Getting acquainted with a yoga mat and a pair of dumbbells is one way to get Michelle Obama’s long-envied arms, but according to a survey released Monday, a less arduous method is soaring in popularity: plastic surgery.
In its annual report on cosmetic surgery trends across the United States, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that upper arm lifts among women have increased by 4,378 percent in the last decade. In 2000, more than 300 women got upper arm lifts, as compared to more than 15,000 in 2012.
And while ASPS says no single factor is fueling the trend, a few key celebrity women have played a role. At the top of the list is Michelle Obama.
According to the poll, women most admire the first lady’s arms, followed by those of Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Biel, Demi Moore and Kelly Ripa.
“I think we are always affected by the people that we see consistently, either on the big screen or on TV,” said ASPS public education committee chair David Reath, MD, in a release on the survey results. “We see them and think, ‘Yeah, I’d like to look like that.'”
But the move toward plastic surgery isn’t all about short cuts, Reath adds.
“The increase that we’re seeing in arm lifts this year is because we’re seeing an increased number of patients who’ve had a significant weight loss, whether it’s through diet and exercise or weight reduction surgery,” Reath later explained to The Huffington Post. He added that there are some people — with lesser degrees of weight loss but whose weight or activity level fluctuates — who may also some develop excess skin under their arms as they age, and these patients are more likely candidates for liposuction of the arm.
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