The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has released supplemental data to its 2022 procedural statistics. The newest study breaks down data by age, gender, and surgical fees.
“Looking deeper into the trends that are driving the data in the 2022 study, we’re continuing to see patients prioritize comfort and self-confidence above all,” says ASPS President Steven Williams, MD. “Alongside the increasing interest in plastic surgery, and as new techniques, products and trends continue to emerge, it is imperative to ASPS that the pursuit of beauty and comfort remains rooted in safety, authenticity, and wellbeing.”
Generational Plastic Surgery Trends
Across age groups, Generation X (age 40-54) accounted for 45%, and Baby Boomers (ages 55-69) accounted for 30% of total cosmetic procedures, while Millennials (ages 30-39) accounted for 16% and Generation Z (ages <19 to 29) accounted for 6%. Patients over age 70 accounted for 3%.
Gen X specifically accounted for 35% of cosmetic surgeries and 46% of minimally invasive procedures. In reference to the total number of procedures performed in 2022, Gen X accounted for the following:
- 48% of all tummy tucks
- 51% of all buttock lifts
- 43% of all breast implant removals
- 57% of all neuromodulator injections
- 50% of all hyaluronic acid fillers
In reference to the total number of procedures performed in 2022, other generations accounted for the following:
- 50% of total facial procedures were accounted for by Baby Boomers.
- 35% of breast augmentations were accounted for by Millennials.
- 41% of buttock augmentations with fat grafting were accounted for by Millennials.
- 37% of rhinoplasties were accounted for by Gen Z.
- 25% of cheek implants were accounted for by Gen Z
Men and Plastic Surgery
Men have increasingly invested in their looks, with over 1.5 million male patients seeking plastic surgery, specifically minimally invasive cosmetic surgeries. In 2022, over 1.4 million male patients took advantage of the shorter recovery time and more immediate results that minimally invasive surgery offers, resulting in a staggering 253% increase since 2019.
Top procedures included neuromodulator injections, commonly called “Brotox,” and dermal fillers, which jumped 65% and 70% in male patients respectively since 2019. Sclerotherapy, the most common treatment for improving the appearance of varicose and spider veins on the legs, saw a rise of 54 percent in male patients from 2019.
As it pertains to surgical cosmetic procedures, male patients accounted for 88,876 of the 1.5 million procedures in 2022, a 4% decrease from 2019. Yet, there were some procedures that grew in popularity in 2022 among male patients. Men accounted for the following in comparison to overall total number of surgeries:
- 12% all eyelid surgeries
- 39% of ear surgeries
- 19% of cheek implants, an 80% jump from 2019
- 36% of chin augmentation, a 32% jump from 2019
- 10% of lower body lifts, a 61% surge jump from 2019
Surgeon Fees
Despite high inflation in a post-pandemic economy, people continued to spend and invest in themselves through plastic surgery. The average surgeon’s fees for minimally invasive procedures are also lower than most surgical procedures, ranging from $530 to $1,800. The surgeon’s fee for cosmetic surgeries can range from $3,000 to $10,000. In 2022, patients spent upwards of $26 billion on both minimally invasive and surgical procedures in the U.S.
Costs can fluctuate depending on the surgeon, procedure and region, yet, on average, surgeon fees for some popular procedures either decreased in cost or rose less than inflation in 2022.
More demand has led to more supply, and, in some cases, decreasing costs since 2019. While inflation in 2022 was almost 7%, the surgeon’s cost for surgeries such as cheek implants, chin augmentation and ear surgery increased only between 3% and 4%. Average fees for a few of the top overall procedures dipped, including:
- Eyelid surgery dropped by $900.
- Breast augmentation dropped by almost $500.
- Noninvasive fat reduction dropped by almost $260.
- Nonsurgical skin tightening dropped by $476.
