From 1992 to 2003, the number of baby boomers moving into their 40s helped propel the massive increase in cosmetic surgery procedures performed. The number of people undergoing some type of cosmetic surgery in the years when baby boomers moved into their 40s jumped more than sevenfold to nearly three million. As the generation of aging Americans changes, cosmetic surgery statistics are changing as well.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 1900, the life expectancy of a newborn male was 48 years old, 51 years old for newborn females. By 1949, the life expectancy had risen to 65.5 years for males and 73.2 years for females. More baby boomers are benefiting from widespread health care and preventative medicine, which was not available for generations before, and they are extending the years of middle age. In response to feeling healthier and more energetic, cosmetic surgery statistics have shifted and are reflecting different times.
Aging Americans that feel young want to reflect that energy on the outside as well, and they are choosing cosmetic surgery. The cosmetic surgery statistics are changing in response to competition in the workplace and in the social arena. Americans, both male and female, are working longer, and cosmetic surgery is seen as a way for some people to gain an edge or to gain more confidence.
Workplace competition may also be the reason why more men are choosing to undergo cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery statistics show traditional plastic surgery rose about ten percent among men and 14 percent among women from 2002 to 2003. Men getting cosmetic surgery have been seen in a wide range of occupations by surgeons, from waiters to CEOs of large corporations. In a phone survey by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, nearly 34 percent of men said they viewed cosmetic surgery more favorably now than ten years ago, which will continue to reflect on a smaller gap in cosmetic surgery statistics between men and women in the future.
With the divorce rate as high as it is today, more singles are older and are reentering the dating scene. This could also be a motivating factor for the increase in cosmetic surgery procedures performed on the aging baby boomer generation and for the change in cosmetic surgery statistics.
The advances in medical technology that offer quicker, cheaper and less invasive techniques are also playing a role on the cosmetic surgery statistics. Busy, career driven singles do not want to take the time out of their schedules to undergo a cosmetic procedure that requires downtime and rest, but new methods that hurt less, produce better results and reduce both the risks and recovery time are appealing. Especially among a generation that has seen various technological innovations emerge on the market, taking advantage of medical advances in cosmetic surgery is a natural leap.
As more focus is being placed on finding procedures that have less risk, less pain and pleasing results with little downtime, the cosmetic surgery statistics for non-surgical procedures will only continue to grow. Botox injections, for example, were the most popular cosmetic procedure for both men and women in 2003, with nearly 334,000 procedures for men and 2.56 million procedures for women. These non surgical, quick touch-up techniques have become another aspect of keeping up one's appearance, and the growth of these procedures in the upcoming year are predicted to only increase that aspect of cosmetic surgery statistics.