Labiaplasty And Buttock Augmentation Show Marked Increase In Popularity

NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is in the process of tabulating its 2013 annual statistics, and has uncovered figures highlighting an upward trend in both labiaplasty and buttock augmentation surgeries  demonstrating that below-the-belt procedures are steadily rising in popularity. In 2013, over 10 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed by the board certified surgeons in the United States who are most likely to perform cosmetic procedures.  Overall, surgical procedures have increased by 6.5%, a significant increase, suggesting that people are once again investing in their appearance and have the income to do so.  This marks the 17th year ASAPS has been collecting multi-specialty procedural statistics.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140226/DC72077LOGO)

While the figures for labiaplasty and buttock augmentation are significant, they represent a very small portion of cosmetic procedures overall. Nevertheless, with labiaplasty procedures increasing by 44% over the course of the year, and buttock augmentation procedures increasing by 58%, there is clearly a definitive trend.

"I believe the dramatic increase in both of these procedures is indicative of much larger global trends respecting body image, an ever-evolving concept of beauty, and self-confidence. More women are pursuing these procedures as a means to achieve a standard of beauty they deem appropriate for themselves, however I believe more women are also pursuing procedures like labiaplasty to correct labia-related issues that are interfering with their ability to perform sexually, to perform daily tasks such as exercise, or are merely causing discomfort," explains Michael Edwards, MD, President-Elect of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

The number of surgeons who are performing labiaplasties increased from 21% to 29% in the past year alone.

"The reality is that women have been grooming themselves differently for about the past ten years, with many eliminating pubic hair altogether, and consequently, they are noticing what things look like in that region as a result. Many of my patients want to achieve a clean, smooth look as they would with their face and underarms," explains Christine Hamori, MD, an ASAPS member specializing in labiaplasty and other body contouring procedures.

The number of doctors who are performing buttock augmentations has also increased over the past year from 19% in 2012 to 30% in 2013. "Over the past decade, we've seen a cultural shift towards a greater acceptance of and a desire for a rounder, more prominent derriere in specific regions across the country, so the increase in buttock augmentation procedures is not that surprising," states Jack Fisher, MD, President of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

"I am seeing a tremendous rise in requests for buttock augmentation procedures in my practice year-over-year," explains Constantino Mendieta, MD, an ASAPS member who specializes in the buttock augmentation procedure, also referred to as the "Brazilian buttock lift" or fat grafting to the buttock. "We take fat from unwanted areas and transfer it to the buttock region, allowing us to shape and mold the posterior. The trend can definitely be attributed to more women wanting to emulate the look of Kim Kardashian's and Jennifer Lopez's shapely buttocks based on what I hear in my own offices on a near-daily basis," Mendieta states.

ASAPS is slated to release its full 2013 statistics in March 2014.

About ASAPS
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), is recognized as the world's leading organization devoted entirely to aesthetic plastic surgery and cosmetic medicine of the face and body.  ASAPS is comprised of over 2,600 Plastic Surgeons; active members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (USA) or by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and have extensive training in the complete spectrum of surgical and non-surgical aesthetic procedures. International active members are certified by equivalent boards of their respective countries. All members worldwide adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and must meet stringent membership requirements.

About the ASAPS Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank
ASAPS, working with an independent research firm, compiled the 17-year national data for procedures performed 1997-2013. A paper-based questionnaire was mailed to 23,000 board certified. An online version of the questionnaire was also available.  A total of 723 physicians returned questionnaires, of which 56 were retired or otherwise inactive during 2013. 

Final figures have been projected to reflect nationwide statistics. Though the confidence intervals change by procedure, depending on the grouping's sample size and the response variance, the overall survey portion of this research has a standard error of +/- 3.75% at a 95% level of confidence.

Website: www.surgery.org
Follow ASAPS on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ASAPS
Become a fan of ASAPS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AestheticSociety
Join Smart Beauty Guide: www.smartbeautyguide.com
Locate a plastic surgeon in your area:  http://www.surgery.org/consumers/find-a-plastic-surgeon

SOURCE American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery