2008 ASAPS Procedural Statistics

Every year, ASAPS - the pre-eminent organization for aesthetic plastic surgeons - compiles statistics on common plastic surgery operations and trends in surgery. The latest report, on last year's surgical activity, was released today, and includes figures from Board-certified Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists and Otolaryngologists (Ear, Nose & Throat).

Here are some of the highlights:

- In 2008, over 10 million cosmetic procedures (both surgical and nonsurgical) were performed. This was divided into 1.7 million surgical procedures and 8.4 million non-surgical procedures (botox, fillers, etc.)

- Not unexpectedly given the economy, these numbers are down somewhat compared to the previous year - by about 12 percent overall.

- The top 5 surgical procedures in 2008 were: breast augmentation (355,000), liposuction (341,000), eyelid surgery (195,000), rhinoplasty (152,000) and abdominoplasty (147,000).

- The top 5 non-surgical procedures in 2008 were: Botox injection (2.4 million), laser hair removal (1.2 million), hyaluronic gel fillers like Juvederm and Restylane (1.2 million), chemical peel (591,000) and laser skin resurfacing (570,000).

- Women had 92% of the total, men 8%.

- The most popular operation for women overall was breast augmentation, while the most popular for men was liposuction.

- 62% of women and 51% of men approve of cosmetic surgery. Forty percent of women would consider surgery for themselves, either now or in the future.

The full report can be viewed at www.surgery.org.