A recent article on Paper reported on a study conducted in 2018 showing that Americans spent $16.5 billion on plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures. Breast augmentation was the most popular procedure, followed by liposuction, rhinoplasty (nose jobs), facelifts, and eyelid surgeries. Overall, 2018 saw a four percent increase for plastic surgery over the previous year. This increase in spending on plastic surgery by Americans is hardly surprising, as cosmetic procedures and operations have eased into mainstream culture over the decades and become part of everyday life.

Popular actors and actresses, singers, and other celebrities have all helped to make plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures far better known, especially as more of them go public with their work. However, it has also become significantly more popular among ordinary people as well and word has spread that surgeries are not reserved only for superstars and reality TV millionaire housewives. Mommy makeovers, tummy tucks, and rhinoplasties are all popular choices among celebrities and average Americans alike, the medical group mentions. With several billion dollars being spent on these surgeries and other procedures annually that it is probably safe to assume that the vast majority of these operations are not only being obtained by celebrities and the super-rich. Some are even being obtained by men.

A rise in popularity for plastic surgery has a potential dark side, as an increase in popularity has also coincided with an increase in less experienced practitioners with sometimes questionable qualifications. This problem has led to a corresponding increase in the need for revision procedures and operations to fix shoddy work done by less qualified surgeons. Prospective plastic surgery patients must put in the research and make sure they choose a plastic surgery provider that is reputable within the profession. Any cost saving measures now, including visits to foreign nations for cosmetic procedures or surgeries, could result in significantly higher expenses, or worse, in the long run. On the other hand, plastic surgery operations and cosmetic procedures from reputable providers have never been safer. In fact, operations such as rhinoplasty and facelifts have been practiced for more than a century with consistently increasing safety and effectiveness over the decades.