Breast Augmentation Statistics

Breast Augmentation Statistics

Breast augmentation has been the single most popular cosmetic surgery performed in the United States since 2006, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Though the procedure is widely performed and considered safe when performed by an experienced, qualified surgeon, it is important for anyone considering breast enlargement surgery to learn as much about it as possible before committing to this treatment. Often, by analyzing the statistics associated with a plastic surgery procedure, anyone considering the treatment can gain insights into their own reasons for wishing to surgically enhance their appearance.

As the waning American economy began to gain prominence and publicity in 2008, the numbers provided by the ASPS indicate that many potential patients either passed up or postponed plans for breast augmentation as the total number of procedures dropped from 347,524 to 307,230. Total breast augmentation surgeries continued to drop in 2009 as numbers fell from 307,230 to 289,328. However, in 2010, those numbers began to rise once again, reaching 296,203. It is important to note that meanwhile, the number of breast augmentation surgeries performed in 2000 (187,755) has increased by more than 50 percent in 2010 (283,721). These findings suggest that no matter how much the economy suffers, the surgical pursuit of the perfect bust line is only getting hotter among American women.

There were more than 13 million plastic surgery procedures performed in the United States in 2010, a five percent increase from 2009. Of those, 1.6 million were cosmetic surgical procedures, a two percent increase from the previous year. Almost 18 percent of those surgeries were breast augmentations.  The statistics provided by the ASPS allows us to analyze the frequency of breast augmentation surgery over the last decade, which age groups received the most breast augmentation surgeries, and where the majority of those surgeries took place within the United States.

Breast Surgery in the 2000s

The number of plastic surgeries performed in the United States increased by nearly 100,000 between 2000 and 2007. Perhaps as a result of the waning economy, that total decreased in 2008 and 2009. But in 2010, the ASPS reported an increase in Americans choosing to undergo surgical cosmetic enhancement. Of the 1,555,614 total plastic surgeries performed in 2010, most (296,203, or about 20 percent) were breast surgeries. This equaled a 2 percent increase in the frequency of breast augmentation surgery from 2009. The other most popular plastic surgeries in 2010 were rhinoplasty, liposuction, eyelid surgery and tummy tucks.

Breast Augmentation Popularity

# of Procedures	Year
296,203	2010
289,328	2009
307,230	2008
347,524	2007
329,396	2006
291,350	2005
264,041	2004
254,140	2003
236,888	2002
219,883	2001
212,500	2000

 

 

Breast Augmentation and Age

The ASPS includes statistics on the number of people that underwent breast augmentation surgery in 2010 by age group. Just as in 2009, women in the 30 to 39-year-old age range underwent the most breast augmentation procedures in 2010, with a total of 107,638. The next most popular age group was women in their 20s (90,273), followed by women between the ages of 40 and 54 (82,666).

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• 13-19: 8,525

• 20-29: 90,273

• 30-39: 107,638

• 40-54: 82,666

• 55+: 7,101

Also of note, most breast reconstruction surgeries, such as those that follow mastectomy surgery, were administered to women between the ages of 40 and 54 (47,155, or roughly half of 93,083 total breast reconstruction surgeries performed in the US in 2010).

Breast Augmentation by Region

Breast augmentation was most popular in what the ASPS classifies as Region 5, which includes most of the west coast (California, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon and Washingon.)

Region 1: (Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania)  42, 663 (14%)

Region 2 : (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota) 47,925 (16%)

Region 3 : (Delaware, Washington DC, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico) 45,620 (15%)

Region 4 : (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas) 48,666 (16%)

Region 5 : 111,329 (38%)

Contact a Plastic Surgeon

One could safely discern from the statistics provided by the ASPS that breast augmentation surgery will continue growing in popularity in the United States in the years to come. As the demand continues to grow, and the number of breast augmentation surgeries performed continues to climb out of its 2008-2009 slump, one might expect to see even more surgeons offering this treatment. If you are thinking about undergoing a breast augmentation, it is imperative that you select a surgeon who is qualified, experienced, and has a proven track record of satisfied patients. If you seek a plastic surgeon, DocShop can help put you in touch with the right surgeon in your area so you may find out if you are an appropriate candidate for treatment.

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