Although trends in facial plastic surgery might become apparent as time goes on, and more people become interested in one procedure and less interested in another, one sure way to know if something is just a fad is to look at the statistics from the year before. At the beginning of each year, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons releases its procedural statistics from the year before. The stats for 2014 might not be very surprising to people who have been following plastic surgery trends closely.

Botox Is Still Very Popular

Botox injections, which help ease the frown lines between the eyebrows or crow’s feet at the corners of the eyes, have long been a popular treatment option for people who want to look a bit younger but who aren’t ready for a surgical procedure such as a brow lift or who don’t want to spend weeks recovering. Usually, people don’t need more than a few hours or a day to recover after a Botox injection.

So, it should be no surprise that Botox was once again the most popular minimally invasive treatment performed in 2014, according to the ASPS’s statistics. More than 6,673,000 injections were performed. Botox wasn’t just the most popular non-surgical treatment last year. It has also continually gained in popularity year after year. The number of Botox injections administered increased by six percent between 2013 and 2014. Perhaps most surprisingly, the number of Botox injections performed increased by nearly 750 percent between the year 2000 and 2014.

People Are Turning to Non-Invasive Procedures More and More

Botox wasn’t the only minimally invasive treatment that got people’s money and attention last year. Dermal fillers, chemical peels, laser hair removal, and microdermabrasion rounded out the top five most popular non-invasive treatments in 2014. With the exception of microdermasion, which fell by 9 percent between 2013 and 2014, each of the procedures saw some increase in the number performed between 2013 and 2014. In all, the number of minimally invasive treatments performed rose by 4 percent last year, while the number of surgical procedures performed increased by just 1 percent. Perhaps most notable of all was the fact that the number of plastic surgeries performed last year was 12 percent lower than it was in 2000.

There may be a number of reasons why people are turning to less invasive treatments over surgery. Injections, peels and other treatments tend to help reduce the signs of aging, but without the need for a lengthy recovery and for a much lower upfront cost. Minimally invasive procedures are also ideal for younger people, who might not need a surgery such as a facelift just yet, but might still want to do something to reduce the signs of aging or to feel as though they look more refreshed.

Rhinoplasty Is the Top Facial Plastic Surgery

One facial plastic surgery did stand out from the others in 2014, and that procedure was rhinoplasty. The most common facial plastic surgery, rhinoplasty was the second most popular plastic surgery procedure in 2014, with 217,000 performed. (The most popular plastic surgery was breast augmentation, with 286,000 performed.)

Interestingly enough, although rhinoplasty was the most common facial plastic surgery performed last year, the number of them performed actually fell by 2 percent between 2014 and 2013.

There may be a number of reasons why rhinoplasty is more popular than other facial plastic surgeries, such as a facelift or eyelid surgery, both of which made the top five. For one thing, more patients are eligible for a rhinoplasty than for a facelift or anti-aging surgery. A person can have rhinoplasty performed from the time they are a teenager.

There are also few non-invasive options when it comes to nose reshaping. Non-surgical rhinoplasty is an option, but its results are temporary and it doesn’t help every shape or size of  nose.

More and More Men are Seeking Plastic Surgery

In recent years, men have been more likely to consider and pursue plastic surgery and 2014 saw that trend continue. Male patients were more likely to pursue body surgeries, and the two most popular among men last year were breast reduction surgery and pectoral implants. The pectoral implant procedure saw the greatest gain, with more than 1,000 procedures performed in 2014, an increase of 208 percent from the year before.

If reviewing the stats from last year has you seriously considering facial plastic surgery or a minimally invasive procedure, Virginia Beach based facial plastic surgeon Dr. Kyle Choe can help you decide which procedure is best for you and answer any questions you might have. For a consultation with Dr. Choe, call 757.389.5850.