Most Popular Plastic Surgery Procedures in America Revealed

Breast augmentation was the most popular form of plastic surgery among Americans last year, according to the latest figures.

Research by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) revealed more than 17.7 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 2018, as the number of people seeking such treatments spiked by almost a quarter of a million since 2017.

Some 313,735 cases of breast augmentation were reported, followed by 258,558 liposuction procedures. In third place was nose reshaping at 213,780; followed by eyelid surgery at 206,529; and tummy tucks at 130,081. In total, surgeons performed over 1.8 million invasive procedures last year. Rates of breast augmentation were up by 4 percent from the previous year and liposuction by 5 percent. However, nose jobs dropped by 2 percent, and eyelid surgeries by 1 percent. Around the same number of people got tummy tucks in 2018 and 2017, the data revealed.

In 2018, around 15.9 million minimally-invasive procedures took place, with botox the most popular at 7.4 million, up by 4 percent from 2017. Some 2.68 million soft tissue fillers were carried out, up by 2 percent. The figures also showed 1.38 million chemical peels were administered, and 1.1 million laser hair removal procedures: both rising by 1 percent. A total of 709,413 microdermabrasions, where fine crystals and a vacuum are used to clear the face of dead skin cells, were performed, down 4 percent.

Rates of pec and buttock implants, meanwhile, dropped the most sharply, by 29 and 28 percent respectively. In 2018, 983 pectoral implants were carried out, compared with 700 in the previous year. And some 1,323 butt implants were put in place in 2017, compared with 946 last year.

However, butt augmentation with fat grafting was up by 19 percent, from 20,301 to 24,099. Hair transplantation also gained popularity by almost a fifth, at 18 percent: up to 23,658 from 19,979.

The research didn't provide insight into why certain procedures are more popular than others.

Doctors Terry Dubrow and Paul Nassif of cosmetic surgery show Botched recently told Newsweek of a phenomenon emerging over the past few years known as "selfie dysmorphia" in which individuals try to make their faces appear as if they have been altered by filters in apps like Instagram and FaceTune.

"Through social media, and people taking pictures of themselves, they see a super-idealized version of themselves," Dubrow told Newsweek. "It used to be that people wanted to look like a certain celebrity or repair a bump on their nose, now people want to look like a filter.

"I try to tell [my patients] that it's not realistic," he said.