2006 ASAPS U.S.A. Cosmetic Surgery Statistics

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The 2400-member American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is the only plastic surgery organization devoted entirely to the advancement of cosmetic surgery. ASAPS is recognized throughout the world as the authoritative source for cosmetic surgery education. U.S. and Canadian members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Here are the highlights of the 2006 cosmetic surgery statistics released by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

2006 marks the tenth consecutive year that multi-specialty data has been collected on these procedures.

ASAPS 2006 Cosmetic Surgery Trends

There were nearly 11.5 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures performed in the United States in 2006, as reported by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). Surgical procedures accounted for nearly 17% of the total with nonsurgical procedures making up 83% of the total.

From 2005-2006, there was a 1 percent increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures. Surgical procedures decreased by 9 percent, and nonsurgical procedures increased by 3 percent.

ASAPS Surgical Trends 2006

ASAPS Non-Surgical Trends 2006

Since 1997, there has been a 446 percent increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures. Surgical procedures increased by 98 percent, and nonsurgical procedures increased by 747 percent.

The top five surgical cosmetic procedures in 2006 were:

ASAPS Top 5 Surgical Procedures 2006

liposuction (403,684 procedures), down 11 percent from last year. Interestingly, 17% of these procedures were ultrasound-assisted Lipoplasty (UAL);
breast augmentation (383,886 procedures), up 5 per cent from 2005. 81.4% of these procedures used saline implants and 18.6% used silicone implants;
eyelid surgery (209,999 procedures), down 9 percent on last year;
abdominoplasty (172,457 procedures), an increase of 2 percent on 2005 figures;
and breast reduction (145,822 procedures), a decrease of 9 percent on last year. This figure may be skewed as some breast reduction procedures will be covered by health insurance policies.

The top five nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in 2006 were:

ASAPS Top 5 Non-Surgical Procedures 2006

Botox injection (3,181,592 procedures), down 3 per cent on 2005;
hyaluronic acid (1,593,554 procedures), an increase of 33 per cent on last year's figures;
laser hair removal (1,475,296 procedures), a decrease of 6 per cent on 2005;
microdermabrasion (993,071 procedures), a drop of 3 per cent compared to 2005;
and laser skin resurfacing (576,509 procedures), up 21 per cent on 2005. 6.8% of these procedures were performed with ablative lasers and 93.2% were performed with nonablative lasers.

Women had over 10.5 million cosmetic procedures, 92 percent of the total. Surgical procedures decreased 9 percent; nonsurgical procedures increased 4 percent. Since 1997, surgical procedures increased 123%, while nonsurgical procedures have increased 749%.

The top five surgical procedures for women were: breast augmentation, liposuction, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty and breast reduction.

Men had nearly 1 million cosmetic procedures, 8 percent of the total. Surgical procedures decreased 9 percent; nonsurgical procedures decreased 3 percent. Since 1997, surgical procedures have decreased 2% while nonsurgical procedures have increased 722%.

The top five surgical procedures for men were: liposuction, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, breast reduction to treat enlarged male breasts, and facelift.

People age 35-50 had the most procedures – 5.3 million and 47 percent of the total. People age 19-34 had 22 percent of procedures; age 51-64 had 25 percent; age 65-and-over had 5 percent; and age 18-and-younger had less than 2 percent.

Racial and ethnic minorities, as of last year, had approximately 22 percent of all cosmetic procedures, an increase of 2 percent from 2005: Hispanics, 10 percent; African- Americans, 6 percent; Asians, 5 percent; and other non-Caucasians, 1 percent.

Where cosmetic surgeries were performed: office facility, 46 percent, hospital 25 percent; and free-standing surgicenter, 29 percent.

Americans spent just under $12.2 billion on cosmetic procedures last year.

For more information, please visit the ASAPS website.