Liposuction tops plastic surgery popularity poll

LIPOSUCTION HAS overtaken breast augmentation as the most popular form of plastic surgery in the world, new research reveals.

The survey of plastic surgeons and procedures in 25 countries, which represented 75 per cent of all procedures carried out in 2009, found liposuction accounted for 18.8 per cent of them.

This was followed by breast augmentation at 17 per cent, blepharoplasty (upper or lower eyelid lift) at 13.5 per cent, rhinoplasty (nose reshaping) at 9.4 per cent and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) at 7.3 per cent.

Up to now, most surveys have identified breast augmentation as the most sought-after cosmetic procedure, followed by nose reshaping and liposuction.

The study by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) found the United States had the highest number of procedures per head of population.

China, not a country normally thought of as having high levels of plastic surgery, was ranked second followed by Brazil, India and Mexico.

The survey found that non-surgical procedures, such as botox injections or laser hair removal, outstripped surgical procedures for the first time, reflecting the popularity of less expensive treatments.

The top non-surgical procedures were toxin injections, accounting for nearly 33 per cent of all procedures, followed by hyaluronic acid or collagen injections (20.1 per cent), and laser hair removal (13.1 per cent).

The countries where non-surgical procedures were performed were also dominated by the US, Brazil, Mexico and China and to a lesser extent by Japan, Hungary, South Korea, India and Germany.

The international society estimated the number of surgical procedures conducted annually had now reached 8.5 million, with non-surgical procedures amounting to 8.7 million, giving a combined total of more than 17 million.

The ISAPS also estimated that there were now almost 31,000 certified plastic surgeons practising around the world.