The most popular plastic surgery procedures of the year

Plastic surgery is breaking records. America’s growing obsession with beauty is fuelling the rapid growth of the cosmetic industry. Almost 14 billion dollars was spent on plastic surgery last year — the highest figure recorded since 1997, according to a new report by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

The data count 12.8 million surgical and minimally invasive procedures performed in 2015, 20% more than the previous year. The number of surgical operations rose by 7%, while non-surgical procedures, such as Botox injections, increased by 22%.

The most popular procedures in plastic surgery

Shaping your buttocks like J.Lo’s, otherwise known as buttock implants, is currently the fastest-growing type of cosmetic surgery. Whereas very few such operations were performed in 2000, by 2015 the number had grown to 20,713 procedures.

Liposuction is the most common cosmetic procedure, performed almost 400,000 times last year — 16% more than the previous year and 124% more than in 1997. Americans spent almost 1.3 billion dollars on liposuction in 2015, with each procedure costing an average of $3,176.

Botox injections, rated the top non-surgical procedure since 2000, were performed 4.2 million times last year. Collagen and other fillers came second among non-surgical procedures, followed by chemical peels, laser hair removal and microdermabrasion.

Data on the various types of fat grafting became available for the first time in 2015. Facial fat grafting became the 9th most popular surgical procedure, with 48,059 procedures performed.

Selfies have triggered a cosmetic surgery boom, say doctors

Women choose cosmetic surgery far more often than men, accounting for 90.5% of all procedures. Since 1997, the number of cosmetic procedures performed on women has risen by 538%. Cosmetic procedures are also becoming increasingly popular among men, rising by 525% since 1997.

Top 5 cosmetic procedures in 2015 for women and men:

Women Men
Rank Area Number Area Number
1 Liposuction 344,677 Liposuction 51,370
2 Breast augmentation 305,856 Nose surgery 30,928
3 Tummy tuck 172,634 Eyelid surgery 30,696
4 Breast lift 148,967 Breast reduction for gynaecomastia 30,464
5 Eyelid surgery 139,012 Facelift 13,726