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American Society of Plastic Surgeons Breaks Down 2022 Plastic Surgery Trends Among Different Demographics

December 7, 2023
American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)

The Study Also Reveals the Current Plastic Surgery Landscape and Latest Surgeon Fees

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the world's largest plastic surgery organization representing 92% of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States, has released supplemental data to its 2022 procedural statistics. The newest study breaks down data by age, gender and surgical fees.

"Looking deeper into the trends that are driving the data in the 2022 study, we're continuing to see patients prioritize comfort and self-confidence above all," said ASPS President Steven Williams, MD. "Alongside the increasing interest in plastic surgery, and as new techniques, products and trends continue to emerge, it is imperative to ASPS that the pursuit of beauty and comfort remains rooted in safety, authenticity and well-being."

Generational Trends

Across age groups, Generation X (age 40-54) accounted for 45%, and Baby Boomers (ages 55-69) accounted for 30% of total cosmetic procedures, while Millennials (ages 30-39) accounted for 16% and Generation Z (ages less than 19 to 29) accounted for 6%. Patients over age 70 accounted for 3%.

Gen X specifically accounted for 35% of cosmetic surgeries and 46% of minimally-invasive procedures. In reference to the total number of procedures performed in 2022, Gen X accounted for:

  • 43% of all breast implant removals.
  • 48% of all tummy tucks.
  • 51% of all buttock lifts.
  • 57% of all neuromodulator injections.
  • 50% of all hyaluronic acid fillers.

In reference to the total number of procedures performed in 2022, other generations accounted for:

  • 35% of breast augmentations were accounted for by Millennials.
  • 50% of total facial procedures were accounted for by Baby Boomers.
  • 41% of buttock augmentations with fat grafting were accounted for by Millennials.
  • 37% of rhinoplasties were accounted for by Gen Z.
  • 25% of cheek implants were accounted for by Gen Z.

Surgeon Fees

Despite high inflation in a post-pandemic economy, people continued to spend and invest in themselves through plastic surgery. The average surgeon's fees for minimally invasive procedures are also lower than most surgical procedures, ranging from $530 to $1,800. The surgeon's fee for cosmetic surgeries can range from $3,000 to $10,000. In 2022, patients spent upwards of $26 billion on both minimally invasive and surgical procedures in the U.S.

Costs can fluctuate depending on the surgeon, procedure and region, yet, on average, surgeon fees for some popular procedures either decreased in cost or rose less than inflation in 2022.

More demand has led to more supply, and, in some cases, decreasing costs since 2019. While inflation in 2022 was almost 7 percent, the surgeon's cost for surgeries such as cheek implants, chin augmentation and ear surgery increased only between 3 percent and 4 percent. Average fees for a few of the top overall procedures dipped, including:

  • Breast augmentation dropped by almost $500.
  • Eyelid surgery dropped by $900.
  • Noninvasive fat reduction dropped by almost $260.
  • Nonsurgical skin tightening dropped by $476.