|
Close to 6.9 million cosmetic procedures, both surgical and nonsurgical, were conducted in the United States in 2002. This is an increase of one percent for surgical procedures and 23 percent for nonsurgical procedures as compared to 2001.
The increasing trend is not new, however, as the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) reports that the overall number of cosmetic procedures has increased some 228 percent since 1997.
Surgical procedures made up 23.5 percent of all cosmetic procedures. The most significant increases in this category for 2002, as compared to 2001, were abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), which rose 17 percent; breast augmentation, a 15 percent increase; breast reduction, up nine percent; facelift, a six percent increase; and breast lift, which rose four percent.
Nonsurgical procedures accounted for 76.5 percent of the total. Popular nonsurgical procedures such as BOTOX®, collagen injections and microdermabrasion must be repeated on a regular basis, which is likely why the number of nonsurgical procedures outweighs that of surgical procedures.
In 2002 the most popular cosmetic surgical procedure was lipoplasty (liposuction), followed by breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty (nose reshaping) and breast reduction.
Six new surgical procedures were also added during 2002, including umbilicoplasty (belly button enhancement) and breast nipple enlargement. However, these trends are reportedly listed as trends by the media, and the actual number performed is very small.
The most common nonsurgical procedure in 2002 was botulinum toxin injection (BOTOX®), followed by microdermabrasion, collagen injection, laser hair removal and chemical peel. BOTOX® injection reportedly increased some 2,400 percent since 1997.
According to the survey, people between the ages of 35 and 50 years received the most cosmetic procedures, with women receiving more of them than men.
Researchers sent out more than 14,000 questionnaires for the survey, which compiled data for procedures performed from 1997 to 2002.
Yahoo Finance March 4, 2003
|