US spending on plastic surgery dips to $10 billion

Americans reeling from a recession spent $10 billion on plastic surgery procedures last year, down three per cent from 2008, with declines for all of the most popular procedures, according to new data.

Breast enlargement, nose jobs, eyelid surgery, liposuction and tummy tucks were all down, with liposuction showing the biggest decline, the latest figures from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons showed.

The top five procedures overall last year were breast augmentation (down six per cent); nose reshaping (down eight per cent); eyelid surgery (down eight per cent); liposuction (down 19 per cent); and a "tummy tuck", or the surgical cutting of excess fat on the abdomen and stomach (down five per cent).

About 210,000 teenagers between the ages 13 to 19 had cosmetic surgeries, making up two per cent of the procedures, or the smallest group, according to the data.

The most popular cosmetic surgeries among teens were nose reshaping, breast reduction in boys, breast enlargement, ear surgery and liposuction.

Less invasive surgery like Botox and wrinkle fillers are up 99 per cent since 2000. Facelifts also remain of high interest to baby boomers 55 years old and older.

The reported declines did not seem to reflect a cultural shift away from plastic surgery, said Tom Seery, president of RealSelf.com, a social media website focused on cosmetic surgery.

"Interest in cosmetic makeovers is significant and expanding, especially by those seeking solutions to aging and body contouring, especially post-pregnancy," he said.

A survey commissioned by RealSelf.com showed that if money was not an issue, more than one third of women and one in 10 men would opt for a facelift.

The ASPS figures showed that females made up 91 per cent of those undergoing cosmetic procedures including "Mommy makeovers" involving tummy tucks, liposuction and breast lifts.

Males, which made up nine per cent of last year's procedures, underwent 1.1 procedures, a drop of two per cent versus the previous year.

Among ethnic groups, Hispanics saw a 12 per cent increase in cosmetic procedures, followed by a five per cent increase for African-Americans. Procedures among Asian-Americans fell 17 per cent.

The ASPS is the world's largest organisation of board-certified plastic surgeons, with more than 7,000 members.