The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) released the results of its annual Global Survey on Aesthetic/Cosmetic Procedures today, and the numbers show 19.3-percent overall increase in procedures performed by plastic surgeons in 2021—with more than 12.8 million surgical and 17.5 million nonsurgical procedures performed worldwide.
Besides a bump in overall procedures, liposuction rose to the top of the list, making it the number-one aesthetic surgery performed in 2021. With more than 1.9 million procedures and a 24.8-percent increase, the popular procedure overtook breast augmentation for the top slot (eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty and abdominoplasty also make up the top five for surgical procedures, while the top five nonsurgical procedures include botulinum toxin, hyaluronic acid, hair removal, skin tightening, and fat reduction).
“We’re seeing a generalized increase in the number of surgical and nonsurgical procedure in not only the U.S., but also worldwide,” says La Jolla, CA plastic surgeon Robert Singer, MD, who also points to the increase not only for females, but also for males. “While there is an ongoing and continued interest in eyelid surgery and rhinoplasties, we’re seeing a significant increase in body-contouring being performed.”
He also notes that “the country with the greatest number of board-certified plastic surgeons is the U.S., with Brazil second and Japan third.”
“These data clearly reflect the experience of recovery from the previous year’s negative impact of COVID-19 on aesthetic procedures and numbers now exceed the pre-pandemic ones,” said Dr. Gianluca Campiglio, Global Survey Editor and plastic surgeon in Italy, in a release. “We noticed an interesting increase in surgical procedures related to so called ‘body contouring,’ such as liposuction, which is now ranked as the most common procedure, ahead of breast augmentation for the first time in many years, and also a similar emerging trend for abdominoplasty, thigh lift and buttock augmentation. The lower increase in breast augmentation, and related increase in implant removals, also reflects our experience following publication of reports on BIA-ALCL in the preceding year.”
Positively summing up the findings, Eugene, OR plastic surgeon and ISAPS member surgeon Mark Jewell, MD points out that the latest procedural statistics by ISAPS demonstrate the value of aesthetic surgery and treatments worldwide for patients. “ISAPS member surgeons worldwide have the best qualifications to care for patients seeking aesthetic surgery and treatments. The statistics show solid growth in these procedures after COVID pandemic and that is great news.”
