A Lot to Learn From ASAPS 2012 Statistics

Abstract

On March 12, 2013, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) released its 16th annual Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank multispecialty procedural statistics.1,2 The overall results of the ASAPS survey of board-certified plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and otolaryngologists (projected to reflect nationwide statistics) show that cosmetic surgical procedures in 2012 were up 3.1% from the previous year, with nearly 1.7 million procedures performed. Nonsurgical procedures increased 10.4%, exceeding 8.4 million. These figures are encouraging and consistent with what many of us are seeing in our practices: a steady increase in the number of patients seeking both surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures. ASAPS released its first groundbreaking statistics early in 1998, providing detailed data on cosmetic procedures performed during the previous year. From the beginning, ASAPS recognized the value of collecting data from multiple specialties so that a more accurate picture could be painted regarding the frequency of the full range of cosmetic procedures. This concept was, at the time, somewhat foreign to organized plastic surgery. Plastic surgeons had previously promoted statistics developed by the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS; now the American Society of Plastic Surgeons [ASPS]) as generally representative of the total number and scope of procedures performed. Yet ASPRS obtained its data solely from board-certified plastic surgeons. ASAPS, however, recognized the changes occurring in cosmetic surgery and the need to educate the public not only about plastic surgery but also the core specialties' specific areas of expertise. With so many practitioners entering the cosmetic arena, it was imperative that the public be able to separate qualified from unqualified providers. Sixteen years later, this insight has proved invaluable, particularly with regard to cosmetic medicine, where the core specialties all play an important role in treatment options within our communities. In the past 16 …