Facts about Plastic Surgery

Origins and History of Plastic Surgery

• Plastic surgery has been practiced for over 2700 years, since about 600 B. C.
• Barber shops became popular places to perform plastic surgery from 1400 to 1700
• The father of modern plastic surgery was an Italian-Gaspare Tagliacozzi (1546-1599)
• The first breast augmentation surgery took place in Germany in 1893
• The American Association of Plastic Surgery was formed in 1931 by surgeons who served in World War I
• Plastic surgery including skin grafts, limb rebuilding and microsurgery, were widely practiced during World War II
• In the 1960s, silicone breast implants became popular. However, side effects included breast amputation due to infection and "pendulous" breasts by the age of forty
• In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill requiring insurance companies to pay for reconstructive breast surgery for women who had a mastectomy

Plastic Surgery Types

• Currently, the plastic surgery that's performed the most is Botox. Botox is a protein injected into the skin that leaves a smooth facial appearance.
• Liposuction is the most popular plastic surgery for men and women combined
• The most popular plastic surgical procedure for women is breast augmentation
• There are more than 1.4 million laser hair procedures performed yearly in the United States
• The top five surgical cosmetic procedures are liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty (nose jobs) and face lifts
• The top five non-surgical cosmetic procedures are botox, laser hair removal, chemical peel, microdermabrasion and hyaluronic acid injections (for knee osteoarthritis) 

Men and Women and Plastic Surgery

• Over 90% of plastic surgery patients are women
• More than 10 million women have a plastic procedure each year
• About 1 million men have plastic procedures each year
• Almost half a million liposuction procedures are performed on women each year
• Over 60,000 liposuction procedures are performed on men each year
• Two thirds of plastic surgery patients are repeat patients

Plastic Surgery and Age

• About three quarters of a million cosmetic procedures are performed on 20 to 20 year olds
• Over 2 million cosmetic procedures are performed on 30 to 39 year olds
• Over 5.3 million cosmetic procedures are performed on 40 to 54 year olds
• More than 3 million cosmetic procedures are performed on people age 55 and older

Plastic Surgery and Money

• Over $10 billion is spent on all U.S. cosmetic surgery each year
• Over $1.2 billion is spent annually on liposuction
• More than $1.1 billion is spent annually on breast augmentation each year
• A single botox injection averages about $390