Popularity of Plastic Surgery on the Rise
At the end of February, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) released its plastic surgery procedural statistics for 2014. These statistics are compiled every year by ASPS members combined with an annual survey sent to American Board of Medical Specialties’ certified physicians most likely to perform these plastic surgery procedures. The result is a comprehensive census that can provide invaluable insight into the most popular trends in cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery.
One of the most hopeful and encouraging trends that we observed was in the area of breast reconstruction, with more than 102,200 performed in 2014, an increase of 7 percent over the previous year. Although several studies show that the various breast reconstruction procedures can greatly improve a patient’s quality of life and self-image after treatment for breast cancer, many women choose not to undergo breast reconstruction because they are not always well informed about all of their breast reconstruction options. One of the major reasons for this change may be the multi-year Breast Reconstruction Awareness Campaign, launched by ASPS in 2012. Designed to educate, engage and empower women to make informed decisions about their healthcare following breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy, this program has already done a great deal to increase awareness of breast reconstruction options for women due to breast cancer treatment.
In cosmetic plastic surgery, those procedures designed to enhance the body’s natural contours have seen the largest increase in popularity, with buttock augmentations for women nearly doubling and pectoral implants for men increasing by more than 200% in 2014. However, by far the most popular means of enhancing the body still remain breast augmentation and liposuction, which together accounted for nearly half a million procedures last year alone. In addition, subtle, minimally invasive procedures designed to temporarily alleviate the signs of facial aging, like Botox® and various facial fillers, also continued to increase in popularity.
Finally, the number of men undergoing plastic surgery has also continued to rise. “Male plastic surgery rates have significantly increased since 2000 and the notion that cosmetic procedures are just for women no longer exists,” said ASPS President Scot Glasberg, MD. The rising popularity of procedures like male facelift or eyelid surgery shows that men are more interested in subtly improving the appearance of wrinkles or other signs of facial aging for a more youthful and vital look in order to compete in an increasingly youthful job market.
If you are interested in learning more details about one of the procedures we perform at Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C., contact us at one of our Atlanta, Alpharetta, Cumming, or Newnan offices to schedule a consultation. Additionally, we are proud to provide a variety of options for financing, including CareCreditSM and Alphaeon®, in order to assist you. Please contact Atlanta Plastic Surgery with any questions you may have concerning the financial planning of your procedure and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest news.
