NEW YORK, NY (February 25, 2016) – The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s preliminary survey findings from its procedural statistical data for the 2015 calendar year suggest that both surgical and nonsurgical procedures are on the rise. Both men and women are partaking in a variety of aesthetic procedures in steadily increasing numbers. Surgical procedures are up 7% with 1,912,468 procedures performed, nonsurgical procedures are up 22% with 10,879,909 procedures performed, and combined surgical and nonsurgical procedures are up 20% compared to last year’s data, with a total of 12,792,377 procedures performed.
James C. Grotting, MD, President of The Aesthetic Society states, “Our survey findings paint a clear picture of a healthy aesthetic marketplace, with considerable growth among surgical and nonsurgical procedures alike. As techniques and technologies advance, patients have an even wider array of options from non-invasive to invasive, semi-permanent to permanent, and it appears that both doctors and patients are getting accustomed to tailoring procedures to individual patient needs with all of the options at their disposal.”
More men are seeking out aesthetic enhancements and refinements, particularly when it comes to ridding themselves of excess fat and tissue in the form of male breast reduction, for the treatment of gynecomastia. There was a 25% increase in the number of men undergoing this procedure from 2014 – 2015 according to The Aesthetic Society’s latest statistics.
In addition to a surge in male patients, Daniel C. Mills, MD, President-Elect notes, “When it comes to aesthetic procedures, both surgical and nonsurgical, the trend across the board is subtlety. Ultimately, less is more on every level as patients seek out natural looking enhancements or tweaks.”
Among the latest trends:
- Fat grafting: Transferring patients’ own fat from a less desirable place, (love handles, under the chin) to a more desirable location, (buttocks, breasts and face) continues to gain traction, with nearly 50,000 fat grafting procedures to the face alone in 2015.
- Injectables: Botulinum Toxin, (including BOTOX, Dysport and Xeomin) and Hyaluronic Acid, (including Juvederm, Voluma, Perlane, Restylane and Belotero) are increasing in popularity due to improvements in formulations and an increase in FDA-approved uses to address everything from wrinkles and facial hollows in targeted areas to veiny or ‘older’ looking hands. Injectables saw a 21% year-over-year increase from 2014 to 2015.
- Buttock lifts: While buttock augmentation continues to be popular, with more than 20,000 procedures performed in 2015, (a combination of fat grafting and implants), buttock lifts saw a 32% increase this year, indicating an emerging trend towards a lifted and perkier appearance, without necessarily adding more volume.
- Nonsurgical skin tightening: Newer ultrasound techniques (including Ulthera, Thermage and Pelleve) which stimulate collagen growth to lift and tighten the skin are becoming significantly more popular, with a 58% increase in the past year. For many patients, this procedure enables them to postpone a more invasive surgical intervention.
- Tattoo and Hair Removal: Both saw significant increases in 2015, (37% and 39% respectively).
- Liposuction: The tried-and-true method for fat removal also saw considerable growth, up 16% from 2014, with 396,048 procedures performed.
ASAPS will be releasing its full statistical data for the 2015 calendar year in March.
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About The Aesthetic Society
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, is recognized as the world’s leading organization devoted entirely to aesthetic plastic surgery and cosmetic medicine of the face and body. The Aesthetic Society is comprised of over 2,600 Plastic Surgeons; Active Members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (USA) or by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and have extensive training in the complete spectrum of surgical and nonsurgical aesthetic procedures. International Active Members are certified by equivalent boards of their respective countries. All members worldwide adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and must meet stringent membership requirements.
About the The Aesthetic Society Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank
The Aesthetic Society, working with an independent research firm, compiled the 19-year national data for procedures performed 1997-2015. A paper-based questionnaire was mailed to 30,000 board-certified physicians. An online version of the questionnaire was also available. A total of 844 physicians returned questionnaires, of which 103 were retired or otherwise inactive during 2015.
Final figures have been projected to reflect nationwide statistics. Though the confidence intervals change by procedure, depending on the grouping’s sample size and the response variance, the overall survey portion of this research has a standard error of +/- 3.56% at a 95% level of confidence.
