Just how big is the cosmetic industry? How many Americans are using Botox? We scour through the Plastic Surgery Report for 2016 created by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons,1 for the most common trends and patterns in cosmetic procedures in the U.S. There are some reasonable extrapolations about trends that may be made from the data.
The Big Picture
- Over 16 billion dollars were spent on cosmetic procedures in the U.S. alone in 2016.
- 92% of cosmetic procedures are performed on women, but this ratio is narrowing as a trend.
- The 40-54-year-old demographic makeup almost 50% of all procedures performed.
- Non-surgical or minimally invasive procedures are roughly about ten times as popular as surgical procedures.
- Breast augmentation is the most popular surgical procedure, followed by liposuction and nose reshaping (rhinoplasty).
- Botox is the most popular non-surgical procedure by a wide margin, followed by soft tissue fillers and then chemical peels and laser hair removal.
Age Group: 13-19
| SURGICAL COSMETIC | CASES | NON-SURGICAL COSMETIC | CASES |
| Nose reshaping | 31,255 | Laser hair removal | 70,763 |
| Breast augmentation | 8,076 | Laser skin resurfacing | 28,779 |
| Breast reduction in men | 7,099 | Botox/Dysport | 20,676 |
| Ear surgery | 6,688 | Leg vein treatment | 19,602 |
| Dermabrasion | 3,847 | Microdermabrasion | 7,698 |
Unsurprisingly, this age group only accounts for 4% of surgical procedures and less than 1% of non-surgical procedures performed in 2016. Nose reshaping is the most popular surgical procedure, while laser hair removal is the most popular non-surgical procedure in this age category. Parental consent is required for any procedure for people younger than 18 years.2 Contrary to media hype, the trend for teenage plastic surgery is downwards, even in the United States, where legal requirements for performing elective surgery on minors are lower than most.3
Age Group: Age Group: 20-29
| SURGICAL COSMETIC | CASES | NON-SURGICAL COSMETIC | CASES |
| Breast augmentation | 82,042 | Laser hair removal | 240,083 |
| Nose reshaping | 70,210 | Botox/Dysport | 105,886 |
| Liposuction | 36,003 | Soft tissue filler | 69,101 |
| Breast Lift | 13,753 | Microdermabrasion | 59,889 |
| Tummy tuck | 12,192 | Laser skin resurfacing | 32,621 |
This age group accounts for 16% of all surgical procedures and only 4% of non-surgical procedures performed in 2016. Many people in this age group are still not concerned about wrinkles and fine lines just yet. They aren’t involved in “maintenance” procedures like Botox or soft tissue fillers, which account for a large segment of non-surgical procedures. In this age group, laser hair removal comes to the top for non-surgical procedures.
Age Group: 30-39
| SURGICAL COSMETIC | CASES | NON-SURGICAL COSMETIC | CASES |
| Breast augmentation | 108,513 | Botox/Dysport | 1,275,146 |
| Liposuction | 79,293 | Laser hair removal | 324,195 |
| Nose reshaping | 52,658 | Soft tissue filler | 278,839 |
| Tummy tuck | 45,088 | Microdermabrasion | 177,380 |
| Breast Lift | 30,698 | Chemical peel | 177,297 |
This age group accounts for 23% of all surgical procedures and 17% of all non-surgical procedures performed in 2016. The big bump in non-cosmetic procedures is due to more patients starting Botox to control the upper lines. Laser hair removal is still the second most popular non-surgical procedure.
Age Group: 40-55
| SURGICAL COSMETIC | CASES | NON-SURGICAL COSMETIC | CASES |
| Liposuction | 92,078 | Botox/Dysport | 4,051,194 |
| Eyelid surgery | 89,022 | Soft tissue filler | 1,217,089 |
| Breast augmentation | 84,732 | Chemical peel | 567,431 |
| Tummy tuck | 52,697 | Laser hair removal | 402,520 |
| Nose reshaping | 46,621 | Microdermabrasion | 344,381 |
This age group accounts for 34% of all surgical procedures performed, with liposuction topping the list and 51% of non-surgical procedures of all procedures performed in 2016. Botox and soft tissue fillers are extremely popular with this age group, and there are almost four times as many Botox indications compared to the 30s demographic.
Age Group: 55+
| SURGICAL COSMETIC | CASES | NON-SURGICAL COSMETIC | CASES |
| Eyelid surgery | 101,251 | Botox/Dysport | 1,603,353 |
| Facelift | 85,500 | Soft tissue filler | 901,667 |
| Dermabrasion | 35,813 | Chemical peel | 593,003 |
| Liposuction | 24,112 | Laser skin resurfacing | 234,294 |
| Forehead Lift | 23,719 | Microdermabrasion | 185,566 |
This age group accounts for 23% of all surgical procedures and 27% of all non-surgical procedures performed in 2016. The types of procedures are unique: Facelifts, which is the most popular surgical procedure in this age group, do not show up in the top 5 of any other age group.
The full report can be accessed here.
Use #AskDermLetter to ask us skincare questions on Twitter. Follow us @SkinExpertsTalks for daily tips and articles on skincare.
1An excellent starting point when searching for a qualified plastic surgeon in the United States. All the important information about procedures, safety, as well as a list of surgeons by geographic location are available on their website:https://www.plasticsurgery.org/
2The American Society of Plastic Surgeons advises parents that: The desire comes from the teen themselves and not the parents or anybody else, that the teen be emotionally mature, and understand the limitations of any surgical procedures, and to have realistic expectations. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/briefing-papers/briefing-paper-plastic-surgery-for-teenagers
3 For more data and treatment of unique issues involved in plastic surgery on minors: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4411597/
