Why There’s a Startling Demand for Surgical Procedures
There’s a startling demand for surgical procedures in the United States. Data released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) shows 17.5 million surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S. in 2017. That’s a two percent increase over 2016. The number of people going under the knife continues to rise, even with an increase in non-invasive procedures like Botox and other fillers.
Botox is booming
Minimally invasive procedures increased at a slightly higher rate than surgical procedures in 2017. Trained physicians perform minimally invasive procedures. They typically involve small incisions. With non-invasive procedures, as the name implies, there’s no incision made in the skin. Three of the top five surgical procedures focused on the body, while the top minimally invasive procedures focused on the patient’s face.
That may be due to increasing awareness of one’s appearance, thanks to social media. In the age of the selfie, more people are concerned about how they look, and there are many cosmetic procedures available to help them improve their appearance.
Beauty is more than skin deep
But the need to look good is more than skin deep. It may be deeply rooted in a desire to succeed. Between 2016 and 2017, researchers at Northwestern University polled more than 500 people to learn why they decided to get Botox or fillers. Each person questioned had at least two cosmetic procedures performed.
Most of them were motivated to look better, including the desire for beautiful skin and a youthful, attractive appearance. One of the most common reasons given by respondents was to look ‘better’ in a professional context, while those who had the procedure done for themselves were in the minority.
Among the 15.7 million cosmetic minimally invasive procedures performed in 2017, the top 5 were:
- Botulinum Toxin Type A (7.23 million procedures, up 2 percent from 2016)
- Soft Tissue Fillers (2.69 million procedures, up 3 percent from 2016)
- Chemical Peel (1.37 million procedures, up 1 percent since 2016)
- Microdermabrasion (740,287 procedures, down 4 percent from 2016)
A surge in surgical procedures
Trends like butt lifts may be all the rage on Instagram, but natural looking breast augmentation is a surgery mainstay. Several factors go into achieving a natural look like age, skin quality, weight loss, and more.
There were nearly two million cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2017. The top five were:
- Breast augmentation (300,378 procedures, up 3 percent from 2016)
- Liposuction (246,354 procedures, up 5 percent from 2016)
- Nose reshaping (218,924 procedures, down 2 percent from 2016)
- Eyelid surgery (209,571 procedures, approximately the same as 2016)
- Tummy tuck (129,753 procedures, up 2 percent from 2016)
Demand in surgical procedures
With so many non-invasive options, surprisingly many people still choose surgery because it is effective. Botox, fillers, and chemical peels don’t have the same results as eyelid surgery or a nose job. New advances in surgery are making surgical procedures less invasive. Even though there are many excellent options available to patients to reduce the early signs of aging, none can replace the top cosmetic surgical procedures including breast augmentation, liposuction, and tummy tucks.
The best way to decide if plastic surgery or a non-invasive option is best for you is to have a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Your doctor can walk you through your options and discuss your hopes and expectations. Call us today at 301-656-6398 to get started.
September 18, 2018 12:36 pm
Categories: Blog, Cosmetic Surgery