Liposuction Enjoys a Jump in Popularity

The annual American Society of Plastic Surgeons report on cosmetic surgery trends was published in March 2019, revealing patients’ apparent growing interest in surgery related to the body. While breast augmentation topped the list of most popular surgeries—as it usually does—one of the procedures that experienced the most growth over the previous year was liposuction. New York-based plastic surgeon Dr. Kaveh Alizadeh noted that surgical fat reduction procedures, in particular, rose five percent from 2017 to 2018.

The report is made up of projected numbers, based on procedural information reported to a national database by ASPS members. The data also incorporates survey results from physicians certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties, which includes plastic surgeons.

Based on that wealth of information, the ASPS estimated that there were 258,558 liposuction procedures performed in the United States in 2018—up from 246,354 in 2017.

Surgical fat reduction has long proven to be a popular cosmetic surgery option, with increasing numbers of men and women choosing it as the procedure itself has grown in versatility and safety. While previous generations heard “liposuction” and envisioned someone having fat removed from their belly, the surgery is now about so much more (though abdominal fat removal is still a very common application).

Liposuction can remove excess fat from the upper arms, flanks, belly, hips, thighs, buttocks, upper back, and knees. It can reduce large pockets—such as love handles—and small ones—such as a double chin.

There are numerous variations to suit each patient’s unique desires and needs, with techniques incorporating lasers, ultrasound, and other forms of energy to improve results and minimize trauma, both of which can lead to increased patient satisfaction.

Aside from liposuction, the other four procedures in the Top Five most commonly performed cosmetic surgeries of 2018 were breast augmentation (up four percent to 313,735), nose reshaping (also known as rhinoplasty, down two percent to 213,780), eyelid surgery (also known as blepharoplasty, down one percent to  206,529), and tummy tuck (also known as abdominoplasty, virtually unchanged at 130,081).

On the nonsurgical front, botulinum toxin type A took the lead. The best known brand of these muscle-relaxing injectables is BOTOX^®, which, together with other prescription cosmetics based on the same active ingredient, netted 7.44 million procedures. That’s a growth of three percent from 2017 to 2018.

Next came soft tissue fillers (volumizing injectables, etc., up two percent to 2.68 million), chemical peels (up one percent to 1.38 million), laser hair removal (down one percent to 1.1 million), and microdermabrasion (down four percent to 709,413).

Nonsurgical treatments obviously far outpace surgical options by the numbers, which makes sense considering that many injectables and related strategies provide temporary results. The effects of botulinum toxin type A, for example, wear off after several months. Patients who desire to maintain the look provided by BOTOX^® often schedule multiple treatment sessions a year.

In many cases, nonsurgical treatments complement and enhance surgical procedures. While a facelift addresses sagging tissue to provide a patient with new contours, injectables smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, while lasers and peels improve the tone and texture of facial skin. The ASPS report is not about highlighting competition between the two strategies, but providing tools to understand how patients around the country are choosing to make changes to their face and body.

In some cases, however, patients may choose one or the other—deciding between the injectable Kybella^® to reduce a double chin or liposuction to surgically remove the unwanted fat cells. The nonsurgical option offers gradual results with less downtime and healing required, while the surgical route provides a more dramatic and immediate result, but requires recuperation. An experienced plastic surgeon will guide anyone considering their options to the ideal treatment.

Find out more from New York plastic surgeon Dr. Kaveh Alizadeh at Alizadeh Cosmoplastic Surgery. Send a message online or call Long Island (516.439.5010) or Manhattan/Westchester (212.348.0100).