Cosmetic Plastic Surgery - Have You Joined The Growing Trend?

Cosmetic plastic surgery has just exploded in the last 10 years. It is simply amazing to see what today's doctors and technology can do to alter your image and create a whole new you. So, just how popular has cosmetic surgery become here in the United States? Here's a quick look with some statistics that may surprise you.

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, in 2006 there were approximately 11.5 million cosmetic surgeries just in America.

Why the increase? For one, reality TV has bombarded us with shows that take an average person and change them into a beauty queen. We are also seeing a dramatic rise in TV commercials advertising these types of procedures. Finally, costs have come down to where procedures are affordable to almost everyone now.

Another factor to the rise in cosmetic surgery is the baby-boomers. These massive groups of people are all trying to look younger and recapture their youthful appearance. And they have the discretionary income to do so.

What are the most popular procedures? In 2006 here is what the top 5 surgical procedures looked like:

1. Liposuction

2. Breast Augmentation

3. Eyelid Surgery

4. Tummy Tuck

5. Breast Reduction

It seems like we have an almost equal number of women who want larger breasts and those who want smaller breasts.

The most common non-surgical procedure is far and away the Botox procedure. Over 2.5 million Botox procedures were done on women in 2006. Amazingly, only 300,000 men opted for this procedure.

The most popular cosmetic surgery procedure for men is liposuction. In 2006 there were more than 50,000 of these procedures done on men.

Another point that illustrates just how popular cosmetic surgery has become in this country is the fact that since 1997, there has been a 446% increase in the number of procedures performed in the United States.

There is no denying that cosmetic plastic surgery has exploded in our nation, and the trend looks to continue and further grow for years into the future