Updated March 31, 2026, 2:42 p.m. ET
There’s a new cosmetic procedure gaining popularity, and medical professionals are making no bones about it − though they are reshaping a few.
It’s called “rib remodeling,” and it involves surgically altering the ribs in order to make the waist look smaller. The recovery can be tough and the cost is high. Though it’s far safer than the alternative rib removal surgery, it’s not without risks, either.
Plastic surgeons speculate there are a few reasons for the recent uptick they’ve seen in people inquiring about rib remodeling, which first emerged in the United States about two years ago. For starters, cosmetic procedures in general carry less stigma than they did in the past, leading more people to seek them out. Social media has also likely increased people’s awareness of this procedure, too.
The trend also comes at a time when weight-loss medications are on the rise, more ultra-thin physiques appear to dominate red carpets and some social media users have built platforms off the outward pursuit of thinness.
“It started where people were removing ribs, and we no longer do that anymore,” says Dr. Oren Tessler, an Arizona plastic and reconstructive microsurgeon who founded Defyne Plastic Surgery. “But in reality, once you lose weight and let’s say you get to your optimal physical fitness, the bottleneck − the limitation in terms of your waist and how narrow it can be compared to your hips − is the lower ribs.”
What is ‘rib remodeling’?
In the past, the main cosmetic procedure for waist-slimming was liposuction, says Dr. Josef Hadeed, a double board-certified plastic surgeon. Liposuction, however, has limits. People’s waists carry varying amounts of fat. Plus, at the end of the day, the skeleton largely determines the shape of the torso.
In addition to liposuction, people previously slimmed their waists by removing ribs, starting with the lowest two. But this caused serious health problems. After all, the ribs are “the structural foundation of the torso,” Hadeed says. “If you remove the foundation of the house, it kind of crumbles and collapses.”
In rib remodeling, you don’t remove any bones. Instead, you surgically alter the ribs − essentially breaking them, on purpose − so they heal in a different shape. Hadeed says the procedure is generally safe when done by a surgeon specifically trained in this procedure, though there is some risk of lung injury.
Recovery typically lasts three months and involves wearing a corset regularly so ribs heal in the desired position. Neglecting to do this can ruin the results.
The recovery isn’t easy, and the procedure’s expensive. Rib remodeling typically costs between $10,000-$15,000. Tessler says it lets people take an additional two-to-five inches off their waist.
Tessler says those who seek out rib remodeling tend to already be thin, but want a waist that’s even smaller. Some have more naturally “boxy” builds, he says, and want curves. Some are transgender and seeking to feminize their torsos.
Jennifer Lasher, a woman in Canada, had the procedure done by Hadeed about a year ago. Before, she tried wearing corsets to achieve the look she wanted naturally. She saw rib remodeling as a lasting solution.
“I’ve always had a bit of a hard time looking like I have a feminine, curvy body,” she says.
The first four weeks of recovery for her were tough. It felt like “having the wind knocked out of” you, she says.
Still, she says, to her, it was worth it.
What the rise of ‘rib remodeling’ says about us
Rib remodeling is entering the culture at a time when the outward pursuit of thinness seems to be on the rise, a trend that mental health professionals say has a deep impact on people’s body image.
“We’re almost seeing a return to the outward profession of the desire to be skinny, whereas for a while it’s been, ‘I want to be healthier, I want to engage in wellness,’” University of Vermont associate professor Lizzy Pope, whose research focuses on how diet culture appears in popular culture and on social media, previously told USA TODAY. “What I’m seeing is a return of that language being accepted.”
GLP-1s, Tessler adds, have allowed a new segment of the population consider elective procedures they couldn’t previously.
“It’s unlocking a huge portion of the population that never even really had the time or the effort to even think about these things,” Tessler says. “It’s like, you go to the gym, you have basic goals, and then, once you hit the goals, you want to do a little more. … The GLPs are unlocking a lot of things, and it’s giving people the opportunity to even have wants that they wouldn’t have had before.”
Contributing: Rachel HaleThis story has been updated to add graphic.