Highlights of the ASAPS 2004 Statistics on Cosmetic Surgery

There were nearly 11.9 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures performed in 2004, according to the most comprehensive survey to date of U.S. physicians and surgeons by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). Surgical procedures represented 18 percent of the total, and nonsurgical procedures were 82 percent of the total.

From 2003-2004, there was a 44 percent increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures. Surgical procedures increased by 17 percent, and nonsurgical procedures increased by 51 percent.

Since 1997, there has been a 465 percent increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures. Surgical procedures increased by 118 percent, and nonsurgical procedures increased by 764 percent.

The top five surgical cosmetic procedures in 2004 were: liposuction (478,251, up 24 percent from 2003); Breast Augmentation (334,052, up 19 percent); eyelid surgery (290,343, up 8 percent); rhinoplasty (166,187, down 4 percent); and facelift (157,061, up 25 percent).

The top five nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in 2004 were: Botox injection (2,837,346, up 25 percent from 2003); laser hair removal (1,411,899, up 53 percent); chemical peel (1,110,401, up 54 percent); microdermabrasion (1,098,316, up 28 percent); and hyaluronic acid (Hylaform, Restylane) (882,469, up 659 percent).

Women had nearly 10.7 million cosmetic procedures, 90 percent of the total. The number of cosmetic procedures for women increased 49 percent from 2003.

The top five surgical procedures for women were: liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, tummy tuck and facelift.

Men had nearly 1.2 million cosmetic procedures, 8 percent of the total. The number of cosmetic procedures for men increased 8 percent from 2003.

The top five surgical procedures for men were: liposuction, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, male breast reduction and hair transplantation.

People age 35-50 had the most procedures — 5.3 million and 45 percent of the total. People age 51-64 had 25 percent of procedures; age 19-34 had 22 percent; age 65-and-over had 6 percent; and age 18-and-younger had 2 percent.

The most common procedures for age 18-and-under were: laser hair removal, chemical peel, microdermabrasion, rhinoplasty, and laser skin resurfacing.

Racial and ethnic minorities had 20 percent of all cosmetic procedures. Hispanics, 8.5 percent; African-Americans, 6.2 percent; Asians, 4.6 percent; and other non-Caucasians, 1.1 percent.

Where cosmetic surgeries were performed: office facility, 46 percent; free-standing surgicenter, 29 percent; and hospital, 24 percent.

Americans spent just under $12.5 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2004.

Figures may not add exactly to totals and percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.

2004 Quick Facts

Procedure	Best Candidate	Physician Surgeon Fees*	Length of Procedure	Number of Treatments	Results**	Back to Work
Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)	Protruding abdomen; excess fat and skin; weak abdominal muscles	$4,917	2-5 hours	One	Permanent	1-3 weeks
Botox	Frown lines and crow's feet	$387	30 minutes	Repeat treatments 4-6 months	Temporary	No downtime
Breast Augmentation	Small, disproportionate breasts	$3,437	1-2 hours	One	Permanent, possible implant replacement	1-2 weeks
Breast Lift	Sagging, poorly shaped breasts	$4,053	1½-3½ hours	One	Long-lasting	1-2 weeks
Breast Reduction	Large, heavy, pendulous, or disproportionate breasts	$5,508	2-4 hours	One	Permanent	1-2 weeks
Buttock Lift	Sagging skin, excess fat, weakened muscles in thigh/buttocks area	$4,720	2 hours	One	Long-lasting	10-14 days
Cellulite Treatment (mechanical roller massage therapy)	Dimpled thighs and buttocks	$160	30-45 minutes	Ongoing	Temporary	No downtime
Cheek Implants	n/a	$2,694	2 hours	One	Permanent	1-2 weeks
Chemical Peel (ranges from light to deep)	Sun-damaged or unevenly pigmented skin	Depends on type of peel	One or multiple	Depends on type of peel	Long-lasting	Depends on type of peel
Chin Augmentation	Receding chin	$2,024	1 hour	One	Permanent	1-2 weeks
Dermabrasion	Acne, wrinkles around mouth, sun-damaged skin	$1,590	A few minutes- 1½ hours	Multiple sessions	Long-lasting	7-10 days
Ear Surgery	Protruding or disproportionate ears	$2,914	2-3 hours	One	Permanent	5 days
Eyelid Surgery	Excess fat, wrinkled, drooping skin of upper eyelids; bags, puffiness under eyes	$2,666	1-3 hours	One	Long-lasting	Within 10 days
Facelift	Loose skin, deep lines, wrinkles, jowls	$5,968	2-3 hours	One	Long-lasting	Within 2 weeks
Forehead Lift	Sagging, low eyebrows, forehead creases, frown lines	$3,032	1-2 hours	One	Long-lasting	Within 10 days
Gynecomastia	Treatment of Enlarged male breasts	$3,184	2 hours	One	Permanent	1 week
Hair Transplantation	Hair loss with the availability of healthy hair in donor areas	$3,690	Several hours	Multiple sessions over 1-2 years	Permanent	Several days
Laser Hair Removal	Unwanted hair on face or body	$355	1-2 hours Depends on area	Multiple sessions	Ongoing	No downtime
Laser Skin Resurfacing	Fair, non-oily skin; sun-damaged facial skin, wrinkles around mouth and eyes, acne scars	$2,241	Variable, up to 1 1/2 hours	One or multiple depending on laser and skin condition	Long-lasting	Variable, up to 14 days
Laser Treatment of Leg Veins	Very small spider veins	$402	30 minutes - 1 hour	Multiple sessions	Permanent	No downtime
Lip augmentation (surgical)	Thin lips	$1,701	1 hour	One	Permanent	Within 1 week
Lipoplasty (Liposuction)	Normal weight with isolated fatty areas	$2,704	45 minutes - 2 hours	One	Permanent	1-2 weeks
Lower Body Lift	Skin laxity without significant fat deposits	$7,625	Up to 8 hours	One	Long-lasting	Up to 4 weeks
Microdermabrasion	Fine lines, crow's feet, age spots, acne scars	$146	Multiple sessions	2-3 week intervals	Temporary	No downtime
Rhinoplasty	Nose too large, wide, or tip needs reshaping	$4,047	1-2 hours	One	Permanent	7-10 days
Sclerotherapy	Spider veins	$317	30 minutes - 1 hour	3-4 treatments Injections	Permanent	No downtime
Soft Tissue Fillers 1) Autologous Fat	Folds, lips, frown lines, and facial recontouring	$1,300	1 hour depending on the sites	Highly variable, repeat treatments	Temporary	1-4 days, Extensive 7-14 days
2) Calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse/Radiance)	Nasolabial folds, frown lines, crow's feet, and lips	$1,119	Less than 1 hour	Repeat treatments 2 years or longer	Temporary	No downtime
3) Collagen	Frown lines, crow's feet, nasolabial folds	$389	Less than 1 hour	Repeat treatments 3-6 months	Temporary	No downtime
4) Hyaluronic acid (Hylaform, Restylane)	Nasolabial folds, forehead wrinkles, smile lines, and lips	$542	Less than 1 hour	Repeat treatments 4 months – 1 year	Temporary	No downtime
Thigh Lift	Loose, excess skin	$4,487	2 hours	One	Long-lasting	2-4 weeks
Upper Arm Lift	Excess skin and fat on underside of arm	$3,527	2 hours	One	Long-lasting	1-2 weeks

* National average; surgeon fees are based on ASAPS 2004 Statistics. Fees vary considerably by geographic region. Facility fees, anesthesia and other surgical costs not included.
** With any surgical procedure, a revision or touch-up may sometime be necessary.

2004 Graphs

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery's cosmetic surgery statistics are the most comprehensive collection of data available on the number of cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed in the United States. ASAPS membership in the U.S. is restricted to American Board of Plastic Surgery certified physicians, but our statistics represent data from multiple specialties: plastic surgery, otolaryngology and dermatology. Currently, more than 14,000 surveys are distributed to board-certified physicians in these specialties, and survey results are used to project national totals.

Top Five Surgical Cosmetic Procedures in 2004
Top Five Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures in 2004
Cosmetic Surgery Trends: Surgical and Non-Surgical Totals (Compares 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003)
Regional Fees and National Averages in 2004

Statistics courtesy of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery