The numbers are in and America, you like Plastic Surgery. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has released the data collected for Cosmetic Plastic Surgery performed in 2015.
Plastic Surgery 1997 – 2015
When I started my San Francisco Bay Area Plastic Surgery practice in 1997, cosmetic procedures were performed one eighth as often as they are today.
In 1997, over 1.6 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed, and most of them were surgical. The breakdown was 55% (900,933) surgical and 45% (740,751) non-surgical.
In 2015, almost 13 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed. The number of surgical procedure performed more than doubled, from 900,933 to 1,912,468. Percentage-wise, however, surgery slipped to only 15% of all cosmetic procedures. There was a tremendous surge in the number of non-surgical procedures performed driven by new technology and expanded FDA approval. In 2015 10,879,909 non-surgical procedures were performed, a 1400% increase.
Non-surgical Plastic Surgery Procedures Then and Now
The nonsurgical procedures of 1997 were not the same as today’s. The sole filler was collagen, which only lasted a few weeks, sometimes months. Botox was available, but the use of Botox for wrinkles was not FDA approved. In 1997, using Botox for frown lines and wrinkles was strictly an off label, use confined to selective Dermatology and Plastic Surgery practices (like mine).
In 2016, there are a variety of FDA approved fillers are available, each lasting months, sometimes years. The most commonly used dermal fillers are Hyaluronic Acid based including: Restylane, Juvederm, Restylane Lift (Perlane), but Radiesse (Calcium Hydroxyapatite spheres) has also emerged for boney augmentation (Cheeks and Chins) and the nasolabial folds. Botox is FDA approved for wrinkles, and is now found in just about every spa in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Surgical Plastic Surgery Procedures Then and Now
Unlike their non-surgical counterparts, the majority of the surgical procedures performed today are largely the same. New techniques and material (sutures and implants), have developed, but the most popular procedures of 1997 are the most popular procedure of 2015 too. To date, they have not been replaced by non-invasive procedures because non-invasive procedures cannot accomplish the same results. Women continue to dominate men in numbers, so let’s break down the procedures desired by each sex.
Plastic Surgery for Women
The headlines read that Buttocks Augmentation is the fastest growing cosmetic surgery. The 30% increase is statistically true, but is magnified by the fact that not as many Buttocks Augmentation are done as Breast Augmentation. Looking at the number of cases performed in 2015 reveals the popularity of the procedures:
- Buttocks Implants – 5678
- Buttocks Lifts – 5008
- Brazilian Butt Lifts (Fat Grafting to the Buttocks) – 15,705
- Breast Implants – 305,856
Comparing Buttocks to Breast Augmentation, if 3000 more Brazilian Butt Lifts are performed this year, that will almost be a 20% increase. On the other hand, if 3000 more Breast Augmentations are performed, that will be an increase of less than 1%. It’s all relative to how many procedures are performed.
The most popular Cosmetic Plastic Surgeries for women are Liposuction, Breast Augmentation, Tummy Tuck, Breast Lift and Eyelid Lift.
The most popular Cosmetic Plastic Surgery procedures from women have been pretty consistent over the last 18 years:
- Liposuction (Suction Assisted Lipectomy) – 344,677
- Breast Augmentation (Augmentation Mammoplasty) – 305,856
- Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) – 172,634
- Breast Lift (Mastopexy) – 148,967
- Eyelid Lift (Blepharoplasty) – 139,012
When the men are added, these five procedures account for 1.2 million of the 1.9 million cosmetic surgeries performed in 2015.
Plastic Surgery for Men
Men account for about 10% of all the cosmetic plastic surgeries performed in the United States.
The most popular Cosmetic Plastic Surgeries for men are Liposuction, Nose Surgery, Eyelid Lifts, Male Breast Reduction and Facelifts.
The most popular Cosmetic Plastic Surgery procedures from men are also pretty consistent over the last 18 years, but there has been a proportionately larger increase in Gynecomastia Reduction:
- Liposuction (Suction Assisted Lipectomy) – 51,370
- Cosmetic Nasal Surgery (Rhinoplasty)
- Eyelid Lift (Blepharoplasty) – 30,696
- Male Breast Reduction (Gynecomastia Reduction) 30,464
- Face Lift (Rhytidectomy) – 13,726
Since men do not get pregnant, procedures like Breast Augmentations, Breast Lifts, Tummy Tucks and other Mommy Makeovers are not as often needed.
Comparing the male and female procedures, Rhinoplasty, Facelifts and Breast Reduction are pushed out of the top five by Mommy Makeovers; however, they are next. Cosmetic nasal surgery was number 6; Facelifts was number 7, and breast reduction was number 8 for women. When it comes to Cosmetic Plastic Surgery, men and women seem to want the same things.
Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Consultation
If you are considering Cosmetic Plastic Surgery in the San Francisco Bay Area, call (925) 943-6353 today, and schedule a private consultation appointment. Every consultation is tailored to your specific needs. The decision to proceed, or even to explore, cosmetic surgery is personal. My goal is to provide you the information you need to make your own informed decision.