According to a survey released by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, plastic surgery operations were down 17% last year due to the recession. Nonsurgical cosmetic procedures, like Botox, increased by 0.6%, with a total of 10 million surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed last year. For the third year in a row, breast augmentation was the most common plastic surgery performed, with over 300,000 pairs of breasts enhanced last year. Botox injections were the most common nonsurgical procedure, with over 2.5 million Botox treatments performed last year.
These numbers are not surprising to me. Last year was definitely a tough one on plastic surgeons' wallets (although no one should cry for us!!), as most plastic surgeons saw a considerable decline in their practice revenues. This was most apparent in areas like my part of the country, where the crashing U.S. auto industry sent shock waves through the region with hundreds of thousands of auto-related jobs lost. This year has begun much better than last, however, so I bet this downward trend will be reversed next year. I'm pleasantly surprised at how many people still want plastic surgery in this economy!
For more ASAPS stats, click here.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
