MONDAY, June 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- The rapidly rising number of bariatric surgeries in the United States may be leading to greater demand for cosmetic surgery, according to a new report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
In 2014, cosmetic procedures associated with major weight loss -- such as abdominoplasty, mastopexy and brachioplasty -- increased the most in four years, echoing a similar rise in bariatric surgeries. "We think there is a correlation between the two types of procedures, and we expect that trend to continue," Scot Glasberg, M.D., president of the ASPS, said in a news release from the group.
The report indicates that 179,000 Americans had bariatric surgery in 2013, an average of nearly 500 procedures a day. That's the most since 2009 and the third most on record. Thigh lifts and upper arm lifts both rose 9 percent in 2014, the largest single-year increase in five years, the study findings showed. In addition, there was a 4 percent rise in abdominoplasty rates, and a 10 percent increase in mastopexy rates, the largest single-year rise since 2009, according to the news release.
"Post-massive weight-loss patients are the number one growth area I have seen in my practice, and I'm sure that's the case in many doctors' offices across the country," said Glasberg, who practices in New York City.
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