Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) -- American men, favoring Botox injections and liposuction, underwent 17 percent more cosmetic procedures in 2007 to more than 1 million treatments, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Operations and less-invasive procedures among women still outnumbered those in men by 10 to one, and men mostly eschewed a buttocks operation that's gaining popularity, the society said yesterday. Botox, the biggest product from Irvine, California- based Allergan Inc., generated $1.21 billion in sales last year, a 23 percent gain, counting cosmetic and medical uses.
Doctors, health centers and spas have made it more convenient for men to get cosmetic procedures, with later hours and more masculine settings, said Jason Pozner, a plastic surgeon and owner of the Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center in Boca Raton, Florida. The stigma is gone, he said.
``It's coming into its own for men,'' Pozner said in a telephone interview yesterday. ``Men are much more aware of non- surgical products and they are much more amenable now to having things done. You are just as likely to see a man in my waiting room as a woman.''
Rates among women leveled off in 2007, with 10.6 million procedures. Women were most likely to get injections of Botox, used to smooth wrinkles, or breast implants, the survey found.
`Brazilian Butt'
The biggest increase during the year was in buttocks augmentation, called a ``Brazilian butt'' for its popularity in the South American country, Pozner said. The number of such procedures more than doubled, with women being the patients in most cases, according to the report.
The five most common surgical procedures for men were liposuction, eyelid surgery, nose jobs, male breast reduction and hair transplants. Among women, the most popular were breast augmentation, liposuction, eyelid surgery, stomach surgery and breast reduction. Among non-surgical procedures, Botox, soft tissue fillers, laser hair removal and skin treatments were the most common in both groups.
Botox injections cost an average of $380, while breast implants were $4,000, buttock lifts were $5,000, liposuction was about $3,000 and nose jobs were $4,400. In all, Americans spent more than $13 billion on cosmetic surgery and less-invasive procedures last year, according to the report.
Decline in Botox Procedures
While injections of Botox remained the most popular treatment, the overall number of procedures with that drug fell 12.8 percent from 2006, the survey found.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Botox may be linked to cases of potentially deadly botulism. Company spokeswoman Caroline Van Hove said on Feb. 8 that Botox wasn't necessarily causing botulism.
BioForm Medical Inc.'s Radiesse, a soft-tissue filler, increased more than 50 percent during 2007. The use of rival substances, including collagen and hyaluronic acid products such as Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp.'s Restylane, fell.
The number of cheek implants also dropped, by more than 50 percent, as doctors and treatment providers used fillers instead, said Pozner, who serves on the advisory board for San Mateo, California-based BioForm Medical.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has as members some 2,400 certified plastic surgeons who work to educate the public and advance medical research. The group's annual report surveyed 12,000 plastic surgeons, dermatologists and ear, nose and throat specialists. The society is based in Los Alamitos, California.