Questions? Call (816) 286-4126
Matt Hlavacek, MD, DDS
Jason Baker, DDS

LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST

REQUEST A CONSULT

Cosmetic surgery makes a post-recession rebound

May 13, 2014, 5:40 am

cosmetic surgery popularity

Back in February, we discussed cosmetic surgery as an economic indicator and the fact that the New Year brought a surge in patients seeking cosmetic procedures. According to a report from Yahoo! Finance, the gains may be even bigger than initially realized. In fact, cosmetic surgery seems to be experiencing its biggest gains yet since the recession, which appear to be across the board for both surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures.

According to a survey conducted by analysts at financial powerhouse Merrill Lynch, in 2009, 77% of plastic and cosmetic surgeons blamed the economy for significant reductions in the number of breast augmentations they performed when compared to previous years. However, those numbers are now making a comeback. In 2013, instead of a reduction in procedures, surgeons performed more than 11 million cosmetic surgeries, which is an increase of 18% from 2009, and 12% from 2012.

Surgical procedures by the numbers

Liposuction and breast augmentation continue to hold steady near the top of the list when considering the most popular cosmetic surgeries; however, liposuction saw a significant gain in popularity while breast augmentation saw a slight decline in popularity. Other procedures, including blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), tummy tucks, and rhinoplasty (nose surgery) all saw gains in 2013. Surprisingly, buttock augmentation has seen a huge surge in popularity — taking the number one position in terms of growth.

Here is the breakdown:

  • Buttock augmentation — up 58%
  • Liposuction — up 16.3%
  • Eyelid surgery —up 5.4%
  • Tummy tuck — up 2.3%
  • Nose surgery — up 2.9%
  • Breast augmentation — down 5.2%

Nonsurgical procedures by the numbers

While surgical procedures still remain popular, there has been a 13% increase in popularity for nonsurgical procedures, with men accounting for a large portion of that increase. In fact, the number of men who seek noninvasive cosmetic procedures has risen 237% since 1997. The most popular cosmetic procedures for men are Botox (AKA “Brotox”) and microdermabrasion, perhaps because the procedures are fast, have very little downtime, and are fairly inexpensive compared to surgical procedures for the face.

Men with professional careers enjoy getting in and out of their cosmetic surgeon’s office during their lunch break to reap the benefits of a younger, fresher appearance — which many say gives them an edge in the workplace. Although Botox saw significant growth in popularity among both men and women, industry insiders say the trend is moving toward newer technologies and treatments; including photo rejuvenation and treatments with hyaluronic acid — both of which saw huge gains in 2013.

Here are the numbers for nonsurgical cosmetic procedures for 2013 for men and women:

  • Photo rejuvenation — up 35.3%
  • Hyaluronic acid — up 31.5%
  • Botox (botulinum toxin) — up 15.6%
  • Hair removal — up 2%
  • Microdermabrasion — down 3.8%

To learn more about these and other procedures and how they may benefit you, call Kansas City Surgical Arts today at (816) 286-4126 to schedule a consultation. We are looking forward to hearing from you!