More than 10.2 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in the United States in 2005, up 11 percent from 2004, according to statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

In addition, more than 5.4 million reconstructive plastic surgery procedures were performed last year, reports the ASPS.

“The statistics show that in a solid economy, more Americans are willing to invest in anti-aging remedies such as cosmetic plastic surgery,” said ASPS President Bruce Cunningham, MD. “For many, cosmetic plastic surgery is the new take on ‘growing old gracefully.’”

Surgical cosmetic procedures increased 4 percent, with more than 1.8 million procedures performed in 2005. The top five surgical procedures were liposuction (324,000), nose reshaping (298,000), breast augmentation (291,000), eyelid surgery (231,000), and tummy tuck (135,000). This is the first time in six years facelifts did not make the top five surgical procedures, according to ASPS statistics.

“The facelift is still a highly sought after procedure, nearly 109,000 were performed last year,” noted Dr. Cunningham. “However, the fact it didn’t make the top five surgical procedures can be attributed to increased consumer demand for minimally-invasive injectable wrinkle fillers and fighters as a remedy to combat facial aging.”

Minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures jumped 13 percent to nearly 8.5 million procedures performed in 2005. The top five minimally-invasive procedures were Botox. (3.8 million), chemical peel (1 million), microdermabrasion (838,000), laser hair removal (783,000), and sclerotherapy (590,000). This is the fourth consecutive year that these minimally-invasive procedures have been ranked in the top five.

Reconstructive plastic surgery, which improves function and appearance to abnormal areas of the body, remained relatively stable in 2005. The top five reconstructive procedures were tumor removal (3.9 million), laceration repair (344,000), scar revision (181,000), hand surgery (172,000) and breast reduction (114,000).

http://www.plasticsurgery.org