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New Plastic Surgery Statistics Reveal Trends Toward Body Enhancement

American Society of Plastic Surgeons Report Surges in Body Sculpting Procedures

March 11, 2019
American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)

New data released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) shows there were nearly a quarter million more cosmetic procedures performed in 2018 than the previous year. According to the ASPS annual plastic surgery statistics report, there were more than 17.7 million surgical and minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures performed in the United States in 2018, a number that has risen steadily over the past five years.

The statistics also reveal a rise in new trends in body-shaping procedures, with a spike in non-invasive fat reduction, as well as surgeries such as breast augmentations and liposuction.

Top 5 Cosmetic Surgical and Minimally-Invasive Procedures

Of the more than 1.8 million cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2018, the top 5 were:

  • Breast augmentation (313,735 procedures, up 4 percent from 2017)
  • Liposuction (258,558 procedures, up 5 percent from 2017)
  • Nose reshaping (213,780 procedures, down 2 percent from 2017)
  • Eyelid surgery (206,529 procedures, down 1 percent from 2017)
  • Tummy tuck (130,081 procedures, about the same as 2017)

Among the 15.9 million cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures performed in 2018, the top 5 were:

  • Botulinum Toxin Type A (7.44 million procedures, up 3 percent from 2017)
  • Soft Tissue Fillers (2.68 million procedures, up 2 percent from 2017)
  • Chemical Peel (1.38 million procedures, up 1 percent since 2017)
  • Laser hair removal (1.1 million procedures, down 1 percent from 2017)
  • Microdermabrasion (709,413 procedures, down 4% from 2017)

Year of the Body

Three of the top five surgical procedures focus on the body, and in 2018, there was an increase in all three. In fact, there were more than 12,000 more liposuction procedures performed in 2018 than in 2017, while breast augmentations increased by four percent. There were also surges in other body-sculpting procedures like buttock augmentations and thigh lifts.

"Liposuction continues to be the gold standard in body contouring because of its versatility, efficiency and effectiveness," said ASPS President Alan Matarasso, MD. "With liposuction, one treatment may be all you need to reshape problem areas. A plastic surgeon can treat more areas—and larger areas—in one procedure. Liposuction also provides a more consistent and predictable result than non-invasive treatments, but new non-surgical fat reduction machinery continues to evolve and play a role in reshaping areas of the body."

While the two facial surgical procedures in the top five—nose reshaping and eyelid surgery—both decreased slightly, patients are now choosing among more options than ever before, particularly with emerging non-surgical nose reshaping and eyelid puffiness improvement. Specialized procedures for different areas of the face and neck, such as a neck lift procedure that can be performed without the need for a full facelift, may also account for some of these changes.

How Surgical and Non-Surgical Options Work Together

Whether you're interested in surgical or non-invasive procedures, a board-certified plastic surgeon can help you explore all of your options. Oftentimes, this includes marrying surgical and non-surgical procedures together—for example, performing a facelift but also using fillers in conjunction with the procedure—to achieve optimal results. ASPS member surgeons' extensive and ongoing training enable them to offer a full range of procedures to meet their patients' goals.

"Board-certified plastic surgeons are on the cutting edge of developing emerging technology and creating the newest advancements in both surgical and non-surgical techniques," said Matarasso. "Our board-certified plastic surgeons take into account each patient's specific objective and anatomy to come up with the best course of action to achieve the natural look they want."