Japan Mount Fuji

Japan Facts

National sport: Sumo. But baseball is popular, too.

Popular foods: Ramen noodles, rice, raw horse meat.

Terrain: More than 70% of Japan consists of mountains, including over 200 volcanoes.

What’s Trending in Tokyo and Beyond?

From jeans to jazz music, the Japanese have long had a love affair with things Western. That attitude appears to extend to their ideals of beauty as well.

“The young generation, both female and male, want to look more like Caucasian people,” says Susumu Takayanagi, MD, PhD, director of Mega Clinic and president of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. “For example, they want their noses more projected and narrower, and double eyelid surgery is the number one procedure in Japan.”

The Japanese work ethic has an influence on the types of procedures that are popular, too. For example, laser skin resurfacing, Botox and fillers, and fat injections are all growing in demand. The trend is quick recovery treatments—no pain, no swelling, no one notices.

“Usually, Japanese people are hard workers, and industry in Japan does not allow for long holidays,” Takayanagi says. “So most Japanese people like noninvasive treatments even though the change is not as evident as surgery.”

[Data source: International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery]

Did You Know?

The cost of plastic surgery in Japan is not only the highest in Asia, but also among the highest in the world.

[Source: Asian Plastic Surgery Guide]

Statistics

• Number of surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed in 2014: 1,260,351

• Percentage of global total: 6.2%

• Number of plastic surgeons in this country: 2,221

• Total surgical procedures: 326,398

• Total face & head procedures: 252,306

• Total breast procedures: 46,419

• Total body & extremity procedures: 27,674

• Total nonsurgical procedures: 933,953

Breaking It Down

Japan’s Top 5 Surgical Procedures

Eyelid Surgery: 138,990

Rhinoplasty: 38,779

Fat Grafting: 33,404

Liposuction: 22,454

Facelift: 21,077

Japan’s Top 5 Nonsurgical Procedures

Hair Removal: 310,851

Botulinum Toxin: 212,372

Hyaluronic Acid: 181,744

Chemical Peel: 94,548

Laser Skin Resurfacing: 81,933