The global demand for cosmetic surgery has been growing and according to a report published on Report Linker. The growth is expected to continue in years to come.
The results of the 2011 International Survey on Aesthetic/Cosmetic Procedure revealed that Australia is included in the top 25 countries in the world with the highest number of procedures performed. It also ranked 21 in countries having the most number of Plastic Surgeons. Topping the list of countries with the most number of cosmetic procedures is:
- United States
- China
- Brazil
- India
- Mexico
- Japan
- South Korea.
The cosmetic or plastic surgery industry deals with medical procedures to treat abnormalities and physical ailments, reshape natural structures, or simply to improve physical appearance. It has gained popularity with people who want their physical deformities corrected and with those who merely want to enhance their looks.
Cosmetic or plastic surgery is performed by licensed medical professionals and entails surgical or nonsurgical procedures. The best candidates for cosmetic procedures are level-headed people with a positive outlook. It is a personal choice that has to be done for one’s own desire and not to conform to other’s urging or to attempt to adapt to an imagined appearance. Since cosmetic or plastic surgery procedures are discretionary or elective, they are not normally covered by Health Insurance.
Number of procedures
The survey also cited that there were 130,200 cosmetic surgery procedures done in Australia in 2009 – 67,900 of which are nonsurgical and 62, 300 surgical. The most in demand cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures were for liposuction, breast lift & breast augmentation, nose job or rhinoplasty and eyelid surgery. These procedures account for 67% of the total number of procedures done on men and women, young or old during that year. In 2010, Dr. Russell Knudsen, past president of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery, estimated that there were around 15,000 liposuction and 16,000 breast augmentation procedures performed in Australia.
Procedure preference by sex
Understandably, a large share of the procedures performed in 2010, at least 92%, were on women. The most in-demand procedures by women were tummy tuck or abdominoplasty, breast reduction & breast augmentation, eyelid surgery and liposuction. Men, on the other hand, preferred cosmetic ear surgery, nose job or rhinoplasty, breast reduction, liposuction and eyelid surgery. Increasing in popularity in Australia is photo-rejuvenation, fillers for wrinkles and lines, and anti-wrinkle injections.
The thriving cosmetic and plastic surgery industry in Australia is a sign that Australian men and women are willing to spend for the sake of beauty and youthfulness, especially people considered as senior citizens – those 65 years old and above. As per the data of the Australian Bureau of Statistics, this age group increased by 3.3% ( 94,800) in the fiscal year ending June 2010. It is expected that the increase of Australia’s ageing population will continue, which means that the demand for cosmetic/plastic surgery procedures will expand. In addition, Australians are more financially capable to spend for cosmetic procedures in this generation and the generations to come, auguring for a truly bright future for the industry.