In terms of cosmetic surgery, liposuction has surpassed breast augmentation

According to new data from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), liposuction has overtaken breast augmentation as the most popular cosmetic surgery in the world.

Globally, 14.8% of cosmetic surgeries are contouring procedures, which employ suction to remove excess fat, while breast augmentation accounts for just over 13%.

A global surge in aesthetic medicine led to over 30 million surgical and non-surgical procedures in 2021, an increase of 19.3% from the previous year. According to ISAPS’ latest annual survey, the cosmetic surgery industry has not only recovered from two consecutive years of decline caused by Covid – it has grown far beyond pre-pandemic levels.

Between 2017 and 2021, the number of surgical procedures increased by over 33%, while non-surgical procedures (such as Botox) increased by more than 54%.

Over the same four years, the number of breast augmentations also increased marginally, by 0.5%. The report’s editor, Dr. Gianluca Campiglio, noted a relative decline compared to other procedures. This trend is attributed to concerns about BIA-ALCL, a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma linked to implants.

During the past four years, Campiglio’s practice as a plastic surgeon in Italy has seen a sharp rise in patients seeking to remove their breast implants.

“A lower increase in breast augmentation in the preceding year, along with an increase in implant removals, reflects our experience,” he said.

According to Campiglio, liposuction is part of a wider growth in body contouring interest. Around 1.9 million liposuction procedures were performed worldwide in 2021, up almost 25% from the year before.

Rhinoplasty and abdominoplasty (or nose jobs and tummy tucks) are also popular procedures. Among men, eyelid surgery ranked third among the most common procedures in 2021.

 The report also found that thigh lifts are the world’s fastest-growing cosmetic surgery, up 53% from 2020. Also highlighted in the report was a “notable increase” – of over 30% – in hyaluronic acid injections, which are commonly used to fill wrinkles.

As in previous years, the USA has the highest number of cosmetic surgeons. Around 7,000 surgeons in the country performed almost a quarter of all procedures worldwide, followed by Brazil at 8.9% and Japan at 5.7%.

The most popular destinations for patients travelling overseas for cosmetic treatment were Turkey, Colombia, Mexico and Thailand.

In its latest survey, ISAPS collected data from over 1,000 cosmetic surgeons in 117 countries. The organization represents over 5,600 doctors. In 2017, Dr. Debra Johnson, the then-president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, told CNN that “there are many non-plastic surgeons who perform cosmetic surgery.” The report only included procedures carried out by certified physicians.

The plastic surgeon should be board-certified, and well-trained in the procedures the patient wants, she added at the time.