Annual Aesthetic Society Survey: Plastic Surgery Procedures Rose by 14% in 2022
There was a 14% increase in total aesthetic procedures, largely attributed to the soaring popularity of nonsurgical procedures in 2022, according to the latest statistics from the Aesthetic Society.
Nonsurgical procedures jumped by 23% last year, the data show.
"The landscape of aesthetic plastic surgery is undergoing a transformation as revealed by The Aesthetic Society's 2022 report," says Melinda Haws, MD, President of The Aesthetic Society, in a news release. "With nonsurgical procedures witnessing a surge and surgical procedures still accounting for 70% of revenue, the industry is moving towards a future defined by dynamic trends. This showcases our industry's ability to embrace innovation and meet evolving patient preferences. As we journey forward, The Aesthetic Society is dedicated to supporting our patients through top-tier member education."
The report reveals an interesting trajectory for surgical procedures. After experiencing a surge in the second half of 2020 and reaching its peak in the Spring of 2021, 2021's surgical counts surpassed pre-pandemic levels by an impressive 55%.
Although 2022 saw a decline in surgical procedures compared to 2021, there was a 37% increase above the counts in 2019. This increase was largely fueled by significant gains in body procedures, with liposuction (+63%) and abdominoplasty (+55%) leading the way.
Nonsurgical procedures showed significant growth in the Spring of 2021, possibly reaching their peak in the Spring of 2022.
Quarterly data from the report indicates that the number of procedures performed by surgeons has been well-balanced throughout the year, with the Spring season (April - June) emerging as the most popular period for cosmetic enhancements. Approximately 55% of all surgical procedures were conducted in the first half of the year, with this pattern consistent across body and breast procedures, as well as other surgical treatments.
The average plastic surgeon performed 252 surgical procedures in 2022, a 13% decrease from the 289 procedures conducted in 2021. Despite this decline, surgical counts were 27% higher than the pre-pandemic levels of 198 procedures in 2019. In 2022, Americans spent more than $11.8 billion on aesthetic procedures overall, up 2% from the previous year.
Women represented 95% of all procedures. Among surgical procedures, the most popular age group was 51–70-year-olds, accounting for 36% of all surgeries. The 36-50 age group closely followed with 30%, and 17–35-year-olds accounted for 27%. Patients older than 70 represented 8% of all surgical procedures.
The 2022 data was sourced from the same 200 plastic surgery practices across the United States, providing consistent quarterly data between 2019 and 2022. "The 2022 statistics, drawn from 200 U.S. practices is a significant milestone for aesthetic data, offering consistent insights from 2019 to 2022," explains Dr. Kye Higdon, Communications Commissioner of The Aesthetic Society. "From this data we're able to understand the trends on the horizon for our specialty and can help shape a future for aesthetics that both drives innovation and empowers our patients."
About the survey
The 2022 Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Statistics were compiled using the Aesthetic Neural Network (ANN) data. The Aesthetic Society partnered with Ronan SolutionsTM to develop ANN. ANN connects directly to participating Aesthetic Society member plastic surgeons' practice management systems to retrieve real-time, de-identified, billing data. For the 2022 Statistics, aggregate data from 200 participating plastic surgery practices across the U.S. that consistently provided data quarterly between 2019 and 2022 were analyzed. The procedure counts were extrapolated to estimate nationwide statistics. These statistics have a standard error of +/- 6.8% at a 95% level of confidence. To enhance the reliability of trends, all prior data have been restated to reflect the consistent sample of participants.