Plastic Surgeon Blog: Thinking of Plastic Surgery? You’re Not Alone!

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) published that in 2009, 12.5 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in the United States. That number, although quite impressive, was actually one percent lower than the number of surgeries performed in 2008. Economic reasons were cited as the reason for lower numbers in 2009 however the outlook is positive for the future according to the ASPS president Michael McGuire.

Minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures were extremely popular in 2009 and they showed an increase when compared to 2008. The ASPS reports that the top five minimally-invasive procedures in 2009 were:

• 48 million Botulinum toxin type A
• 1.7 million Soft tissue fillers
• 1.1 million Chemical peels
• 910,000 Microdermabrasion treatments
• 893,000 Laser hair removal procedures

In contrast cosmetic surgical procedures showed a decline by about nine percent. The top five surgical procedures in 2009 were:

• 289,000 Breast augmentations
• 256,000 Nose reshapings
• 203,000 Eyelid surgeries
• 198,000 Liposuctions
• 115,000 Tummy tucks

I guess this makes sense. As more and more innovative, non-invasive procedures become available, less and less people will be inclined to go under the knife.

The exception to the above would be plastic surgery that would be done for reconstruction purposes, whereby an abnormal structure is improved in appearance or function. ASPS reported that reconstructive plastic surgery went up by 5% in 2009 and the top five reconstructive procedures in 2009 were:

• 3.9 million Tumor removals
• 332,000 Laceration repairs
• 171,000 Scar revision
• 110,000 Hand surgeries
• 90,000 Maxillofacial surgeries

So if you are considering plastic surgery, you aren’t alone by any means. This data shows that more and more people embrace plastic surgery as a more readily available choice to improve or enhance looks and body contours. If you are seeking an experienced, board certified, plastic surgeon in Florida, please check out all our procedures and contact our office to make an appointment today!