Summary: The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) reported a 5.5% increase in surgical procedures in 2023, totaling over 15.8 million surgeries and 19.1 million non-surgical procedures worldwide. Liposuction remained the most common surgical procedure, while botulinum toxin was the most popular non-surgical procedure.

Key takeaways:

  • Face and head procedures saw significant growth, with a 19.6% increase from the previous year.
  • The United States and Brazil performed the most procedures, with over 6.1 million and 3.3 million respectively.

The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) released the results of its annual Global Survey on Aesthetic/Cosmetic Procedures at the ISAPS World Congress in Cartagena, Colombia, showing a higher increase of 5.5% in surgical procedures, with more than 15.8 million procedures performed by plastic surgeons and 19.1 non-surgical procedures. Over the last 4 years, the overall increase is 40%. 

Liposuction Most Common Procedure 

Liposuction was the most common surgical procedure in 2023 as in 2022, with more than 2.2 million, followed by breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty, and rhinoplasty. The most popular non-surgical procedures were botulinum toxin, hyaluronic acid, hair removal, non-surgical skin tightening, and non-surgical fat reduction.

Face and Head Procedures Increasing

All face and head procedures showed notable growth from the previous year, with more than 6.5 million procedures and a 19.6% increase. Top procedures were eyelid with more than 1.7 million and a 24% increase, rhinoplasty with 1.1 million procedures and a 21.6% increase, and lip enhancement/perioral procedures with 0.9 million and a 29% increase. There were 4.1 million breast procedures (-5%) and 5.1 million body and extremities procedures (-0.4%).

Eyelid Surgery Top Procedure for Men

Liposuction became the most common surgical procedure for women replacing breast augmentation, with 1.8 million procedures and a significant increase of 29% compared to 2021. Eyelid surgery was the most popular surgical procedure among men, replacing liposuction.

Age Factor

Most breast augmentations (53.7% of the total) and rhinoplasties (65.8%) took place on 18–34-year-olds, whereas botulinum toxin injectables were most popular among those aged 35–50 (49% of the total). 

Botulinum Toxin Most Common Non-Surgical Procedure

Botulinum toxin remained the most common non-surgical procedure for both men and women and across all age groups, with 8.8 million procedures performed by plastic surgeons worldwide. In second place, hyaluronic acid procedures increased by 29% to 5.5 million. 

Increase in Procedures for Men

Commenting on the global results, Dr Gianluca Campiglio, global survey editor and plastic surgeon in Italy said, “Although 85.5% of the total number of aesthetic procedures are performed on women, procedures in men have a higher increase, mainly explained by the 18% increase of surgical procedures in face and head.” 

Country Statistics

The United States performed the most procedures with over 6.1 million, followed by Brazil with 3.3 million, which is first in surgical procedures with 2.1 million. The United States and Brazil are estimated to have the most plastic surgeons, followed by Japan, China, India, and South Korea.

Surgical procedures continue to be performed primarily in hospitals (46.9% worldwide) or office facilities (31.4%). On average, the countries seeing the highest proportion of foreign patients are Colombia, Mexico, Turkiye, Syria, and Thailand.

Dr Lina Triana, ISAPS President and plastic surgeon in Colombia said, “Considering that medical procedures abroad (“medical tourism”) are increasingly popular and that regulation and safety guidelines differ significantly from place to place, we encourage patients to choose a board-certified, specialized plastic surgeon, trained and experienced in the procedure. At ISAPS, we are working to inspire and nurture excellence in Aesthetic Education Worldwide for the safety of our patients.”