Origins and History of Plastic Surgery
- Plastic surgery has been practiced for over 2700 years, since about 600 B. C.
- Barber shops became popular places to perform plastic surgery from 1400 to 1700
- The father of modern plastic surgery was an Italian-Gaspare Tagliacozzi (1546-1599)
- The first breast augmentation surgery took place in Germany in 1893
- The American Association of Plastic Surgery was formed in 1931 by surgeons who served in World War I
- Plastic surgery including skin grafts, limb rebuilding and microsurgery, were widely practiced during World War II
- In the 1960s, silicone breast implants became popular. However, side effects included breast amputation due to infection and “pendulous” breasts by the age of forty
- In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill requiring insurance companies to pay for reconstructive breast surgery for women who had a mastectomy
Plastic Surgery Types
- Currently, the plastic surgery that’s performed the most is Botox. Botox is a protein injected into the skin that leaves a smooth facial appearance.
- Liposuction is the most popular plastic surgery for men and women combined
- The most popular plastic surgical procedure for women is breast augmentation
- There are more than 1.4 million laser hair procedures performed yearly in the United States
- The top five surgical cosmetic procedures are liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty (nose jobs) and face lifts
- The top five non-surgical cosmetic procedures are botox, laser hair removal, chemical peel, microdermabrasion and hyaluronic acid injections (for knee osteoarthritis)
Men and Women and Plastic Surgery
- Over 90% of plastic surgery patients are women
- More than 10 million women have a plastic procedure each year
- About 1 million men have plastic procedures each year
- Almost half a million liposuction procedures are performed on women each year
- Over 60,000 liposuction procedures are performed on men each year
- Two thirds of plastic surgery patients are repeat patients
Plastic Surgery and Age
- About three quarters of a million cosmetic procedures are performed on 20 to 20 year olds
- Over 2 million cosmetic procedures are performed on 30 to 39 year olds
- Over 5.3 million cosmetic procedures are performed on 40 to 54 year olds
- More than 3 million cosmetic procedures are performed on people age 55 and older
Plastic Surgery and Money
- Over $10 billion is spent on all U.S. cosmetic surgery each year
- Over $1.2 billion is spent annually on liposuction
- More than $1.1 billion is spent annually on breast augmentation each year
- A single botox injection averages about $390
Plastic Surgery Recovery Times
(Note: Please verify data with a reputable Plastic Surgeon. We suggest Premier Plastic Surgery Kansas City.)
- It takes one to two weeks to recover from liposuction
- It takes one to two weeks to recover from breast augmentation surgery
- It takes seven to ten days to recover from a rhinoplasty
- It takes one to two weeks to recover from a facelift
- It takes one to ten days to recover from cosmetic eyelid surgery