Cosmetic surgery is on the rise, new data reveal
18 March, 2019
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons have published new statistics that reveal recent trends in body-shaping procedures.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), almost 18 million people underwent surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures in the United States in 2018.
This total means that there were almost a quarter of a million more procedures in 2018 than in 2017.
Cosmetic surgical procedures have been on the rise in the U.S. over the past 5 years.
Before getting to the heart of the matter, it is essential to understand the difference between plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery.
Cosmetic surgery focuses on body enhancement, while plastic surgery reconstructs body parts that have sustained damage due to disease, burns, or trauma.
Motivating factors
The authors of an earlier study in the United Kingdom analyzed 204 questionnaires to identify the factors that drive people to undergo cosmetic surgery.
The questionnaires included questions about self-esteem, life satisfaction, self-rated physical attractiveness, religiosity, attitude toward cosmetic surgery, and media consumption.
The researchers wanted to understand which factors influenced a person's likelihood of opting for cosmetic surgery. They were also keen to determine the factors that affected people's perceived benefits of undergoing these procedures.
The results showed that religious beliefs and low self-esteem were significant predictors of likelihood, while predictors for perceived benefits included religiousness, media consumption, life satisfaction, and biological sex.
The findings showed that women who rated their self-esteem, life satisfaction, and attractiveness as low, had few religious beliefs, and had high media exposure were more likely to undergo cosmetic surgery.
Although women were generally more attracted to cosmetic surgery, the number of men considering these procedures was significant.
The study also highlighted the powerful effects of media exposure and religiousness. People who had more exposure to the media believed that cosmetic surgery brought more benefits, while religious individuals were more likely to perceive cosmetic surgery as something in direct contrast with their beliefs.
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