Cosmetic medical procedures used to be the purview of older adults.
But more and more, millennials and Gen Z, spurred by social media influencers, have turned to invasive and minimally-invasive procedures to stop or delay the aging process.
Read more: 2024 ASPS Procedural Statistics Release
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a third of cosmetic surgical procedures last year were performed on adults 39 and younger. And for that demographic, breast augmentation is the most popular. More than half of the 306,000 augmentation surgeries occurred in this age group, with those in the 20-29 age group getting nearly 50,000 procedures and those 30-39 more than 112,000 procedures; that’s 37 percent of all augmentations.
Breast augmentation was the No. 2 cosmetic surgical procedure last year, trailing liposuction, which remains popular with the elder millennial and Gen X crowds.
The use of wrinkle-reducing injectables, such as Botox, jumped four percent last year, with almost 10 million people using them, making it the most minimally invasive cosmetic procedure used last year.
Fillers was second, followed by skin resurfacing (chemical peels) and skin treatments (hair removal, light therapy).
Read more: Gen Z is overdoing Botox, and it’s making them look old
Lower body sculpting – thigh and butt lifts – also saw an increase in procedures last year.
While total procedures were relatively stable last year, according to the ASPS report, the average age of patients noticeably shifted downward.
On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss how beauty standards have changed over the years and how the selfie generation is turning to procedures in hopes of achieving the perfect look.
Join us on the air by calling 812-855-0812 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to news@indianapublicmedia.org.
You can also record your questions and send them in through email.
Guests
Dr. Sam Fuller, Member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Kayla Nowlan, RN, Vanished Aesthetics and Wellness
Brenda Weber, Provost Professor, Gender Studies, Indiana University
