There’s No Time Like Winter for Major Plastic Surgery

I've had work done. I'll admit it. This face didn't happen by accident. It takes a highly skilled team of surgeons and exfoliation experts...plus gallons of baby oil.

There’s No Time Like Winter for Major Plastic Surgery

People are taking advantage of hibernation season to undergo cosmetic procedures, preparing their bodies for gala season, spring break and summer

By Chavie Lieber, WSJ

Feb. 7, 2026 11:00 am ET

Shirley Land returned to work walking taller, with a big smile on her face.

The 64-year-old elementary school nurse from Secaucus, N.J., had taken extra time off around Thanksgiving and come back unusually refreshed. Co-workers commented that she looked slimmer and happier. Family and friends noticed that she’d traded baggy clothes for form-fitting ones.

“I walk around like a boss lady now,” she said.

The key to her new confidence? A breast reduction she’d strategically scheduled for late November. She had nearly two weeks to recover before returning to her job in December. By Christmas break, she was ready to hop on a cruise with her husband, where she wore a dress that made her feel “very J. Lo.”

It turns out that hibernation season is a great time to get some work done. People are using holiday breaks and the winter months to undergo cosmetic procedures that require weeks, if not months, of recovery time. Patients who went under the knife late last year are now debuting tighter skin, flatter stomachs and lifted eyelids to their social networks.

Shirley Land strategically scheduled a breast reduction for late November. She had nearly two weeks to recover before returning to her job in December.

Shirley Land strategically scheduled a breast reduction for late November. She had nearly two weeks to recover before returning to her job in December. Shirley Land

“I’ve had quite a few people say to me that I look like I’ve just had a glow-up,” said Jenn Kucifer, a 49-year-old nurse practitioner in Cedar City, Utah, who had a face-lift in late December.

How is she responding to the flood of compliments? “You tell certain people,” Kucifer said. “Others, you just say, ‘Thank you very much.’”

Doctors say they’re fielding even more calls than usual to book appointments for face-lifts and breast augmentations during the winter months, as patients anticipate spring break, summer vacation, wedding season and the gala circuit.

“It has been mayhem,” said Dr. Alexis Parcells, a plastic surgeon in New York and New Jersey who estimated her practice saw triple its average volume of procedures during November and December. “In the winter you can say you’re traveling and nobody really knows where you are. And then you just throw on a scarf and chunky sweater.”

Doctors say weight loss from GLP-1s—which can cause loose skin and all kinds of deflation—is driving cosmetic procedures, as is the growing discussion of plastic surgery on social media.

Patients say winter is an opportune time to recover from all that work. Employers are more relaxed about in-office attendance, and social calendars tend to be sparse.

Nathan Cohen, a 19-year-old college sophomore, had a septorhinoplasty in late December to fix a deviated septum and slightly alter the tip of his nose. He said he had FOMO over friends going on ski trips and European vacations, but the results were worth hunkering down on Long Island with his parents.

“I was worried there’d be bruising when I returned to school, but there’s no evidence of surgery,” Cohen said.

A week after her face-lift last year, Shelly Spackman, a 54-year-old retired entrepreneur from Cache Valley, Utah, went to a family party. “You couldn’t even tell,” she said.

The busiest time for elective surgeries in the winter shifts slightly by region. East Coast doctors say December is often their peak.

“We had a colloquial term in the operating room: December Deductible Derby,” said Dr. Parcells, noting that patients seeking insurance-covered surgeries like breast reductions have deductibles in mind.

Dr. Sara Dickie, a plastic surgeon in the Chicago metro area said she also sees a mad dash for appointments in December. Her office had to rent additional space in surgery centers and hospitals for end-of-year surgeries to accommodate the influx of patients.

In Utah, Dr. Brent Robinson said his Draper practice is busiest during February and March because it’s best for young moms, who make up 80% of his patients. “The moms plan around family vacations and their kids’ summer sports,” Robinson said.

Patients scheduling winter surgeries often have warmer weather on their minds. Kyra Browne, a pharmacist in Hamden, Conn., had a breast-lift done in mid-December. “Come summertime, I can emerge as a new person,” she said. Browne, 29, has tickets to a spring music festival in Washington and has already picked out a tank top shaped like a butterfly for the event.

Doctors say advances in plastic surgery techniques are helping patients return to their regular lives faster than ever.

“I say restaurant-ready in two weeks and red carpet-ready in four weeks,” said Dr. Lara Devgan, a plastic surgeon in New York City.

Most people don’t walk onto a step-and-repeat right after recovery. But when it comes time to show off their new looks, patients are split on how upfront to be. Hannah Mayuski, a freelance social-media marketer in Atlanta who got breast implants in early December, said she just went for it.

“I saw my gym friends and I just said, ‘Hey, I got new boobs,’” Mayuski, 30, said. “If you open up the conversation, you’d be surprised by how many people are OK with it.”

“I think it’s important to be honest,” said Spackman, the retired entrepreneur.

Browne, the pharmacist, on the other hand, said she was purposely vague about her procedure at work.

“Not everyone needs to know every waking detail about what’s going on in your life,” she said.