The popularity of breast augmentation procedures in the United States is evident, as the treatment continues to hit the top charts since 2006, says the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The procedure is a good option for women, helping them improve their femininity with enhanced breast size and shape. The annual International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) report for cosmetic procedures performed in 2013 reveals the international acceptance of breast augmentation treatment. According to the report, more than 23 million procedures were performed worldwide last year, which included surgical and non-surgical treatment. Breast augmentation procedure was the topmost cosmetic surgery procedure performed in the world.
- Out of the 23 million procedures, augmentation of breasts covered 1,773,584 procedures giving it the credit of being the most frequently performed surgical treatment.
- 87.2% of the total procedures were for women with 20 million surgical and non-surgical procedures, and breast enhancement procedure made up the majority.
- ISAPS has also revealed interesting information of the countries which frequently performed breast surgery. When taking into account the total number of breast procedures performed worldwide last year, 15% was in the United States, 14.9% in Brazil, 3.3% in Mexico, 3% in Germany and 2.5% in Venezuela.
- Even though the type of breast procedures was not specifically mentioned, other statistics shows that it may mainly include breast enhancement and breast lift.
Among the breast augmentation techniques available at present, breast implant surgery is a conventional and widely accepted procedure. Advanced and FDA-approved saline, silicone and gummy bear implants are used for the augmentation. However, at present a number of women who don’t want implants prefer the fat transfer method wherein their own surplus fat is used to augment the breasts naturally. With the demand for well-contoured breasts improving over time, researchers are proposing innovative methods. One of the latest in the list is composite breast augmentation for women who don’t have enough breast tissue to hold the implants. This advanced option involves injecting fat over the muscles and implants to improve the outcome. Breast lift is mostly performed in conjunction with the augmentation to resolve sagginess and offer an attractive bust line.