Dr. Larry Nichter would like to make blog readers aware of new statistical information about plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures in the United States.
The number of cosmetic surgical procedures in America increased by 1% in 2011, the statistical survey by the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has shown. Over 1.6 million such procedures were done in the United States last year.
In the fifteen years since the survey began (1997), the overall number of cosmetic procedures done in the United States has increased 197%.
Liposuction was shown to be the most popular procedure. Two breast surgeries—augmentation and lift—were among the top five most popular cosmetic surgeries:
- Liposuction — 325,332 procedures
- Breast augmentation — 316,848 procedures
- Abdominoplasty — 149,410 procedures
- Eyelid surgery — 147,540 procedures
- Breast Lift — 127,054 procedures
The survey also showed a 2% decrease in the number of nonsurgical procedures, although 7.5 million such procedures were performed (constituting 82% of all cosmetic procedures).
- Botulinum Toxin Type A — 2,619,739 procedures
- Hyaluronic acid — 1,206,186 procedures
- Laser Hair Removal — 919,802 procedures
- Microdermabrasion — 499,427 procedures
- IPL Laser Treatment — 439,161 procedures
An analysis on the society’s website attributed this growth to the aging of the Baby Boomer generation as well as their children.
Some other interesting findings from the survey include:
- 91% of all cosmetic procedures were done on women (8.4 million procedures). This is a 208% increase over the last 15 years.
- Of the 800,000 men who had cosmetic surgery in 2011, the most popular procedures were liposuction, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, breast reduction (for gynecomastia), and facelift.
- About $10 billion was spent on cosmetic procedures in the United States, and of that $6.2 billion was spent on surgical procedures, the rest was spent on nonsurgical procedures such as injectables, skin rejuvenation, and laser hair removal.
Source: Babbitt, Adeena. “Celebrating 15 Years of Trustworthy Plastic Surgery Statistics.” ASAPS.
