Allure Exclusive: First Look at New Cosmetic Surgery Stats
By Joan Kron, Allure magazine
Clap if you think J.Lo and Beyoncé deserve a commission on the 40 percent rise in butt augmentations performed between 2009 and 2010-a figure (pardon the pun) released today in the 2010 Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank Statistics collected by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). Butt augmentations, the study found, are most popular with 19- to 34-year-olds. Butt lifts, which have increased by almost 30 percent, appeal more to the 35- to 50-year-old set (not a major shocker, because what 20-something has a saggy rear?).
Both procedures are up a full 100 percent since 1997, when neither was even on the radar. This data confirms one of the interesting findings in Allure's new Beauty Survey: that these days, ahem, the ass is class-or, put another way, a curvy caboose is a desired asset (get it? ass...et?). Other fascinating new ASAPS stats:
- In 2010, Americans spent $10.7 billion on cosmetic beautification.
- There were 10.6 million cosmetic procedures performed in 2010. Of those, 1.6 million were surgical (a 9 percent increase over 2009).
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- For the third year in a row, breast augmentation (up 214 percent since 1997) surpassed liposuction (up 63.4 percent since '97) as the most popular surgical procedure for women. Breast reduction was the third most popular procedure for women, with 138,152 procedures, almost triple since 1997.
- The abdominoplasty was ASAPS' fourth most performed surgical procedure. There were 137,925 abdominoplasties performed on women of all ages in 2010, up 13.3 percent since 2009 and up 32 percent since 1997, most likely due to safer techniques. Men got more tummy tucks, too: 7,004 of them in 2010 versus 4,882 in 2009. This information also backs up what Allure's Beauty Survey found: that members of both sexes desire flatter stomachs.
Related: What's Beautiful Now: The Allure American Beauty Survey
- Facelifts increased a whopping 35 percent. My theory as to why? What I call "injection fatigue"-a disenchantment with repeated trips to the doctor for shots that fill out wrinkles but don't always address the loose skin and and underlying drooping tissue that give a tired look. I asked Felmont Eaves III, president of ASAPS, who agreed that could be one reason and added this: "Probably the most important factor is the general recovery in the economy; patients who had been putting off having a facelift concerned over the expense or time off began to feel more secure and ready to move forward."
- That said, the overwhelming favorite among non-surgical treatments in 2010 were toxin shots- Botox and Dysport-which relax frowns temporarily. And though there were 2.5 million of these procedures, that was actually a decrease of 4.7 percent from 2009. If manufacturers are frowning about that figure, there is no way of telling…for obvious reasons.
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