2014 REPORT ON COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY BY THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLASTIC SURGEONS: A SUMMARY
The most recent report released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (The 2014 Plastic Surgery Report) brings renewed attention to the continued popularity of cosmetic surgery and minimally-invasive enhancement procedures in the United States today. While primarily designed to showcase interest in twenty cosmetic surgery procedures and fifteen minimally-invasive treatments by reporting the number of these procedures performed in 2014, the report also highlights interesting statistical comparisons between 2014 and 2013, as well as between 2014 and 2000. A close viewing of this report indicates that while some non-facial procedures have increased in popularity over the past few years, facial enhancement and rejuvenation continues to be an important aesthetic goal for many Americans, both men and women. Of the twenty cosmetic surgery procedures covered in this report, half are related to facial enhancement, while of the fifteen minimally-invasive treatments listed, fully two-thirds are procedures performed primarily (although not always) to offer facial rejuvenation!
The importance of facial enhancement and rejuvenation procedures is reinforced by a careful examination of the numbers of procedures performed. Of the more than 1.6 million cosmetic surgery procedures performed in 2014, more than 750,000—fully 45%—involved facial enhancement or augmentation. Strikingly, of the top five cosmetic procedures performed in 2014, three involved facial surgery: nose reshaping (#2), eyelid surgery (#4), and surgical facelift (#5). Other popular facial enhancement procedures included in the report include lip augmentation and forehead lifts, while ear surgery, chin augmentation, and cheek implants continued to garner interest, although less so than other forms of facial augmentation.
As these numbers clearly demonstrate, facial surgery continues to attract hundreds of thousands of Americans every year; however, relative to past years, invasive facial surgery numbers are showing a marked decline. For example, of all types of facial surgeries listed in this report, only three experienced an increase in number of procedures performed between 2013 and 2014: lip reduction (involving only a minimal number of procedures) increased from 610 procedures in 2013 to 777 procedures in 2014), lip augmentation grew 3%, and dermabrasion grew 12%. All other facial procedures saw minor declines of less than 10% between 2013 and 2014. Over the past 14 years (since 2000), however, the changes are more significant. Dermabrasion procedures increased an astounding 96% in that time frame, while lip augmentation grew 40%. All other facial procedures have declined in popularity since 2000, the percent change ranging from -30% to -60%. For instance, nose reshaping declined 44%, eyelid surgery declined 37%, and forehead lifts declined 65%. Only demand for surgical facelifts has remained relatively stable, with a 4% decline between 2014 and 2000.
While the ASPS report itself offers no direct explanation for the decline in popularity of cosmetic surgery procedures, a comparison of the statistics between surgical and non-surgical procedures indicates that Americans are increasingly drawn to minimally-invasive facial procedures, which generally entail less risk and recovery time, can offer subtly gorgeous results, and are often cost effective. Moreover, the quality and availability of many minimally-invasive procedures has dramatically increased in the past decade, as evidenced by the fact that 2000 statistics for many minimally-invasive facial procedures are simply not available!
Minimally-invasive facial procedures were especially popular in 2014, with all but one of the top five involving the face: #1: use of neuromodulators (such as Botox®) with 6.7 million procedures, #2: soft tissue fillers with 2.3 million procedures, #3: chemical peels with 1.2 million procedures, and #5: microdermabrasion with 880,000 procedures (#4 on the list was laser hair removal). Perhaps more importantly, while most cosmetic facial surgery procedures declined between 2013 and 2014, all of these procedures increased in popularity between 3 and 9%. However, the increase in the number of minimally-invasive facial procedures since 2000 is most remarkable: neuromodulators procedures have increased an amazing 748% since 2000, use of soft tissue fillers has increased 253%, and laser skin resurfacing saw a rise of 218%.
As this most recent statistical report by the ASPS demonstrates, technological advancements in facial enhancement and rejuvenation are revolutionizing the world of aesthetic medicine, but Americans continue to put a premium on a youthful facial appearance and natural-looking beauty made possible by both facial cosmetic surgery and minimally-invasive enhancement. Dr. Kenneth Steinsapir is a world-renowned oculofacial and cosmetic surgeon with a welcoming and comfortable private practice in Beverly Hills, California. He offers a range of safe, effective surgical and minimally-invasive facial enhancement and rejuvenation options utilizing his innovative, less aggressive techniques designed to maximize your comfort and optimize your aesthetic results. For information about surgical or non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including eye surgery or cosmetic surgery, with Dr. Steinsapir, visit www.lidlift.com or contact our office today!
To learn more about procedures and treatments performed by Beverly Hills | Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Kenneth Steinsapir, contact us at 310-274-7422