The lastest cosmetic surgery statistics are out, and they show an interesting trend: plastic surgery for men is on the rise.  Cosmetic procedures performed on men increased by two percent last year, over 2009 the previous year.

The cosmetic procedures for men were not just wrinkle fillers and Botox injections.  Actual surgical procedures like facelifts, ear-shaping surgery, and eyelid surgery were all on the rise over the previous year, according to the data released in the study.

1.1 million procedures involved plastic surgery for men, out of a total of 13 million. Overall, women are of course more likely to get cosmetic surgery, but the trend is on the rise for men.  Procedures that involved minimally invasive techniques were also up for men, over 2009.  It turns out that men want to diminish creases and wrinkles too.  Soft tissue fillers for men were up 10 % in 2010 and Botox injections for men were up nine percent.

The largest increase in plastic surgery for men were seen in facelifts, with a 14 % jump over last year.  There was also a 7% hike in liposuction for men.

In general, the plastic surgery statistics reflect a greater acceptance of cosmetic surgeries for both sexes, but also a narrowing of the gap between men and women in this aspect.  People talk about plastic surgery for men more, and it’s becoming more mainstream.  Shows like Miami Slice and Extreme Makeover have revealed much about the world of cosmetic surgery, making people more familiar and therefore more apt to consider various cosmetic procedures.

The number one cosmetic operation is still breast augmentation, according to cosmetic plastic surgery statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for 2010.  Breast implant operations have actually surged in the past decade , up 40% over the previous decade.

By contrast, other cosmetic surgery procedures have decreased in the same period of time.  Decreasing in popularity are nose jobs, lip augmentation, and liposuction.  Liposuction especially is falling out of favor, down 43 percent in the last 10 years.

The cosmetic plastic surgery statistics are fascinating if you like to follow trends.  Eyelid surgery, most common among Asian Americans, is down 36 %.  The study doesn’t report whether the country’s economic health has anything to do with declines in certain procedures.   However, the data does show that there was a 5% increase in cosmetic procedures in 2010 over the previous year.  The term cosmetic procedures includes both noninvasive procedures and operations.

Breast implant operations can mean breast lifts or breast implants, both designed to increase the breast size.  There was a 2% increase in 2010 over 2009 for breast implants.  This is a 39% increase since 2000.  Another interesting fact from the cosmetic plastic surgery statistics was the fact that a whopping 40% of breast enhancement procedures were performed on women in the Mountain and Pacific states.

The past decade has seen a decrease in face-lifts as well.  They are down 16%, perhaps because many cosmetic surgery procedures have been replaced by noninvasive treatments new to the scene in the past decade.  They are: botox injections, wrinkle fillers, and laser hair removal.