Recent reports show that plastic surgery rates have been a fairly accurate economic indicator, with 2011 rates following the same upward trends as the employment rate and stock market. According to USA Today, after falling slightly during the recession, rates are up again in 2011. Over the past year, about 1.6 million cosmetic surgeries were performed. This is the second year of increase, after a significant drop in 2009.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual report, the most popular plastic surgeries in 2011 were breast augmentation, nose jobs, liposuction, eyelid surgeries, and facelifts. These were the same procedures on 2011's Top 5 list. Non-surgical procedures saw a significant rise in popularity during 2011, with the most popular treatments including Botox and other injections, soft tissue fillers, chemical peels, laser hair removal, and microdermabrasion.
ASPS president Malcolm Z. Roth commented “Consumer confidence was up, auto sales rose 10 percent, so it is not surprising that we would also see increased demand for plastic surgery procedures.”
Surgeons expect plastic surgery rates to continue rising throughout 2012 as the economy improves. Are you planning to go under the knife in the next year? In the past few years, has the economy affected your surgery decisions?
