Any surgical operation can be scary, but when it comes to plastic surgery, a new study suggests more and more people are going under the knife.
According to the third annual 'Global Study of Aesthetic/Cosmetic Surgery Procedures Performed in 2011,' conducted by The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, lipoplasty remained the most popular surgical procedure of 2011.
Lipoplasty, which works a bit differently than liposuction, is the procedure of using sound waves to liquefy unwanted fat beneath the skin's surface before it get suctioned out, according to WebMD. The study found that lipoplasty represented 19.9 per cent of total surgical procedures, while Botox (or its proper name, botulinum toxin type A) took up 39.1 per cent of non-surgical procedures worldwide.
And when it comes to getting that nip and tuck, some countries kept reappearing on multiple lists. In 2011, the United States, for example, had the most plastic surgeons at 5,950, the most cosmetic procedures at 3,105,246, and was the number one country for lipoplasty, breast augmentation, blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), and tummy tucks.
The study also showed a major divide. While breast augmentations were more popular in North American and European countries, lipoplasty was the most requested surgery in South America and Asia overall.
As interest in plastic surgery remains high around the world, some organizations say having these procedures easily marketed and available (like those tempting group buying sites' 2-for-1 deals) can be doing more harm than good. After the United Kingdom looked at creating stricter regulations for cosmetic plastic surgery, Rajiv Grover, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, argued to The Guardian that plastic surgery procedures should be classified as medical procedures.
"It's an operation, which would have risks as well as some benefits, and the whole presentation of that package should be going back to a medical procedure, rather than a commodity," he said in an interview.
The most recent study, conducted with 20,000 certified plastic surgeons across the globe, collected data from each country based on the most popular procedures. However, authors of the study waned against comparing these numbers with those from previous years, as poll respondents and sample sizes vary from year to year.
LOOK: Here are countries with the most cosmetic surgeries, along with the most popular type of surgery in each one.
Countries With The Most Plastic Surgeries
#25: Romania:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 53,644
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 43,258
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 25
#24: Netherlands:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 55.109
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 46,343
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 24
#23: Australia:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 67,698
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 40,427
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 21
#22: Saudi Arabia:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 70,254
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 46,962
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 23
A general view shows the meeting hall of the Arab Foreign Ministers on the eve of the third session of the Arab Economic, Social and Development Summit held in Riyadh.
#21: Argentina:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 59,594
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 73,706
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 18
#20: Thailand:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 80,555
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 55,642
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 22
#19: Venezuela:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 61,027
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 81,158
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 17
#18: Greece:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 82,065
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 60,329
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation (with lipoplasty a close second)
Country Rank In 2010: 20
#17: Taiwan:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 108,903
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 72,909
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 19
#16. United Kingdom:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 116,343
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 95,063
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 16
#15: Canada:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 139,239
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 81,893
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 15
#14: Russia:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 125,169
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 104,223
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 14
#13: Turkey:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 161,378
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 104,767
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 12
#12: Spain:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 151,020
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 125,103
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 13
#11: Colombia:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 159,629
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 211,879
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 10
#10: Germany:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 228,255
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 187,193
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 11
#9: France:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 248,247
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 207,049
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 9
#8: India:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 274,792
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 191,439
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 5
#7: South Korea:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 391,588
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 258,350
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 8
#6: Italy:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 388,440
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 316,470
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 7
#5: Mexico:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 494,731
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 299,835
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 6
#4: Japan:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 579,878
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 372,773
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 4
#3: China:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 635,720
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 415,140
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 3
#2: Brazil:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 542,090
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 905,124
Top Surgical Procedure: Lipoplasty
Country Rank In 2010: 2
#1: United States:
Total Non-Surgical Procedures: 2,011,100
Top Non-Surgical Procedure: Botulinum Toxin Type A
Total Surgical Procedures: 1,094,146
Top Surgical Procedure: Breast augmentation
Country Rank In 2010: 1
