The 2012 Plastic Surgery Statistics Are In!

February 21, 2012 - By Dr. Jules Feledy

It’s that time of year again! Around this time each year, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons compiles statistics across the board of the plastic and reconstructive surgeries performed by its members from the previous year. These statistics can, and often do, yield interesting and informative factoids that provide a window to rising trends.

Facial surgeries rise, breast and butt augmentations fall

One of the biggest things to take away from the 2012 statistics is a rise in facial procedures that stacks against even breast and butt augmentation, their numbers declining for the first time in six years. Breast augmentation still the top procedure, but saw seven per cent less women undergoing the procedure from the previous year, while Botox and microdermabrasion each rose eight per cent, while demand for injectable fillers climbed five per cent. Buttock augmentation dropped farther still, down 36 per cent from 2011, with a scant 3,800 procedures performed.

Plastic surgery procedures saw a general increase of five per cent, totaling a record 14.6 million procedures in the U.S. (that’s more procedures than cars sold last year, by the way!), but the number of actual surgical procedures dropped two per cent – the numbers were bolstered by a rise in non-invasive procedures to the tune of six per cent.

The industry’s steady growth overall, as well as the rising interest in facial treatments, is largely due to the baby boomer generation increasingly deciding to give cosmetic procedures a try. For a full rundown of these and lots of other statistics, check out the article on the ASPS website.