Manhattan Face Lift

A year in retrospect: cosmetic surgery in 2008

Cosmetic surgery has literally changed the face of society over the years — no longer is it exclusive to physical defect corrections and health-related operations — more and more people are having procedures done to improve their overall appearance. From celebrities and Hollywood A-listers, to your next-door neighbor, almost everyone knows someone who has “gone under the knife”. From instant facelifts to other procedures that take time to help people achieve a bit of perfection, cosmetic surgery has become a huge part of American life. Ever wonder just how many people have gone through this transformation process, and what procedures are done? The cosmetic surgery statistics for 2008 shows us this.

According to the results of the 2008 survey done by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), over 10 million cosmetic procedures (both surgical and non-surgical) were performed in the United States.

There has been a 162 percent increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures since 1997. Surgical procedures increased by 80 percent, while non-surgical procedures increased by over 233 percent. But from 2007-2008,there was over a 12 percent decrease in the total number of cosmetic surgeries performed in the US — surgical procedures with a 15 percent decrease, and almost a 12 percent decrease for non-surgical procedures.

Up close on people, preferences, procedures: 2008 statistics bare all on cosmetic surgery

Cosmetic surgery statistics show that the procedures done in 2008 were mainly performed on women, with over 9.3 million cosmetic procedures (92 percent of the total), while men make up eight percent of the demographic, with 800,000 procedures done on them. There was a decrease of over 11 percent in the total number of procedures from 2007 for women, and a decrease of over 21 percent for men.

In 2008, the top five surgical procedures performed were breast augmentation, liposuction, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). The top five non-surgical procedures, meanwhile, were Botox injection, laser hair removal, hyaluronic acid, chemical peel, and laser skin resurfacing.

Particularly, the top five surgical procedures for women in 2008 were breast augmentation, liposuction, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty, and breast reduction. The top five surgical procedures for men were liposuction, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, breast reduction to treat enlarged male breasts, and hair transplantation.

The statistics also show that Americans spent almost $11.8 billion on cosmetic surgery in 2008. Whoa.