In 2017, the United States was the country with the highest number of cosmetic procedures worldwide, with over four million such operations. The number of both surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in the U.S. has grown over the last decade, from around 1.6 million procedures in 1997 to over 4.8 million in 2018. Those aged 35 to 50 years are the most likely to have surgical or nonsurgical cosmetic procedures, accounting for 37 percent of all procedures in 2018. Geographically, around 20 percent of all cosmetic procedures occur in the South Atlantic region, including Delaware, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The leading surgical cosmetic procedures for women in the U.S. in 2018 were breast augmentation, liposuction, and breast lift, whereas the leading procedures for men were liposuction,gynecomastia, and eyelid surgery. The cost of such procedures can be substantial, with total expenditure in the U.S. exceeding 8.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. The average cost for liposuction that year was 3,350 U.S. dollars, while the average cost for a facelift was 7,672 dollars.
Although cosmetic surgery, much like any surgery, can be physically damaging, patients of popular cosmetic procedures in the U.S. report being generally satisfied with their results. In 2019, an estimated 97 percent of tummy tuck patients and 98 percent of breast augmentation patients stated they would do the surgery again. Concerning nonsurgical procedures, 96 percent of those that had botox would do it again, as well as 96 percent who had laser hair removal.
