Cosmetic procedures are becoming popular in China and India, according to the latest worldwide plastic surgery statistics issued earlier this month by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ISAPS).
ISAPS Biennial Global Survey of plastic surgeons and procedures marks the first time that reliable international plastic surgery data has been collected and analyzed. The survey represents 75 percent of all procedures performed in 2009 by plastic surgeons in the top 25 countries and regions.
Worldwide almost 31,000 plastic surgeons performed over 8.5 million surgical procedures and 8.6 million non-surgical procedures, for a total of 17.2 million procedures.
With over 3 million cosmetic procedures performed (17.5%) by almost 6,000 plastic surgeons, the U.S. dominates the cosmetic market. Brazil, another big cosmetic surgery market, came in second with over 2.5 million procedures (14.3%). China and India, developing countries not associated with cosmetic surgery, came in third and fourth place with over 2 million (12.7%) and almost 900,000 (5.2%) cosmetic procedures, respectively. Mexico came in fifth with over 800,000 procedures (4.8%).
“It is no surprise to me that the United States has the largest number of aesthetic procedures, and same with Brazil,” says ISAPS President Foad Nahai, M.D., a board certified plastic surgeon in Atlanta. “But countries like China and India with emerging economies are generating a lot of wealth and as that wealth gets passed around, people are choosing to spend discretionary income on aesthetic procedures.”
The 5 most popular surgical procedures performed were liposuction, breast augmentation, blepharoplasty (eye lid surgery), rhinoplasty (nose job) and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). However, the popularity of certain surgical procedures varied by country. Liposuction was the most widely performed surgical procedure in Brazil, the U.S and India. But, in China, Mexico, Japan and S. Korea, breast augmentation was the most popular.
The 5 most popular non-surgical procedures performed included Botulinum, hyaluronic acid injections (e.g., Juvederm), laser hair removal, fat injections and IPL laser treatment. As a treatment, Botulinum (Botox, Dysport) was the most popular non-surgical treatment across the five leading nations. The U.S., along with Brazil and China, accounted for over 40 percent of cosmetic non-surgical procedures, driven by the popularity of injectables, fillers and laser hair removal.
The release of the statistics coincides with the 20th Biennial Congress of ISAPS to be held this week in San Francisco.
The Bottom Line
If you’re a Baby Boomer, you’re expectation about aging is quite a bit different than your parents. Forget about aging gracefully. We're going to fight it every step of the way!
Fortunately, today a wide variety of professional skin care products, non-surgical treatments and surgical procedures are not only available but affordable for all budgets. Aesthetics has opened up to a much wider and younger audience. So, you can look great for your age whether you’re in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.
Just remember - to obtain the best results, don't forget to address your diet and lifestyle. It makes no sense to invest in an expensive procedure if you continue to smoke or sit in the sun. So, if you’re having a surgical procedure, ensure that your body has the nutrients it needs to repair tissue and speed your recovery. Or, if you’re having multiple treatments (e.g, IPL, Fraxel) be sure to provide your skin with the nutrients it needs to build new collagen, elastin and other dermal components