BAAPS stats reveal changing public attitudes to surgery

The wave of post-recession excess which last year resulted in a stratospheric rise in glamour model-inspired boob jobs and summer body-influenced transformations has truly washed over, with new statistics showing Britons have settled into more cautious, rational attitudes towards cosmetic surgery.

New figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) reveal that the number of cosmetic operations last year decreased 9% overall since 2013. Demand for subtle, understated anti-ageing procedures such as eyelid surgery, face lifts and fat transfer remained largely unchanged while treatments such as tummy tucks and nose jobs dropped dramatically. And whilst breast augmentation (boob jobs) kept its top place as the most popular surgical procedure, demand for them plunged by a quarter (23%). Breast reductions, increasingly unavailable on the Health Service, went up by a modest 3%.

Michael Cadier, consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS president commented, “With demand for the most subtle anti-ageing procedures such as eyelid surgery and facelifts holding steady, it’s clear that the public of 2014 were after a refreshed or youthful appearance rather than more conspicuous alterations. Proven treatments such as surgical liposuction also continued to rise, which is unsurprising, when so many non-surgical alternatives for fat removal seem ineffective. “The message to the aesthetic sector is clear: patients want subtle and understated – most refreshingly, they are doing their research, taking their time and coming to us with realistic expectations. At the BAAPS we consider this to be a triumph and, as the only organisation based at the Royal College of Surgeons solely dedicated to advancing safety and training in aesthetic surgery, we’re committed to continue in our mission of promoting education and sensible decision making in cosmetic procedures.”