What's Hot in Cosmetic Surgery: New Stats for 2013

Credit: American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Ever wonder which cosmetic surgery procedures are gaining in popularity and which ones are falling by the wayside? Every year the American Society of Plastic Surgeons puts out detailed statistics about all the surgical and non-surgical procedures that were done in the previous year. The new 2013 stats just came out. 

Some of the results are expected: non-invasive treatments like Botox and fillers continue to gain popularity. Some of the results are surprising: rhinoplasties (nose jobs) are down 9% from 2012. This trend has been going on for several years. Since the year 2000, rhinoplasties are down 43%. Breast augmentation, on the other hand, has been steadily rising. Primary breast augmentation is up 1% from last year, and up 37% since the year 2000. 

Other interesting tidbits from the report:

-The top 5 cosmetic surgical procedures in 2013 were breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, liposuction, and facelift.

-Lower body lift, most often performed after massive weight loss, is up 3,417% since the year 2000. (That’s not a typo- the number is three thousand four hundred and seventeen percent.) This probably reflects an increase in the number of weight-loss surgeries performed over the same time span.

-Facelifts are up 6% from last year, but show no change from 2000. I wonder if this reflects the changing economic climate. Patients often delay costly elective procedures when times are tough, so perhaps facelifts are a marker of the improving national economy.

The full report is available here. What do you think?  Why are some procedures up and others down?