Top 10 countries for cosmetic surgery revealed as figures show rising demand for penis enlargements and other procedures

More than 23 million procedures were performed in 2013

Lizzie Dearden
Wednesday 30 July 2014 08:57 EDT
Comments
Nine out of 10 cosmetic procedures are non-surgical treatments such as Botox injections
Nine out of 10 cosmetic procedures are non-surgical treatments such as Botox injections (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Cosmetic surgery is booming worldwide as people flock to have millions of operations including breast augmentation, liposuction and Botox.

More than 23 million cosmetic and non-surgical procedures were performed in 2013, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).

The United States topped the international chart, with almost 4 million people going under the knife or needle, followed by Brazil with more than 2 million procedures.

Britain did not feature in the top 10 but was ranked 14 in the world by the number of plastic surgeons, with an estimated 865 in business.

Figures released by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) earlier this year showed 17 per cent more operations were performed in the UK in 2013 but the count of 50,122 did not include non-surgical procedures reflected in the ISAPS figures.

A spokesman for BAAPS said little information on the treatments can be collected in Britain because dermal fillers and laser treatments are unregulated.

Botox is the most popular cosmetic procedure in the world. The toxin, which can be lethal, is injected to paralyse facial muscles to slow down the ageing process.

Other popular non-surgical treatments included fillers, laser hair removal and chemical peels.

More than 1.7 million breast operations were performed last year, making it the most popular cosmetic surgery worldwide, followed by liposuction, eyelid surgery, lipostructure and rhinoplasty.

Women were by far the biggest consumers in the cosmetic surgery market, making up almost 90 per cent of all procedures in the world – more than 20 million.

Men underwent more than 3 million procedures, mostly rhinoplasty, breast reduction and eyelid surgery.

Penis enlargements were most popular in Germany, where almost 3,000 men had the operation, followed be Venezuela, Spain and Mexico.

According to BAAPS, “boob jobs”, eyelid surgery and facelifts are most popular among women in the UK, while men prefer nose and eyelid surgery, as well as breast reductions.

Rajiv Grover, a consultant plastic surgeon and President of BAAPS, said the number of procedures has rocketed as the economy recovers.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in