American Society of Plastic Surgeons Breaks Down 2022 Plastic Surgery Trends Among Different Demographics
The study also reveals the current plastic surgery landscape and latest surgeon fees

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL – The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the world's largest plastic surgery organization, representing 92 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States, 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," said 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 well-being."

Generational Trends

Across age groups, Generation X (age 40-54) accounted for 45 percent, and Baby Boomers (ages 55-69) accounted for 30 percent of total cosmetic procedures, while Millennials (ages 30-39) accounted for 16 percent and Generation Z (ages <19 to 29) accounted for 6 percent. Patients over age 70 accounted for 3 percent.

Gen X specifically accounted for 35 percent of cosmetic surgeries and 46 percent of minimally invasive procedures. In reference to the total number of procedures performed in 2022, Gen X accounted for the following:

• 48 percent of all tummy tucks
• 51 percent of all buttock lifts
• 43 percent of all breast implant removals
• 57 percent of all neuromodulator injections
• 50 percent of all hyaluronic acid fillers

In reference to the total number of procedures performed in 2022, other generations accounted for the following:

• 50 percent of total facial procedures were accounted for by Baby Boomers
• 35 percent of breast augmentations were accounted for by Millennials
• 41 percent of buttock augmentations with fat grafting were accounted for by Millennials
• 37 percent of rhinoplasties were accounted for by Gen Z
• 25 percent 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 percent increase since 2019.

Top procedures included neuromodulator injections, commonly called "Brotox," and dermal fillers, which jumped 65 percent and 70 percent 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 percent 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 percent of all eyelid surgeries
• 39 percent of ear surgeries
• 19 percent of cheek implants, an 80 percent jump from 2019
• 36 percent of chin augmentation, a 32 percent jump from 2019
• 10 percent of lower body lifts, a 61 percent 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 percent, the surgeon's cost for surgeries such as cheek implants, chin augmentation and ear surgery increased only between 3 percent and 4 percent. 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

To learn more about the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and these statistics, visit PlasticSurgery.org/Stats2022.