ASPS Reports Fourth Consecutive Year of Growth for Cosmetic Surgery Procedures

As novel and superior cosmetic surgery devices and techniques made their entry, the popularity of cosmetic surgery procedures has registered a steady growth in the last few years. According to the recent annual plastic surgery procedural statistics from American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 15.1 million cosmetic surgery procedures, both minimally-invasive and surgical, were performed in the United States in 2013, higher by 3 percent since 2012. This marks the fourth consecutive year of growth for cosmetic surgery procedures.

With nearly 1.7 million procedures in 2013, cosmetic surgical procedures registered a one percent increase from 2012. According to the ASPS report, the top five cosmetic surgical procedures in 2013 were:

• Breast augmentation (290,000 procedures, up 1 percent)
• Nose reshaping (221,000 procedures, down 9 percent)
• Eyelid surgery (216,000 procedures, up 6 percent)
• Liposuction (200,000 procedures, down 1 percent)
• Facelift (133,000 procedures, up 6 percent)

In 2013, more women opted for silicone breast implants, which were used in 72 percent of all breast augmentations, the rest of the procedures (28 percent) using saline implants.

With more than 13.4 million procedures in 2013, minimally-invasive procedures increased 3 percent from 2012. The top five minimally-invasive procedures in 2013 were

• Botulinum toxin type A or Botox injections (6.3 million injections, up 3 percent)
• Soft tissue fillers (2.2 million procedures, up 13 percent)
• Chemical peel (1.2 million procedures, up 3 percent)
• Laser hair removal (1.1 million procedures, down 4 percent)
• Microdermabrasion (970,000 procedures, no change)

Botulinum toxins, such as Botox® and Dysport®, and facial fillers maintained their popularity among the cosmetic treatments, with Botox injections showing an increase of 700 percent since 2000.

Innovative products as well as the advances in technology are responsible for much of this growth in cosmetic surgery procedures. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a number of novel plastic surgery devices and products such as two form-stable silicone gel breast implants and hyaluronic acid facial filler specifically designed for treating mid-face volume loss.

With innovative devices and ideas hitting the market each year, consumers have more choices and options to rejuvenate their looks. The best way to take advantage of these options is by consulting an experienced plastic surgeon in an AAAASF-accredited plastic surgery center.