2010 Statistics on Cosmetic Plastic Surgery from ASAPS

The demand for cosmetic surgical procedures rose nearly 9 percent in 2010, according to statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). This growth stands in contrast to 2009, which saw a 17 percent decrease in surgical procedures.

While surgical procedures increased in 2010, minimally invasive cosmetic procedures declined by almost 9 percent, the ASAPS notes, compared with a 1 percent increase in 2009.

Altogether, 9.3 million surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in 2010. That number is 6.3 percent lower than the 9.9 million performed in 2009.

Americans still spent slightly more on cosmetic treatments in 2010 than in 2009 ($10.7 billion versus $10.5 billion).

Cosmetic Surgery: Highlights from 2010

The top five surgical cosmetic procedures in 2010 were:

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

Breast reduction was a new addition to the top five list, replacing rhinoplasty (nose job) from 2009.

The top five nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in 2010 were:

  1. Botox injections
  2. Hyaluronic acid injections
  3. Laser hair removal
  4. Laser skin resurfacing
  5. Chemical peel

This list differs from 2009 in that chemical peel inched on and microdermabrasion fell off.

Gender and Age Trends in Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

Women underwent 92 percent of all cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in 2010. They received approximately 8.6 million procedures — 1.5 million surgical and 7.1 nonsurgical.

Men had 8 percent of procedures, for a total of 750,000 — 140,000 surgical and 610,000 nonsurgical.

Men and women between the ages of 35 and 55 had the largest number of procedures — 4.1 million, or 44 percent of the total. The age group with the next highest number of procedures was the 51-64 group, with 2.6 million procedures, or 28 percent of the total. Americans aged 19 to 34 underwent 1.8 million procedures, for 19.7 percent of the total. Seniors aged 65 and over accounted for 7.3 percent of procedures, for a total of 685,000. Children 18 and under received the fewest number of procedures, at 125,000 (1.3 percent of the total).

Charts of Selected Statistics

SurgicalNumber of
Procedures		NonsurgicalNumber of
Procedures
Breast augmentation 318,123Botox 2,437,165
Liposuction 289,016 Hyaluronic acid (including Hylaform,
Juvederm, Perlane/Restylane)		 1,315,121
Eyelid surgery 152,123Laser hair removal 936,270
Abdominoplasty 144,929 Laser skin resurfacing 562,706
Breast reduction 138,152 Chemical peel 493,896

Source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

SurgicalNumber of
Procedures		NonsurgicalNumber of
Procedures
Breast augmentation 318,123Botox 2,211,930
Liposuction 251,834 Hyaluronic acid (including Hylaform,
Juvederm, Perlane/Restylane)		 1,245,333
Breast reduction 138,152Laser hair removal 817,383
Abdominoplasty 137,925 Laser skin resurfacing 518,275
Eyelid surgery 131,448 Chemical peel 469,570

Source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

SurgicalNumber of
Procedures		NonsurgicalNumber of
Procedures
Liposuction 37,183Botox 225,235
Rhinoplasty 30,099Laser hair removal 118,888
Eyelid surgery 20,675Hyaluronic acid (including Hylaform,
Juvederm, Perlane/Restylane)		 69,788
Gynecomastia 18,256 Laser skin resurfacing 44,430
Otoplasty 10,849 IPL laser treatment 35,935

Source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

% of
Total		AgeNumber of
Procedures		Top Surgical
Procedure		Top Nonsurgical
Procedure
43.7%35-50 4,075,662LiposuctionBotox
28.0%51-64 2,610,240FaceliftBotox
19.7%19-34 1,840,748Breast augmentationBotox
7.3%65 and older 684,768 FaceliftBotox
1.3%18 and under 125,379 OtoplastyLaser hair removal

Source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery


To obtain these statistics, the ASAPS surveyed 22,000 board-certified physicians, including plastic surgeons, dermatologists and otolaryngologists. The final report is based on 938 responses. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.14 percent.

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[page updated May 11, 2011]