American Society of Plastic Surgeons Reveals 2022’s Top Procedures
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the world’s largest plastic surgery organisation, has released the 2022 results of the organisation’s procedural research.
“This year’s study supports the larger trend of the public’s growing desire to look and feel better in their own skin,” said ASPS President Gregory Greco, DO, FACS. “As interest in and acceptance of plastic surgery grows, ASPS member surgeons remain committed to upholding rigorous standards of safety and the continued prioritisation of patient and provider education.”
Top overall cosmetic and reconstructive procedures
According to this data, there has been a 19% increase in cosmetic surgery procedures since 2019. Of the nearly 1.5 million cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2022, the top 5 were:
- Liposuction (up 23% from 2019)
- Abdominoplasty (up 37% from 2019)
- Breast lift (up 30% from 2019)
- Eyelid surgery (up 13% from 2019)
- Breast reduction (up 54% from 2019)
Of the nearly 23.7 million cosmetic minimally invasive procedures performed in 2022, the top 5 were:
- Wrinkle relaxing injections (up 70% from 2019)
- Hyaluronic acid fillers (up 70% from 2019)
- Skin resurfacing
- Skin treatment, combination lasers
- Lip augmentation with hyaluronic acid fillers
Looking at a post-pandemic world compared to data from 2019, ASPS has seen significant growth in the number of procedures performed overall. Patients are no longer putting off the procedures they have been considering, which may be attributed to more time spent working from home and the flexibility hybrid work schedules offer patients for recovery.
Face and neck take focus: Patients often enhance their appearance beginning with the features that they first see in the mirror: the face and the neck. Certain trends and behaviour during COVID contributed to the latest plastic surgery trends; masks made eyes the main focal point of the face for almost a year, which likely contributed to a surge in the number of eyelid surgeries, making it the fourth most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in 2022. The past year also saw an 8% rise in facelift procedures and a 150% increase in cheek implants.
Body-centric procedures remained prominent: Post-COVID weight fluctuations resulted in an increase in both surgical and non surgical procedures, with a 23% rise in liposuction and a 77% rise in noninvasive fat reduction procedures compared to 2019.
Breast augmentation remained a popular cosmetic surgical procedure: as the close second to liposuction, while breast lifts earned the fourth spot with a 30% rise since the onset of the pandemic. There was a surge in patient demand for cosmetic breast reductions – up 54% compared to 2019, pointing toward a broader trend of individuals valuing both comfort and aesthetics.
Social media influences trends and perception: Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a steady rise in transparency as patients have been more open to sharing their plastic surgery journeys on social media, which contributed to an increase in certain procedures. Lip augmentation with fillers secured a spot in the top five most sought-after minimally invasive treatments for the first time, and buccal fat removal procedures also rose. While this particular surgery was not tracked in 2019, there were over 4,500 procedures in 2022.
“With the rise of social media, we’ve noticed plastic surgery has become less stigmatised as people share their experiences or interest in certain procedures,” said Dr. Greco.
