How popular are Michele Obama’s impeccably toned arms? So popular that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that upper-arm-lift procedures in the United States (US) have increased from a modest 338 in 2000 to nearly 15,500 in 2012, and suggests that one reason for the 4,473% change may stem from the First Lady’s physique. According to the Los Angeles Times: “The ASPS said that doctors didn’t point to a single reason for the increase, but took note of poll data indicating that women ‘are paying closer attention to the arms of female celebrities’ including Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and Kelly Ripa. The most-admired arms of all? Those of First Lady Michelle Obama.
Take that, Jennifer Aniston’s arms, which did not even muscle their way into this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where the First Lady’s arms presided from the podium. In other plastic-surgery news, Americans spent $11 billion on cosmetic procedures last year alone. The most popular surgery remains breast augmentation, with around 286,000 procedures conducted in the US last year—unsurprisingly, concentrated mostly in the region of the US containing the city of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the northeastern US (including New York City) edged out all other regions when it came to rhinoplasty and the aforementioned upper-arm lifts. Readers interested in exploring the latter procedure—which involves an incision from the armpit to the elbow, usually along the back of the arm, to remove excess skin—must be warned, though. The upper-arm lift, officially titled “brachioplasty,” leaves an unsightly scar though, which will not look so fierce in all sleeveless outfits one plans to wear post surgery.