The Numbers Behind Plastic Surgery

By Clive Riddle, February 21, 2013

The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) has just released results of their annual membership study, which provides a wealth of information about what goes on their world.

Let’s take a peek, with some excerpts compiled from their study:

Cosmetic Procedures: The survey indicated 73% of all procedures were cosmetic  (versus reconstructive) in 2012, up from 62% in 2011. Non-surgical treatments made up two-thirds of all 2012 cosmetic procedures. The most common cosmetic non-surgical procedures remain BOTOX® and hyaluronic acid fillers, with the top three areas of the face most treated by injectables being the forehead (42%), cheeks (35%) and the lips (18%).

Volume and Fees: Member surgeons report performing an average of 945 facial cosmetic surgical, cosmetic non-surgical, reconstructive and revision procedures per surgeon in 2012. Facelifts command the highest average fee per procedure ($7,453, on average), followed by: hair transplants ($7,182), revision surgery ($6,542), and rhinoplasty ($5,541).

Women: 80% of all surgical procedures and non-surgical procedures are performed on women.  Two-thirds of women having procedures are mothers, primarily in their 40's and 50's. In 2012 the most common cosmetic surgical procedure for women was facelifts, followed by blepharoplasty, and rhinoplasty. The most common non-surgical cosmetic procedures among women were BOTOX®, hyaluronic acid injections and microdermabrasion, respectively.

Men: Rhinoplasty remains the most requested surgical procedure overall among men.  On average, 20% of male patients request plastic surgery as a result of their significant other having received plastic surgery. Men had a significant increase in Botox  (up 27% from last year - with hyaluronic acid fillers and microdermabrasion also among the most popular maintenance treatments ) while the number of Botox procedures among women was similar to 2011.

Age Groups: 28% of Facial Plastic Surgeons have seen an increase in cosmetic surgery or injectables in those under age 25. For both female and male patients under the age of 35, the most common procedure performed was rhinoplasty (53% females; 70% males), followed by BOTOX® (30% women; 13% men). For all procedures, except rhinoplasty, the majority were performed on patients between the ages of 35 and 60.

Race: The 2012 survey revealed that African Americans and Hispanics were most predisposed to have received rhinoplasty (80% and 65% respectively). Asian Americans were most likely to have blepharoplasty (44%) or rhinoplasty (41%), while Caucasians were more likely to have facelifts (40%) or rhinoplasty (39%).

Consumer Selection: Most patients get their information about plastic surgery online (57%) and are most concerned with the results of the surgery (40%) followed by concern over the cost (33%)  and recovery time (21%)when making their decision to undergo facial plastic surgery. Last year just 7% of prospective patients used social media to research doctors and procedures, down from 35% in 2011. However, there was a 31% increase in requests for surgery as a result of social media photo sharing.  Surgeons report that, on average, 22 women and 12 men that were dissatisfied with previous rhinoplasty surgery from a different office requested corrective surgery.

Comments

[Elvis]

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery's cosmetic surgery statistics are the most comprehensive collection of data available on the number of surgery.

[Plastic surgeon]

Unfortunately there are no reliable statistics on plastic/aesthetic surgeries worldwide.