These stats are taken from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual release of trends in Plastic Surgery. The numbers are gathered by the members of the society and submitted each year. The ASPS then analyzes the numbers and publishes them each year.

So, who is having plastic surgery…

Gender wise, women still are the majority of the patients making up 91% of those having cosmetic  procedures. Procedures meaning both surgery and non surgical treatments like peels, laser treatments, and injectables. Men are having things done too, mainly non surgical treatments such as laser hair removal, Botox and Dysport, and fillers like Restylane and Juvederm.

As for age, as expected the largest age category is the 40-54 year old segment. Teens make up a very small minority as do the twenty somethings. Patients in these younger age segments typically seek rhinoplasty, ear pinning, breast augmentation, breast reduction, laser hair removal and skin care.

As we get into the 30-54 age group more issues creep into the picture with aging, weight gain, and pregnancy related changes explaining the spike in procedures. The 30-39 and 40-54 age groups account for about two thirds of all patients seeking cosmetic procedures.

A couple of more interesting facts before I sign off. 11 Billion dollars was spent in 2012 on cosmetic procedures! And more and more patients are seeking office based procedures as opposed to a hospital setting.

If you want to learn more click on the ASPS link above for more details.

Lee Corbett, MD

Medical Director Corbett Cosmetic Aesthetic Surgery and MediSpa