Italy ranks 9th in world for plastic surgery procedures

(AGI) Rome, Aug 1 - Italy is ranked ninth in the world for number of plastic surgery procedures, according to a survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). Botox treatment topped the list of cosmetic procedures in 2015, while breast implants were the most popular plastic surgery procedure. "The ISAPS survey is the most complete study in the world, although there are quite a few limits to such large-scale research," affirmed the president of the Italian Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (AICPE), Eugenio Gandolfi. "Despite the challenges, the survey offers a broad view on what is happening in the medical aesthetics sector worldwide." A total of 9,641,000 cosmetic surgery procedures were carried out in 2015, in addition to 21,696,000 medical procedures, for a grand total of 31,610,000 - 1 million more than in 2014. Botox treatment remains the most popular procedure by far among both men and women, with over 4.6 million procedures in 2015. Hyaluronic acid therapy came second in the field of medical aesthetics, with 2.8 million procedures, 6.5 percent more than in 2014. In the surgical sector, almost 1.5 million women underwent breast augmentations, rising by 10.4 percent compared to 2014. Blepharoplasty (corrective eyelid surgery) was the most popular procedure among men. The countries with the highest number of procedures were: the U.S., with over 4 million procedures, at 18.6 percent of the worldwide total; Brazil, with just over 2.3 million, at 10.7 percent; and South Korea with 1.15 million procedures, equating to 5.3 percent. Italy came in ninth with 418,760 procedures, 1.9 percent of the total. The data published by ISAPS also revealed that cosmetic and plastic surgeries are becoming increasingly popular with men. Despite the sector still being dominated by female patients, with over 8 million procedures representing 84.7 percent of the total, almost 1.5 million treatments and operations were undergone by men. That is an increase to 15.3 percent from 13.7 percent in 2014. (AGI). .