The latest statistics from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) reveal the true scope of the rise of cosmetic surgery in the US. The numbers show a 12% overall increase in cosmetic procedures performed in the US in 2013, and last year Americans spent the greatest amount on cosmetic procedures since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.
Indeed, with 12 Billion dollars spent on surgical ($7 billion) and non-surgical ($5 billion) procedures in 2013, it seems the industry is well on its way to recovery following the economic recession.
Liposuction replaced breast augmentation as most popular surgical procedure in 2013, with 363,912 procedures performed. This signified a 16 per cent increase on the year before, and mirrors the huge liposuction boom seen in the UK last year, as revealed by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (BAAPS) last month.
Though breast augmentation came a close second in popularity – 313,327 surgeries were performed – it was the only surgery in the top five procedures that experienced a decrease in numbers (down 5.2 per cent from 2012).
Eyelid surgery (161,389 procedures, up 5.4 per cent), tummy tucks (160,077 procedures, up 2.3 per cent) and nose surgery (147,966 procedures, up 2.9 per cent) completed the top five surgical procedures for 2013.
“The numbers do not come as a surprise,” states Jack Fisher, MD, President of ASAPS. “Technological advances, less-invasive procedures, greater accessibility are making aesthetic procedures, surgical and nonsurgical, far more attractive to the public at-large. Further, the rebounding economy is encouraging people to start investing in themselves once again.”
Interestingly, 2013 saw an increase in those procedures that are somewhat shrouded in stigma. Buttock augmentation and labiaplasty saw the most significant boost in numbers from the previous year. Buttock augmentation saw 58 per cent increase over a 12 month period, and labiaplasty a 44 per cent rise from the year before.
Non-surgical cosmetic procedures increased in popularity alongside their surgical counterpart. Non-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers were the most popular non-surgical procedures in the US in 2013, with 3,766,148 and 1,872,172 procedures respectively. While Botulinum Toxin injections experienced a 15.6% growth from the previous year, Hyaluronic Acid fillers doubled this with a 31.5 per cent growth since 2013.
In total, more than 2.5 Billion dollars was spent on injectables across the US last year. Similarly, skin rejuvenation, which is fast becoming the field to watch in cosmetic surgery, saw 1.9 billion dollars spent by Americans in 2013.
“A significant increase in the number of both cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures suggests that people are once again investing in their appearance and perhaps have more disposable income to do so. Given the state of the economy and the competitiveness of the job market, we expect to see the numbers for anti-aging procedures continue to increase,” notes Michael Edwards, MD, President-Elect of ASAPS.
The top five surgical procedures in 2013:
– Liposuction (363,912 procedures, up 16.3 per cent)
– Breast augmentation (313,327 procedures, up 5.2 per cent)
– Eyelid surgery (161,389 procedures, 5.4 per cent)
– Tummy tuck (160,077 procedures, up 2.3 per cent)
– Nose surgery (147,966 procedures, up 2.9 per cent)
The top five non-surgical procedures in 2013:
– Botulinum toxin (3,766,148 procedures, up 15.6 per cent)
– Hyaluronic acid (1,872,172 procedures, up 31.5 per cent)
– Hair removal (901,571 procedures, up 2 per cent)
– Microdermabrasion (479,865 procedures, up 3.8 per cent)
– Photo rejuvenation (456,613 procedures, up 35.3 per cent)
