The first international survey of plastic surgeons has been completed, providing data on the worldwide number of cosmetic procedures performed in 2009 by board certified plastic surgeons. Thanks to ISAPS, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, we can now better understand the growth of this medical specialty.
The most popular cosmetic surgery, according to the data, is liposuction, followed by breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty and tummy tuck. Although procedures varied among different countries, the U.S., Brazil, China, Mexico, India and Japan represented the bulk of the top five surgical procedures. The total estimated number of cosmetic procedures performed by board-certified (or equivalent) plastic surgeons was 17,295,557.
Interestingly, plastic surgeons reported more non-surgical procedures than surgical procedures, with the most common treatment being botulinum toxin injections (Botox or Dysport).
The survey data was released in time for the 20th Biennial Congress of ISAPS, which is taking place right now in San Francisco. Read more on isaps.org or prnewswire.com