Those shadows under the eyes and that little extra layer of insulating fat that appeared around your waist in winter simply have to go before the beach season kicks off.
While some people opt to sweat it off in sports clubs, many are deciding to use other types of services to quickly fix their looks.
In March alone, the number of telephone inquiries about cosmetic surgery clinics and beauty salons have increased, according to Kyiv’s municipal information service.
A total of 1,970 callers requested numbers for beauty salons in March, up from 1,699 on average per month in winter.
Moreover, men are opting for this type of treatment more frequently, according to Taras Matolenets, chief surgeon at Visit Cosmetic plastic surgery clinic in Kyiv. However, women still account for some 60 percent of his clinic’s clients.
The ages of those seeking beauty surgeries (not just seasonal ones) range 18 to 55 years old in both sexes.
Face treatments of all kids are the most sought-after cosmetic procedure this spring, according to the city directory statistics.
Most plastic surgery clinics have a range of options on offer, anything from Botox injections to full-scale surgical remodeling, to fit every taste (or, rather, face.)
At Visit Cosmetic a simple, or ligature facelift, costs $800. A needle and medical threads are used to lift sagging face muscles, but no classical surgery procedures are involved. This procedure requires no medical rehabilitation. A surgical all-around facelift costs $3,500 and requires a 10-day rehabilitation period.
Breast jobs are also popular among women getting ready for summer holidays.
Lyudmyla, a 36-year old native of Zaporizhya, said she had breast implants in before a holiday to Egypt.
“I have had breast job before my trip to Egypt. I was fixing myself up to look good,” says Liudmyla, who did not want her last name in print because few people know about her surgery and she feels the information is too personal to share widely.
For those who are not ready for such radical measures, lighter options for improving one’s looks are available in beauty salons. One of them is cryogenic treatment, injections of cold oxygen into skin cells, which is supposed to have a rejuvenating effect.
The demand for liposuction, an invasive slimming and shaping treatment that often surged before the summer, has gone down big way this year, by 62 percent.
Cryogenic beauty treatment is popular among women over 35, according to Alyona Shembereva, the owner of Rachel salon in Kyiv that offers many beauty treatments for any taste and budget.
A course of 4-6 procedures will cost you from Hr 1,500 to Hr 5,000, depending on the origin of the ingredients used.
There are other parts of the body that start to get a better treatment as they get more visible – hands and feet.
The demand for manicure is also on the increase, Shembereva says, and men are becoming regular users of this service, too.
“Men have started looking after themselves more now,” Shembereva says. Her salon has a pool of regular male clients coming for a manicure just about every week.
She says durable Shellac manicure is the hottest hit this year. Easily lasting for two weeks, it has quickly conquered busy women with active lifestyles. But this type of nail coating costs at least Hr 250, which is over three times more than a regular manicure.
Pedicure becomes more popular as open shoes start to come out of winter storage.
Viktoria Kondratiuk, a well-groomed lady coming out of Frederic Moreno beauty salon, is one such person. “Of course I do pedicure more frequently in spring. The feet are getting exposed and attract more attention,” she says.
There are also beauty treatments that are losing popularity, not necessarily because of spring, but because better alternatives are becoming more available.
The demand for liposuction, an invasive slimming and shaping treatment that often surged before the summer, has gone down big way this year, by 62 percent.
Sports clubs and an increasing variety of alternative anti-cellulite treatment methods are ousting it, according to Matolenets, the plastic surgeon.
“Liposuction is rare now. There was a real boom in 2004-2006. Now people prefer to go for sports [to avoid surgical treatment],” says Malotenets, who has a track record of over 2,000 plastic surgeries.
His clinic offers series of massages to fight extra weight without surgical treatment and breaking the bank.
LPG-massage, or liquid propane gas massage, is one of the most popular. Basically, the method is about applying vacuum to fat cells to break them down. Prices range from Hr 300 to 600 per go.
Clients can also choose a laser liposuction, omitting surgical treatment and rehabilitation, that will cost you $800.
Kyiv Post staff writer Anastasia Forina can be reached at [email protected]
