The current economic climate will probably not have an impact on the long-term growth of plastic surgery. That was the comment on new statistics released Friday by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). In the US in 2009, 12.5 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed, down 1% from 2008, and up 69% since 2000. Nearly 5.2 million reconstructive plastic surgery procedures were performed last year.

American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)

“The industry has experienced some economic downturn during the later part of the decade due to the recession, but, overall, plastic surgery has seen growth in the first decade of the new millennium,” says ASPS President Michael McGuire, MD.  McGuire singled out the advent of injectable wrinkle fighters and other minimally invasive procedures as "the largest contributor to the increase in procedures over the past decade."

Cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures increased 1%, to nearly 11 million procedures in 2009. Minimally invasive procedures are up 99% since 2000. The top five minimally invasive procedures in 2009 were:
    
    * Botulinum toxin type A (4.8 million)
    * Soft tissue fillers (1.7 million)
    * Chemical peel (1.1 million)
    * Microdermabrasion (910,000)
    * Laser hair removal (893,000)

Cosmetic surgical procedures decreased 9%, with more than 1.5 million procedures in 2009. Surgical procedures are down 20% since 2000. The top five surgical procedures in 2009 were:
 
    * Breast augmentation (289,000)
    * Nose reshaping (256,000)
    * Eyelid surgery (203,000)
    * Liposuction (198,000)
    * Tummy tuck (115,000)

Reconstructive plastic surgery, which improves function and appearance to abnormal structures, increased 5 percent in 2009. The top five reconstructive procedures in 2009 were:

    * Tumor removal (3.9 million)
    * Laceration repair (332,000)
    * Scar revision (171,000)
    * Hand surgery (110,000)
    * Maxillofacial surgery (90,000)

ASPS procedural statistics are collected through the first online national database for plastic surgery procedures, Tracking Operations and Outcome for Plastic Surgeons (TOPS). This data, combined with the annual survey sent to American Board of Medical Specialties certified physicians most likely to perform these procedures, results in the most comprehensive census on plastic surgery.

[Source: ASPS]