New Englanders, here’s the body part we ask plastic surgeons to fix the most

Source: Metro Creative

Source: Metro Creative

If you could change any part of your body with plastic surgery, what would it be? New Englanders answer that question differently than people going under the knife throughout the rest of the country, according to data released by a medical society for plastic surgeons.

(The data doesn’t reflect those who answer, “None thanks, get that scalpel away from me.”)

Breast augmentations reigned supreme for most of the country in 2014, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports. In the West and Midwest, along with Texas and surrounding states, the boob job accounted for the greatest share of cosmetic surgery procedures.

Residents of South Atlantic states were more worried about their pant size than bra size, opting for liposuction more than any other procedure, according to the data.

What about us no-nonsense Yankees? We’re not immune from wanting a little nip and tuck, but unlike those Californians and Texans, we want your eyes UP HERE.

Among New Englanders (along with residents of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) the most popular cosmetic surgery was: a nose job. Plastic surgeons in our region performed 63,652 “nose reshapings” last year, out of about 320,000 cosmetic surgeries overall.

Source: MetroCreative

Source: MetroCreative

Breast augmentations came in second (41,804), followed by eyelid surgeries (37,236).

Nationally, nose jobs ranked second after breast augmentations.

The society also reported on minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures, such as laser hair removal and collagen fillers. In that category, New England joined the rest of the pack. No matter where patients lived, Botox was treatment No. 1.

Source: Metro Creative

Source: Metro Creative

Surprised? I can’t tell, your eyebrows are frozen…

Nationally, plastic surgeons performed 15.6 million cosmetic procedures in 2014, an uptick of 3 percent from 2013, the society reported.

The ASPS also found that as weight loss surgeries have increased, so have procedures aimed at reducing loose skin, such as tummy tucks, breast lifts, thigh lifts and upper arm lifts.

But another medical society, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, reports different figures. That organization said 10 million cosmetic procedures were performed last year, down about 5 percent from 2013. The drop was mostly attributable to minimally-invasive procedures such as Botox and fillers.

The groups use similar methodologies and can’t seem to pinpoint why their numbers differ, according to Allure. As the magazine explained, the organizations mail surveys to their members and other surgeons who perform cosmetic procedures, receiving fewer than 1,000 usable questionnaires back. Statisticians then extrapolate the figures for each category, with a margin of error of 3 or 4 percent.

But both societies agreed that 2014 was all about the rear view — buttock augmentation, including implants and lifts, was the fastest-growing cosmetic procedure in popularity.

All that nipping and tucking came at a cost (beyond the usual risks of surgery, such as infections and complications). For the second year in a row, Americans spent more than $12 billion on cosmetic procedures, ASAPS found.

 

Jackie Farwell

About Jackie Farwell

I'm the health editor for the Bangor Daily News, a Bangor native, a UMaine grad, and a weekend crossword warrior. I never get sick of writing about Maine people, geeking out over health care data, and finding new ways to help you stay well. I live in Gorham with my husband Nick and our hound dog Riley.