Plastic surgery is currently experiencing a boom and has been for some time. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Americans had nearly 17.7 million cosmetic procedures in 2018. Also, there were 5.8 reconstructive procedures performed.
Below you find some information on the most common types of plastic surgery procedures performed by plastic surgeons and their rate of occurrence:
Botox:
This cosmetic treatment is by far the most common non-evasive procedure. There were 7.4 million (up from 5.7 million in 2012) of these procedures performed last year. One of the factors that makes Botox so preferable is its low-cost and low risk.
Mammaplasty:
The most common surgical procedure is mammaplasty (breast augmentation). There were 313,000 breast enlargement surgeries in 2018 (compared to 296,203 procedures in 2012). New innovative technology has increased the success and safety of this surgery making it even more popular for women.
Abdominoplasty:
An abdominoplasty, otherwise known as a tummy tuck, is another very popular elective procedure. Last year, around 30,000 procedures were performed (compared to 116,000 in 2012). Tummy tucks are most common in women; however, men can have them as well. Most tummy tucks are requested by women because of damage to the abdomen during pregnancy. This procedure is safe and usually effective. For this reason, it is a very common plastic surgery.
Lipectomy:
Around 258,000 lipectomy (liposuction) procedures were performed in 2012 (compared to 203,103 in 2012). Liposuction is a very common procedure often repeated by the same person more than one time during their lifetime. It effectively removes fat from several areas of the body including the thighs, buttocks, stomach and arms.
Blepharoplasty:
Blepharoplasty, otherwise known as eyelid surgery, is another very common cosmetic procedure. There were around 206,000 procedures performed last year (compared to 208,000 in 2012). Eyelid surgery is preformed to correct drooping of the upper eyelids and bags below the eyes. This is accomplished by removing extra skin, muscle and fat from the eye.
NOTE: This article was recently edited and republished. It was originally published Dec 17, 2012.