Fewer and fewer people are resorting to spreading false information about and stigmatizing those who choose to undergo cosmetic surgery in order to change or benefit their physical appearance and emotional wellbeing. More people recognize the underlying reasons that these surgeries exist in the first place, and acknowledge that much of the business helps those who have been deformed or brutalized in terrible accidents that leave their ability to lead normal lives in question.
The industry is projected to grow to $12 billion by 2022 according to a report published by Grand View Research, Inc. Because U.S. surgeons represent the forefront of this industry, they stand to benefit more than other surgeons who reside outside of the country. In fact, they performed nearly nineteen percent of all cosmetic or plastic surgeries by 2015, a number expected to grow exponentially over the next five years.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Queens surgeon or a surgeon working out of Podunk–if you live here, you make more and do more. That said, be prepared to spend a great deal more money if you live in a wealthy state over a more rural one. On average a tummy tuck will cost you in the neighborhood of $11,000 in California, while that number is only about $6,000 in Utah. Like everything else, how much you need to spend is determined by where you live and the quality of the surgeon doing the work.
Even so, Utah is well known for its cosmetic surgery market. Part of that is obviously the low cost. If you can make a cheap flight to Utah and still manage to spend thousands less for the same surgery that you might get in California, then why not do it?
These trends for exponential growth extend to dentistry markets as well, which are experiencing unprecedented growth. The industry has shifted from one in which procedures and surgeries were primarily done to help prevent and fix tooth decay, to one in which much of the work being done is cosmetic. Teeth whitening is one of the most popular procedures now administered, and dentists are raking in the profits as a result.
The number of cosmetic surgeries performed increased by three percent in 2016. That amount of growth may not seem like much from one year to the next, but the industry as a whole has blown up 132 percent since the year 2000. When that statistic is taken into consideration, three percent is suddenly a whole lot bigger than you think. More people want to look better as they get older, and they’re not afraid to spend a little money on the luxury.
One of the biggest reasons that the stigma against cosmetic surgery is on the decline is that people are more open and honest with their peers about what they want to be done and why. Because more people are able to understand another person’s motives, there is less secrecy and more transparency, and that in and of itself is a big boon to the industry and those who take advantage of its benefits. Will these trends continue to extend into the future? For the moment, it seems like they will. But as always, one never knows until five or ten years down the road.
