Millennials have officially made their mark as the nation’s largest living generation coming in at 75.4 million, exceeding the number of Baby Boomers at 74.9 million.(2)
The Baby Boomer generation is made up of anyone from the ages of 51 to 69, whereas the Millennial generation consists of people in the age group of 18 to 34, in 2015.
Surgical cosmetic procedures have been consistently popular among both of these generations over time. Which procedures come in as the most popular for our nation’s largest living generation?
Let’s take a look at the top five cosmetic surgery trends for Millennials, according to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).
Coming in as the most popular surgical procedure, at 146,430 procedures in 2015, is breast augmentation.(1)
This surgery is done to: make breasts more symmetrical, to enlarge them to desired size, to restore the original shape and size after pregnancy, weight loss or breastfeeding, and to restore the breasts after a surgery that affected the shape and size such as breast cancer.
A lot of needs are being met by just one surgery. This is most likely why breast augmentation comes in as the most popular cosmetic surgery among Millennials.
While this surgical procedure is the most popular among all age groups, it comes in at number two for Millennials. In 2015, this surgical procedure was performed 110,669 times on Millennials.(1)
Taking the third spot for popularity among Millennials is nose surgery. Also known as rhinoplasty, this surgery can be done for either cosmetic reasons or to correct impaired breathing due to the structure of the nose.(4)
The number of rhinoplasty procedures done In 2015 was 67,563 surgeries.(1)
Reduction mammoplasty, more commonly known as breast reduction, comes in as the fourth most popular procedure done among Millennials.
These 28,281 procedures only include women as patients. While male breast reduction is popular as a treatment of gynecomastia, it doesn’t quite make the top five most popular surgical procedures. (1)
This surgery is done to either make a woman’s breast size more proportional with her body or to alleviate discomfort from having exceedingly large breasts.
The most prominent discomfort is back pain. Patients undergoing the surgery may be eligible to have the procedure completely covered by insurance.
The fifth most popular cosmetic surgery trend among Millennials, coming in at 13,882 procedures in 2015, is ear surgery.(1) People undergo this surgery to correct the shape, size or position of the ear.(4)
Reviewed September 21, 2016
by Michele Blacksberg RN