As we step into 2026, many people are reflecting on their wellness goals and considering how they want to look and feel in the year ahead. The new year represents a fresh start—an opportunity to invest in yourself and address aesthetic concerns you may have been considering. At Wave Plastic Surgery, we’ve seen a surge in consultations during the first quarter as patients seek to begin their transformation journey with renewed motivation and clear goals.
Whether you’re looking to reverse signs of aging, enhance your natural features, or finally address areas that have bothered you for years, modern plastic surgery and aesthetic treatments offer more options than ever before. The procedures available in 2026 combine cutting-edge technology with refined techniques that prioritize natural-looking results and faster recovery times.
Why January is the Ideal Time for Cosmetic Procedures
Starting your aesthetic journey at the beginning of the year offers several practical advantages. Many patients find that January provides a natural window for recovery, as social calendars tend to be quieter following the holiday season. Additionally, beginning treatments early in the year allows you to see progressive results throughout the months ahead, building confidence for spring and summer events.
From a planning perspective, the new year also brings renewed insurance benefits and flexible spending account allocations, making it an ideal time to explore procedures you’ve been considering. At Wave Plastic Surgery’s locations in Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, San Francisco, Arcadia, and Rowland Heights, our board-certified plastic surgeons work with patients to develop personalized treatment plans that align with both aesthetic goals and practical timelines.
Facial Rejuvenation: The Most Requested Procedures for 2026
Advanced Facelift Techniques
Facelift surgery remains one of the most transformative procedures for addressing comprehensive facial aging. As Dr. Peter Lee explains in his approach to facial rejuvenation, “The key to any type of lifting in the face is not how much you actually pull and lift, but it’s about how much you really release that muscle before you pull. This leads to three important results: naturalness, a definitive result, and longevity—results that should last at least ten years.”
Wave Plastic Surgery offers several advanced facelift options tailored to different needs and degrees of aging. The Wave Lift, our signature endoscopic facelift technique, has become increasingly popular for patients in their 30s, 40s, and early 50s who want significant improvement without the extended recovery of traditional surgery. This minimally invasive approach uses advanced camera technology to release facial attachments and lift tissues with precision, resulting in natural-looking rejuvenation with recovery times of approximately two weeks.
For patients with more advanced aging concerns, the High SMAS Face and Neck Lift provides comprehensive correction of mid-face descent, jowls, and neck laxity. This technique addresses the deeper muscular layer of the face, providing long-lasting results that restore youthful contours while maintaining your natural appearance.
Upper and Lower Eyelid Surgery
Eyes are often the first area to show signs of aging, and eyelid surgery continues to be one of our most requested procedures for both men and women. Upper eyelid surgery addresses excess skin that can make you look tired or older than you feel, while lower eyelid surgery corrects under-eye bags, hollowness, and fine lines.
Modern lower eyelid surgery has evolved significantly from older techniques. Rather than simply removing fat and skin, today’s approach focuses on repositioning fat to fill hollow areas like the tear trough, creating a smoother, more youthful transition between the lower eyelid and cheek. This technique, combined with appropriate skin removal and lower eyelid tightening when needed, produces natural results that last for years.
For patients of Asian descent, Wave’s surgeons specialize in Asian eyelid surgery and double eyelid surgery, creating natural-looking definition that enhances your features while respecting your ethnic characteristics.
Brow Lift Surgery
A sagging brow can make you appear tired, angry, or older than you feel. The endoscopic brow lift has become the gold standard for brow rejuvenation, offering dramatic improvement through five small incisions hidden in the hairline. Using advanced endoscopic technology, surgeons can precisely release the tissues that cause brow descent and reposition them to a more youthful location.
The endoscopic approach offers several advantages over traditional brow lift techniques, including minimal scarring, faster recovery (typically 7-10 days for most swelling to resolve), and natural-looking results that don’t appear “overdone.” Many patients combine brow lift surgery with upper eyelid surgery for comprehensive upper face rejuvenation.
Non-Surgical Facial Rejuvenation Options
Not everyone is ready for surgical intervention, and modern non-surgical treatments have become remarkably effective for patients seeking improvement without downtime.
Injectable Treatments
Neuromodulators like Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, and Jeuveau remain foundational treatments for preventing and softening dynamic wrinkles. Beyond the traditional treatment areas of frown lines, crow’s feet, and forehead wrinkles, these versatile medications can also provide a non-surgical brow lift, slim the jawline by relaxing the masseter muscles, soften neck bands, and even reduce excessive sweating.
Dermal fillers have evolved to offer solutions for virtually every area of facial aging. Hyaluronic acid fillers like Restylane and Juvéderm can restore lost volume, soften deep folds, enhance lips, and improve facial contours. For longer-lasting volumization, Sculptra stimulates your body’s own collagen production over several months, providing gradual, natural-looking fullness that can last two to five years.
Dr. Lee emphasizes the importance of customized treatment plans: “One product is not great for one person or any one given situation. That’s why a thorough consultation is essential because one product is not great for all areas. Sometimes it is a matter of mixing different products to address different areas and establish overall balance to the face.”
Thread Lifts
For patients seeking more lift than fillers can provide but who aren’t quite ready for surgical facelift, thread lifts offer a middle-ground solution. Wave offers both the New Lift (using floating threads) and Flash Lift (combining anchoring and floating threads) to provide immediate lifting along with collagen stimulation for continued improvement over time.
Modern PDO threads are much more sophisticated than earlier generations, offering stronger support and longer-lasting results. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia with minimal downtime, making it an attractive option for busy professionals.
Advanced Skin Rejuvenation
Morpheus8 has emerged as one of the most effective non-surgical skin tightening treatments available. This radiofrequency microneedling device penetrates deeper than traditional microneedling, stimulating collagen production in the deeper layers of skin where aging occurs. Morpheus8 can treat the face, neck, and body, making it versatile for addressing skin laxity and texture concerns.
For patients concerned about sun damage, irregular pigmentation, and fine lines, treatments like Lumecca IPL and PiQo4 laser offer targeted correction with minimal downtime. These advanced technologies can dramatically improve skin tone and texture, revealing a fresher, more radiant complexion.
Body Contouring: Surgical and Non-Surgical Options
Liposuction and Body Lift Procedures
Despite advances in non-surgical fat reduction, liposuction remains the most effective way to remove stubborn fat deposits and sculpt body contours. Modern liposuction techniques are more refined than ever, allowing for precise fat removal with improved skin retraction and faster recovery.
For patients who have experienced significant weight loss, body lift procedures can address excess skin that diet and exercise cannot correct. The tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) tightens abdominal muscles and removes excess skin, creating a flatter, more toned midsection. Many patients combine this with liposuction for comprehensive body contouring.
The Brazilian Butt Lift continues to be highly requested, using your own fat to enhance buttock volume and shape. This procedure offers the dual benefit of removing unwanted fat from areas like the abdomen, flanks, or thighs while augmenting the buttocks for a curvier silhouette.
Mommy Makeover
The Mommy Makeover combines multiple procedures to address the physical changes that occur after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Typically including breast and body procedures, this customized approach allows mothers to restore their pre-pregnancy figure in a single surgery, minimizing overall recovery time.
Non-Surgical Body Contouring
For patients who want to avoid surgery, CoolSculpting offers FDA-cleared fat reduction through controlled cooling. This non-invasive treatment can reduce stubborn fat pockets in areas like the abdomen, flanks, thighs, and under the chin without surgery or downtime.
BodyTite represents the next generation of body contouring, using radiofrequency energy to melt fat while simultaneously tightening skin. This minimally invasive procedure offers more dramatic results than CoolSculpting with less downtime than traditional liposuction.
Breast Procedures: Enhancement, Lift, and Reduction
Breast Augmentation
Breast augmentation continues to be one of the most popular cosmetic procedures, helping women achieve fuller, more proportionate breasts. Wave Plastic Surgery offers both traditional and endoscopic breast augmentation, the latter providing the benefit of placing implants through minimal incisions with the assistance of endoscopic visualization.
Modern implant options include both saline and silicone gel implants in various profiles and sizes, allowing for highly customized results. During your consultation, your surgeon will help you select the appropriate implant type, size, and placement technique to achieve your desired outcome.
Breast Lift
A breast lift (mastopexy) addresses sagging breasts by removing excess skin and reshaping breast tissue to create a more youthful, elevated position. Many women combine breast lift with augmentation to restore both position and volume, particularly after pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Breast Reduction
For women experiencing physical discomfort from overly large breasts, breast reduction surgery can be life-changing. This procedure removes excess breast tissue, fat, and skin to create a breast size more proportionate to your body frame, often alleviating back pain, neck pain, and shoulder grooving from bra straps.
Rhinoplasty: Facial Balance and Harmony
Rhinoplasty (nose surgery) can address both aesthetic and functional concerns, improving the size, shape, and proportions of the nose while maintaining facial harmony. Wave’s surgeons are particularly experienced in Asian rhinoplasty, which often involves augmenting the nasal bridge and refining the tip while respecting ethnic characteristics.
Modern rhinoplasty techniques focus on creating natural-looking results that complement your other facial features. Whether you’re concerned about a dorsal hump, wide nasal bridge, bulbous tip, or breathing difficulties, rhinoplasty can be customized to address your specific concerns.
Specialized Treatments for Skin Concerns
Melasma Treatment
Melasma, which affects 40-60% of ethnic Asians, requires a multimodal approach for effective treatment. As Dr. Lee explains, “Trying to treat melasma using monotherapy, meaning using one treatment, will always lead to failure. The modern method is to use multimodality using multiple treatments to get the melasma under control with an ultimate goal of solid 70% improvement.”
Wave’s comprehensive melasma treatment program combines prescription-strength topical treatments, oral medications like tranexamic acid, advanced laser treatments with PiQo4, light chemical peels, and sometimes microneedling with radiofrequency. This customized approach addresses melasma at multiple levels for optimal improvement.
Medical-Grade Skincare
Professional skincare products form the foundation of any anti-aging regimen. Wave offers pharmaceutical-grade products from leading lines including ZO Skin Health, SkinBetter Science, Valmont, and others. These medical-grade formulations contain higher concentrations of active ingredients than over-the-counter products, delivering superior results for concerns like fine lines, hyperpigmentation, and skin texture.
Men’s Aesthetic Procedures
More men than ever are seeking cosmetic procedures to maintain a competitive edge in their careers and personal lives. Popular procedures for men include eyelid surgery (often the number one procedure men request), facelift and neck lift, rhinoplasty, gynecomastia correction, and liposuction.
Dr. Lee notes that in his twenty years of experience, “every year, lower eyelid surgery is probably the number one surgery that men do.” Men appreciate the natural-looking rejuvenation these procedures provide without appearing “overdone.”
Creating Your Personalized Treatment Plan
With so many options available, determining the right procedures for your goals requires expert guidance. At Wave Plastic Surgery, consultations begin with a thorough assessment of your concerns, medical history, and aesthetic objectives. Our surgeons use advanced diagnostic tools like the VISIA skin analysis system to evaluate skin quality, hydration levels, and underlying concerns that may not be visible to the naked eye.
Based on this comprehensive evaluation, your surgeon will recommend a customized treatment plan that may include a single procedure or a combination of treatments. Many patients achieve optimal results by combining surgical procedures with non-surgical treatments for comprehensive rejuvenation.
For example, a patient seeking facial rejuvenation might combine a facelift with fat grafting to restore volume, laser treatments to improve skin texture and tone, and neuromodulators to prevent future wrinkles. This multimodal approach addresses aging at every level, producing harmonious, natural-looking results.
Understanding Recovery and Results
Recovery timelines vary depending on the procedure chosen. Non-surgical treatments like injectables and laser therapies typically involve minimal to no downtime, making them ideal for patients with busy schedules. Surgical procedures require more recovery time, though modern techniques have significantly reduced healing periods compared to older methods.
For facial surgery, most patients can expect approximately three weeks for the majority of swelling to subside, though complete healing continues for several months. Body contouring procedures may require similar recovery periods depending on the extent of surgery. Your surgeon will provide detailed post-operative instructions and will monitor your progress through follow-up appointments.
Results from surgical procedures are long-lasting, with facelifts typically providing 7-10 years of rejuvenation. Non-surgical treatments offer more temporary results, with neuromodulators lasting 3-6 months and fillers lasting anywhere from 6 months to 2 years depending on the product used. Many patients maintain their results with periodic non-surgical treatments combined with proper skincare.
Wave Plastic Surgery’s Commitment to Excellence
As one of the largest plastic surgery practices in the United States specializing in anti-aging surgeries, Wave Plastic Surgery brings together world-renowned expertise and state-of-the-art technology. Our board-certified plastic surgeons—Dr. Peter Lee, Dr. Ben Lee, Dr. Denise Wong, and Dr. Jonathan Shifren—have trained at prestigious institutions including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, and the University of California, San Francisco.
All five of our surgical centers in Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, Rowland Heights, Arcadia, and San Francisco are fully accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), ensuring the highest standards of patient safety and care. Our surgeons are active members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and are board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
Wave’s commitment extends beyond technical excellence to include compassionate, personalized care. From your initial consultation through your final follow-up appointment, our team supports you at every step of your aesthetic journey. We understand that choosing to undergo a cosmetic procedure is a significant decision, and we’re dedicated to helping you achieve results that enhance your confidence and align with your vision.
Financing Your Aesthetic Goals
We believe that financial considerations shouldn’t prevent you from achieving your aesthetic goals. Wave Plastic Surgery partners with PatientFi to offer flexible financing options that make procedures more accessible. These payment plans allow you to begin your transformation now while spreading the investment over manageable monthly payments.
Additionally, we honor our price match guarantee for qualifying procedures, ensuring you receive the best value for your investment without compromising on quality or safety.
Schedule Your Personalized Consultation
As you consider your aesthetic goals for 2026, we invite you to explore the possibilities during a comprehensive consultation at Wave Plastic Surgery. Whether you’re interested in surgical transformation or non-surgical enhancement, our experienced team will help you develop a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs, timeline, and budget.
Starting the new year with a commitment to yourself is an investment that pays dividends in confidence and well-being. Let Wave Plastic Surgery’s team of experts guide you toward achieving the look you’ve been envisioning. Contact us today at (888) 674-3001 to schedule your consultation at our Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, San Francisco, Arcadia, or Rowland Heights location.
References
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons – 2025 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report – https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/plastic-surgery-statistics
- American Board of Plastic Surgery – Choosing a Qualified Plastic Surgeon – https://www.abplasticsurgery.org/patient-resources/
- Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care – Accreditation Standards – https://www.aaahc.org/
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration – Dermal Fillers Approved by the FDA – https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/cosmetic-devices/dermal-fillers-fillers-approved-center-devices-and-radiological-health
