Plastic surgery is on the rise in the UK, according to new statistics from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).
The number of rhinoplasty, facelifts, and breast augmentations all increased by more than 10% last year, and liposuction shot up by 41% since 2012.
Overall, there were 50,122 cosmetic procedures performed in the UK in 2013 — a rise of 17% from 2012.
This all took place in the wake of the faulty PIP breast implant scandal. Two years after the PIP crisis, breast augmentation with implants rose by 13% and breast enhancements were the most popular surgery among women.
“The number of procedures undergone by both men and women has increased in impressive numbers; it is encouraging to see that despite — or perhaps because of — a turbulent period in the sector, patient confidence in selecting appropriately trained and qualified surgeons is growing rapidly,” says BAAPS President-Elect Michael Cadier, MB, BS, MS, FRCS, in a news release.
Male plastic surgery numbers rose by 16% overall, but the proportion held steady from last year, with men still accounting for one in 10 aesthetic procedures. Body contouring procedures showed the biggest increase among males, with liposuction up by 28% and gynaecomastia up by 24%, the survey showed.
The top 10 procedures were:
1) Breast augmentation up 13% to 11,135
2) Eyelid surgery up 14% to 7,808
3) Face and neck lifts up 13% to 6,380
4) Breast reduction up 12.5% to 5,476
5) Nose jobs up 17% to 4,878
6) Liposuction up 41% to 4,326
7) Tummy tucks up 16% to 3,466
8) Fat transfer operations up 14.5% to 3,302
9) Brow lifts up 17% to 2,138
10) Ear corrections up 14% to 1,213
“Both the UK economy and the British public seem to be well on the way to regaining their shape with the most impressive rise in demand for cosmetic surgery we have seen since the onset of the recession in 2008,” says BAAPS President Rajiv Grover, BSc, MB, BS, MD, FRCS, in a news release. “Patient confidence and also consumer confidence has returned with Britons choosing to spend on procedures with proven track records such as liposuction, which remains the gold standard for body contouring.”