MONDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) — The number of Americans having plastic surgery is bouncing back along with the economy, statistics released Monday suggest.
Last year, there were over 13.1 million cosmetic procedures performed in the country, up five percent from 2009, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports. These included nearly 1.6 million cosmetic surgical procedures and 11.6 cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures. The top five cosmetic surgical procedures were: breast augmentations (296,000); nose reshaping (252,000); eyelid surgery (209,000); liposuction (203,000); and tummy tuck (116,000).
There were nearly 113,000 facelifts performed last year, a nine percent increase over 2009, said the ASPS.
“There’s some pent-up demand for cosmetic surgical procedures,” ASPS president Dr. Phillip Haeck said in a society news release. “People have waited a couple of years or more to have procedures, until their finances were at least somewhat back in order. But, all indications are, more consumers are again willing to spend more to look better.”
All surgical body contouring procedures increased in 2010, including: breast lifts (90,000 procedures, up 3 percent); lower body lifts (10,000 procedures, up 9 percent); upper arm lifts (15,000 procedures, up 5 percent); and thigh lifts (9,000 procedures, up 8 percent). A large number of these procedures are being requested by patients following massive weight loss, often tied to bariatric surgeries.
The top five cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures were: Botox injections (5.4 million); soft tissue fillers (1.8 million); chemical peel (1.1 million); laser hair removal (938,000); and microdermabrasion (825,000).
There were also 5.3 million reconstructive plastic surgery procedures performed in 2010, a two percent increase from the previous year. The top five types of reconstructive plastic surgery were: tumor removal (4 million); laceration repair (357,000); scar revision (161,000); hand surgery (106,000); and breast reconstruction (93,000). The number of breast reconstruction procedures increased eight percent from 2009 to 2010.
More information
There’s a guide to safe plastic surgery at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.