Cosmetic procedures continued to increase in popularity in 2019, and body sculpting and laser/light/energy-based procedures led the way, according to a survey by the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery.
the largest proportional rise among the major categories of cosmetic procedures, the ASDS reported in its annual member survey.
Use of laser/light/energy-based devices was up by a much lower 18%, but the increase in the actual number of procedures – nearly 637,000 more than 2018 – was larger than any other category, the ASDS said.
Procedures categorized as “other rejuvenation” – microneedling, platelet-rich plasma, hair rejuvenation, and thread lifts – were another bright spot in the cosmetic lineup in 2019, rising 38% over their 2018 volume. Injectable neuromodulator treatments, which were second in overall volume with almost 2.4 million procedures, were up by 12.5% in 2019, compared with 2018, the ASDS said.
The injectable soft-tissue fillers, however, did not produce any noteworthy gain in the volume of procedures for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, the number of chemical peel procedures dropped by almost 16% in 2019 after rising for the last 2 years, the ASDS reported.
A closer look at the body-sculpting sector also shows some declines in 2019, despite the overall success: Cryolipolysis procedures were down by 10.3% and deoxycholic acid procedures slipped 13.7%. The biggest addition – over 157,000 procedures – came from muscle-toning devices, which were new to the survey last year, the ASDS noted.
The survey was conducted among the society’s members from May 7 to July 31, 2020, and the 514 responses were generalized to the entire ASDS membership of over 6,400 physicians.