What Backlash?

New statistics show we're still crazy for filler despite reports of waning interest.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons just released its latest procedural statistics report — a tally of the surgical and nonsurgical treatments performed in 2023. I’ll be covering the findings in depth in the coming weeks, so for now, I’ll just highlight the most popular procedures and share a few thoughts.

Top 5 Cosmetic Surgical Procedures

1. Liposuction

2. Breast augmentation

3. Tummy tuck

4. Breast lift

5. Eyelid surgery

Top 5 Cosmetic Minimally Invasive Procedures

1. Neuromodulators

2. Hyaluronic acid fillers

3. Skin resurfacing (lasers, microdermabrasion, peels)

4. Skin treatments (removing hair, tattoos, veins, and spots with lights and lasers)

5. Lip augmentation (with filler)

While facelifts aren’t charting, ASPS surgeons performed 78,482 of them last year — 8% more than in 2022.

Injectables garnered far more impressive numbers, naturally: They’re relatively affordable, easy to get, and involve little pain or downtime.

• Neuromodulators: 9,480,949

• HA fillers: 5,294,603

• Lip augmentation: 1,439,291

• Non-HA fillers (Sculptra, Radiesse, Bellafill, Renuva): 924,549

Here’s why I find these (fairly predictable) figures to be sort of curious: Much of my work lately has focused on nonsurgical controversies. In recent months, doctors have told me about patients moving away from filler; expressing fear and regret related to overfilling and complications; and dissolving their filler for various reasons. Some are abandoning (or, at least, questioning) their usual injectables due to anecdotal reports of surgeons finding nodules, calcifications, and scar tissue in the faces of patients who’ve had collagen-stimulating treatments. These claims are controversial and hotly debated.

Yet, none of this is reflected in the stats. Looking at the numbers alone, one might assume it’s business as usual in aesthetics. And perhaps it is, for the majority of providers? (Some of you are providers and I’d love to hear your theories on this.)