Breast Augmentation Statistics

Sep 28, 2018 @ 03:49 PM — by Dr. Suzanne Yee

Every year, breast augmentation ranks among the most popular elective surgery procedures. Breast augmentation enhances the size of the breasts and improves the overall shape of the bustline. Since many women are not naturally blessed with a large chest, and many others see the size and shape of the breasts change following pregnancy and nursing, it is not a surprise that this is such a popular procedure.

Despite the continual popularity of breast augmentation, there are still many women that hesitate to undergo plastic surgery. They may wonder if they’re alone in wanting their body augmented, if they’re the right age for plastic surgery, and if cosmetic treatment is safe. When it comes to easing these worries, the most valuable information is the facts.

Here, experienced plastic surgeon Suzanne Yee provides breast augmentation statistics so our Little Rock, AR patients get answers to some common breast augmentation concerns.

How Common Is Breast Augmentation?

If you are interested in increasing your breast size to enhance your figure, you are definitely not alone. According to data collected by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), breast augmentation was once again ranked as the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure.

In 2017, there were 300,378 breast augmentation procedures performed among surgeons belonging to the ASPS. This marks a 3 percent increase from the number of breast augmentation procedures performed in 2016.

The consistent number of breast augmentation procedures performed year after year suggests that the popularity of breast augmentation will not be waning any time soon.

There Is No “Right” Age for Cosmetic Surgery

Age is another common concern for potential breast augmentation patients. They often wonder if they are too old or too young to consider augmenting the breasts.

As long as a person is healthy enough to undergo surgery, has a mature understanding of the procedure, and realistic expectations for treatment results, breast augmentation can be performed at virtually any age.

ASPS statistics for 2017 show that breast augmentation patients cover a wide age range:

3 percent of breast augmentation procedures were performed on patients aged 13 to 19
29 percent of breast augmentation patients were aged 20 to 29, and another 29 percent were aged 40-54
Patients aged 30 to 39 accounted for 37 percent of breast augmentation procedures
2 percent of breast augmentation patients were aged 55 or over

Risk of Complication

It is true that no plastic surgery procedure is guaranteed to be safe. However, patient satisfaction reports show that the majority of women who undergo breast augmentation are happy with their results. Furthermore, the risk of surgical complications is low among patients.

One thing that is unique about breast augmentation is that complications can arise at any time after surgery. The risk of complications is actually more likely the longer that a patient has her implants in.

Localized implant complications, such as breast pain, asymmetry, rippling, and capsular contracture will occur in at least 1 percent of breast augmentation patients at some point following their surgery. Nearly all of these complications can be corrected, though they may require a secondary surgical procedure.

Learn More

If you are interested in learning more about breast augmentation, and whether you may be an ideal candidate for treatment, contact us at your earliest convenience. Call (501) 224-1044 to meet with experienced plastic surgeon Suzanne Yee to discuss your cosmetic goals.