Americans spent over $14.6 billion dollars on aesthetic procedures in 2021, with cosmetic plastic surgery procedures leading the way up 54%. What are we spending our personal upkeep dollars on? Today’s blog post gives all the surgical details.
Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Procedures were up 54% in 2021 compared to 2020.
Plastic Surgery in 2021
The 2021 Plastic Surgery Statistics were released this month by the The Aesthetic Society, and the numbers for non-surgical, minimally invasive and surgical procedures increased by double digits when compared to 2020. Last week we reviewed the 44% increase in Non-surgical Procedures in the post: 2021 Plastic Surgery Statistics – Part 1. This week we review the surge in surgical procedures.
2021 54% Increase in Plastic Surgery
According to the Aesthetic Society, surgical procedures increased 54% in 2021. The Aesthetic Society (formerly known as the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery or ASAPS) is at the forefront of research, education, and innovation in the field of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery. The Aesthetic Society has more than 2,200 active members, and each member is a board-certified plastic surgeon.
The average US plastic surgeon performed 320 surgical procedures in 2021, compared with 220 in 2020. With a three month lockdown in California and other states, this is not surprising. The lockdowns cancelled all elective surgery. Breast biopsies for cancer were forbidden, never mind any cosmetic surgery. Having 3 fewer months to operate certainly cut down on the 2020 Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Cases.
The Great Surgical Backlog of 2020
In addition to Plastic Surgeons not being permitted to operate for three months, the pause in surgeries also created a backlog that overflowed into 2021. Patients scheduled for surgery on March 16, 2020, found out on the 15th that all non-emergency surgeries were canceled. As you know, the duration was supposed to be for 2 weeks so patients were rescheduled accordingly.
It became clear early on that two weeks would become four, eight and eventually twelve as we vaxed up. In the end, three months of patients had to be rescheduled and new patients had to wait. I feel very fortunate that I operate at a state-of-the-art outpatient surgery center exclusively made for elective surgery and run by doctors where actual science is applied. We have no inpatients and thus no COVID patients in the facility. Hospital settings took much longer to return to full capacity and to this day, many are still not back to “normal,” but that’s a different story.
What Cosmetic Plastic Surgery is Being Performed?
Women accounted for approximately 94% of all procedures in 2021. Overall, aesthetic body procedures such as abdominoplasty, buttock augmentation, and liposuction increased by 63%. Breast procedures such as breast augmentation, breast lift (mastopexy), breast reductions and combinations of the three were up 48%. For example, there were 365,000 breast augmentations performed in 2021 (+44%). Specialized face procedures such as brow lifts and face lifts increased 54%.
Top Surgical Procedures
The top cosmetic plastic surgery procedures performed in 2021 were:
- Liposuction: 491,098
- Breast Augmentation: 364,753
- Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck): 242,939
- Mastopexy (Breast Lift): 167,395
- Blepharoplasty (Eyelid): 149,668
- Breast Implant Removal/Replacement:147,684
The graphic below breaks down the details for the most popular procedures for women and men, and includes the age distribution.
2021 ASAPS Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Statistics – Surgical Procedures are listed by age group and gender for the most popular procedures. Courtesy of the Aesthetic Society.
Plastic Surgery Consultations
Cosmetic Plastic Surgery is my specialty. It is what I trained to do and it is what I spend the majority of my time doing, though reconstructive surgery is equally important.
If you are considering Cosmetic Plastic Surgery be certain to choose an experienced board certified plastic surgery like my fellow Aesthetic Society members. In the San Francisco Bay Area call (925) 943-6353 to schedule a private and personalized consultation in our East Bay, Walnut Creek office.
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