Revealed: The Top 5 Cosmetic Surgical and Minimally Invasive Procedures of 2020

Demand for plastic surgery is on the rise, according to new statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

ASPS recently gauged Americans’ perceptions of plastic surgery more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, analyzing responses from more than 1,000 women in a national survey fielded by market firm Equation Research, providing insights into how consumers feel about the category, top treatments and their likelihood to pursue a plastic surgery procedure. 

During the pandemic, 11 percent of women surveyed indicated they are more interested in cosmetic plastic surgery or non-surgical procedures now than before COVID-19, and the figure is even higher among women who have already had surgery or a procedure – 24 percent, respectively. Also, 35 percent of women who have previously had at least one cosmetic surgical procedure or minimally invasive procedure plan to spend significantly or somewhat more on treatments in 2021 than in 2020.

“For more than a year, COVID-19 has largely confined people to their homes during quarantine and significantly impacted nearly every aspect of their lives,” says Lynn Jeffers, MD, MBA, FACS, in a news release. Dr. Jeffers is Chief Medical Officer at St John's Pleasant Valley Hospital, the medical director of the Integrated Breast Center at St. John's and a private-practice surgeon based in Ventura County, Calif. “The pandemic isn't over, but thanks to vaccines, a new normal is starting to define itself – and some surgeons’ offices that were closed or offered only limited services within the last year are seeing higher demand.” 

Upping the Ante on Body Enhancement

While the first wave of pandemic demand saw a rush on facial procedures in response to a significant surge in Zoom calls and downtime for discreet recovery at home, the new survey results show that tummy tucks (22 percent) and liposuction (17 percent) are among the top procedures that women who are extremely or very likely to consider procedures within six months are seeking. The reason is attributed to weight fluctuation during quarantine, and more time to consider procedures long delayed due to time or cost. 

Top 5 Cosmetic Surgical Procedures

While ASPS saw an overall 15 percent decrease in total number of cosmetic procedures in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dip is largely on par with the amount of time practices were closed.  The Society’s board-certified plastic surgeons reported they stopped performing elective surgical procedures for an average of 8.1 weeks in 2020 due to COVID-19, or 15 percent of the year, which mirrors the decline in the total number of procedures performed last year.   

The Top 5 cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2020 were: 

1.       Nose reshaping (352,555 procedures)

2.       Eyelid surgery (352,112 procedures)

3.       Facelift (234,374 procedures)

4.       Liposuction (211,067 procedures)

5.       Breast augmentation (193,073 procedures) 

Top 5 Cosmetic Minimally Invasive Procedures

In 2020, minimally invasive cosmetic procedures decreased slightly more than surgical procedures (16 percent vs. 14 percent) during stay-at-home orders, dropping for the first time in four years. 

 Injectables continued to be the most sought-after treatments in 2020. ASPS member surgeons cited a significant uptick in demand during the coronavirus pandemic with current patients eager to reschedule missed neurotoxin and filler appointments, and new patients motivated for the first time to pursue the minimally invasive facial treatments they’d been considering – some even before last March.  

Among the 13.3 million cosmetic minimally invasive procedures performed in 2020, the top 5 were: 

1.       Botulinum toxin type A (4.4 million procedures)

2.       Soft tissue fillers (3.4 million procedures)

3.       Laser skin resurfacing (997,245 procedures)

4.       Chemical peel (931,473 procedures)

5.       Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment (827,409 procedures)

Top 5 Reconstructive Procedures

Nearly 7 million reconstructive procedures were performed in 2020, up 3 percent overall compared to 2019, despite the global pandemic’s impact on elective surgeries. Tumor removal is by far the most common reconstructive plastic surgery procedure with approximately 5.2 million procedures performed.

The Top 5 reconstructive procedures performed in 2020 were: 

1.       Tumor removal (5.2 million procedures)

2.       Laceration repair (386,710 procedures)

3.       Scar revision (263,643 procedures)

4.       Maxillofacial surgery (256,085 procedures)

5.       Hand surgery (206,928 procedures)

 “While many reconstructive procedures were prioritized as COVID-19 restrictions eased across the country, I’m encouraged that the Society’s members were able to quickly attend to patients in need of these surgeries – ranging from burn and wound care to migraine to pediatric craniofacial procedures – to improve their quality of life,” says ASPS President Joseph E. Losee, MD, FACS, FAAP. 

Although not within the top five, breast reconstruction (137,808 procedures) saw a significant 29 percent year-over-year jump, a greater increase than any of the top five reconstructive procedures. 

“A major concern at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was continuing care for reconstructive patients,” said Dr. Losee. “Despite the year’s challenges, patients and care teams were not only able to move forward with procedure plans when deemed safe to do so, but, in terms of breast reconstruction, more women than ever are benefiting from today’s technologies and treatments.”