2009 Statistics on Cosmetic Plastic Surgery from ASAPS

In 2009, for the second year in a row, breast augmentation retained its top spot on the list of most popular cosmetic surgical procedures in the United States, according to the latest statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). Liposuction came in second on the list, with blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), rhinoplasty (nose job) and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) rounding out the top five.

Overall, close to 10 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States in 2009, representing a 2 percent decrease from the previous year. This recent downward trend, which began in 2008, continues to be attributed to the nationwide economic recession.

Of those 10 million procedures, the vast majority (85%) were nonsurgical. The number of surgical procedures decreased by 17 percent, while the number of nonsurgical procedures increased by almost 1 percent.

Additionally, Americans spent almost $10.5 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2009, down from just under $12 billion the previous year.

Cosmetic Surgery: Highlights from 2009

The top five surgical cosmetic procedures in 2009 were:

  1. Breast augmentation
  2. Liposuction
  3. Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty)
  4. Rhinoplasty (nose job)
  5. Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck)

The top five nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in 2009 were:

  1. Botox injection
  2. Laser hair removal
  3. Hyaluronic acid injections
  4. Microdermabrasion
  5. Laser skin resurfacing

Less Nipping and Tucking by Both Men and Women in 2009

Breaking down cosmetic procedures by gender, almost 91 percent of all procedures in 2009 were performed on women, compared to just over 9 percent for men. Those percentages have remained relatively the same in recent years.

The demographic that underwent the most cosmetic work in 2009 was the 35 to 50 age group, which accounted for almost 4.5 million procedures, or 44 percent of the total procedures performed. As it has in the recent past, liposuction remained the top surgical procedure in this age group, and Botox injection was far and away the top nonsurgical procedure.

More than 26 percent of the total procedures performed were done on people aged 51 to 64, who underwent 2.6 million cosmetic procedures. The most often performed surgical procedure in this group was blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, and the most popular nonsurgical procedure was, once again, Botox injection.

The third most active group when it came to cosmetic procedures was the 19 to 34 set. They had just over 20 percent of the total procedures performed in 2009. The most commonly performed surgical procedure by far was breast augmentation, while Botox injection remained the most popular nonsurgical procedure.

Senior citizens aged 65 and older had almost 7 percent of cosmetic surgery procedures in 2009. They most often had blepharoplasty (cosmetic eyelid surgery) and Botox injections.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the youngest age group listed in the ASAPS statistics – teens aged 18 or younger – had less than 2 percent of the 2009 procedures. Rhinoplasty ("nose job") and laser hair removal were most popular with them.

Traditional racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 20 percent of all cosmetic procedures in 2009. The breakdown was as follows: Hispanics had 9 percent of the procedures, followed by African-Americans (6%), Asians (4%) and other non-Caucasians (3%).

Charts of Selected Statistics

SurgicalNumber of
Procedures		NonsurgicalNumber of
Procedures
Breast augmentation 311,957Botox 2,557,068
Lipoplasty (liposuction) 283,735 Laser hair removal 1,280,031
Eyelid surgery 149,943 Hyaluronic acid (including Hylaform,
Juvederm, Perlane/Restylane)		 1,313,038
Rhinoplasty 138,258 Microdermabrasion 621,943
Abdominoplasty 127,923 Chemical peel 529,285
SurgicalNumber of
Procedures		NonsurgicalNumber of
Procedures
Breast augmentation 311,957Botox 2,299,282
Lipoplasty 243,217 Hyaluronic acid (including Hylaform,
Juvederm, Perlane/Restylane)		 1,221,820
Eyelid surgery 124,939Laser hair removal 1,113,996
Abdominoplasty 123,041 Chemical peel 565,031
Breast reduction 113,511 Laser skin resurfacing 492,335
SurgicalNumber of
Procedures		NonsurgicalNumber of
Procedures
Liposuction 40,519Botox injection 257,786
Rhinoplasty 32,661Laser hair removal 166,035
Eyelid surgery 25,004Hyaluronic acid (including Hylaform,
Juvederm, Perlane/Restylane)		 91,218
Gynecomastia 16,801 Laser Skin Resurfacing 48,980
Hair transplantation 13,064 Microdermabrasion 56,912
% of
Total		AgeNumber of
Procedures		Top Surgical
Procedure		Top Nonsurgical
Procedure
44%35-50 4.5 millionLiposuctionBotox
27%51-64 2.6 millionEyelid surgeryBotox
20%19-34 2 millionBreast augmentationLaser hair removal
7%65 and over 676,930 Eyelid surgeryBotox
2%18 and under 203,308 RhinoplastyLaser hair removal

To create this snapshot of the year in cosmetic surgery, ASAPS sent out more than 21,000 surveys to board-certified plastic surgeons, dermatologists and otolaryngologists. A total of 928 completed responses were received in time for tabulation.

Related Topics

Source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

[page updated April 11, 2011]