The numbers are in and according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 14.6 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures – both minimally-invasive and surgical – were performed in the U.S. in 2012.  This number is up 5 % since 2011.

According to ASPS President Gregory Evans, MD, “For the third consecutive year, the overall growth in cosmetic surgery continues to be driven by a significant rise in minimally-invasive procedures, while surgical procedures remain relatively stable. We are aware, however, that patients who begin with less invasive treatments with a plastic surgeon may opt for more invasive, surgical procedures once required.”

The front-runners for minimally invasive procedures were as follows:

  1. Botulinum toxin type A (6.1 million procedures, up 8 percent)
  2. Soft tissue fillers (2 million procedures, up 5 percent)
  3. Chemical peel (1.1 million procedures, up 2 percent)
  4. Laser hair removal (1.1 million procedures, up 4 percent)
  5. Microdermabrasion (974,000 procedures, up 8 percent


The top five cosmetic surgical procedures were as follows:

  1. Breast augmentation (286,000 procedures, down 7 percent)
  2. Nose reshaping (243,000 procedures, no change)
  3. Liposuction (202,000 procedures, down 1 percent)
  4. Eyelid surgery (204,000 procedures, up 4 percent)
  5. Facelift (126,000 procedures, up 6 percent

We here at Parker Plastic Surgery are happy to offer many of these procedures.  If you have questions or would like to schedule your free cosmetic consultation, we invite you to contact Katie Garmon, our patient care coordinator, at 706.543.0404.