A Statistical Look at Plastic Surgery in the US
Part of my work as a double board-certified plastic surgeon is keeping tabs on the current trends and happenings within the world of plastic surgery. This is why I am always grateful when top plastic surgery boards like the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) release their annual statistical reports. As always, the recently-released report for 2018 features several notable facts and figures while presenting an impressive overview of the state of the industry. It was heartening to see the total number of cosmetic surgery procedures performed in the US last year reached 1,533,640 (up over 20% compared to 5 years ago).
The entire report is full of interesting tidbits and I recommend that everyone interested in this subject take the time to read it, but I have provided a quick overview of the findings that I found most interesting:
- For the second consecutive year, breast augmentation (329,914 procedures) was the most commonly-performed in the United States.
- The rest of the top-5 most popular procedures included liposuction, breast lift, tummy tucks, and eyelid surgery respectively.
- Thigh lift surgery (up 24%), chin augmentation (up 20%), and breast reduction (up 18%) procedures all saw considerable increases in popularity relative to the previous year.
- No procedure grew in popularity more over the past year than tummy tuck surgery, rising from 140,834 procedures performed in 2017 to 157,492 last year.
- Despite its strong overall popularity, eyelid surgery saw the biggest decrease in the number of procedures performed from 2017 to 2018 (a 20.6% decrease).
- The most popular cosmetic surgery procedures for male patients were liposuction, male breast reduction, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, and tummy tuck surgery.
- Fat transfer injections remained very in-demand, accounting for over 89,000 total procedures.
Even for experienced plastic surgeons like myself who have been performing cosmetic surgery for decades, there is always something new to learn. It’s important for plastic surgeons to understand current trends and developments in the field of cosmetic plastic surgery in order to provide patients with the knowledge and options they need to get the absolute most out of their plastic surgery journey. For more information or to schedule a plastic surgery consultation, please contact me, Dr. Franklyn Elliott. And follow me on Facebook and Twitter for additional plastic surgery tips, news, photos, and more.