the Plan Than the Procedure
Both conversations ultimately came back to the same idea: the aesthetic menu is getting larger, which makes understanding how the pieces fit together more important. Dr. Karp says education itself has had to expand because “it’s not just about surgery,” while Dr. Ahmad sees the next generation of plastic surgeons needing expertise in surgery, nonsurgical care, minimally invasive options and strategies for maintaining results.
For patients, that could make 2027 and beyond less about chasing the latest treatment and more about looking several steps ahead. Surgery isn’t disappearing. Neither are injectables or devices. GLP-1s have introduced an entirely new set of aesthetic considerations. Meanwhile, maintaining surgical results is becoming part of a longer conversation. As Dr. Ahmad puts it, the direction is increasingly about “tying everything together” and finding the right strategies to care for patients over time.
