2025 plastic surgery by the numbers: What are the trends in plastic surgery – and what it means for you

Discussing trends can be tricky. What is popular on social media one day isn't always the hot topic the next. In some cases, feeds can offer a skewed view of what is happening behind closed doors in the consultation room. While no one wants to spend hours poring over numbers and statistics, a breakdown of the 2025 plastic surgery data can help put trends into perspective.

If you've been thinking about a lift or a tuck or just wondering what everyone else is getting done these days, you're not alone. Patients are asking many of the same questions, and the numbers help support what surgeons see in their offices every day. Plastic surgery procedures rose 7 percent in 2025.

However, the real story isn't only that more people are getting surgery. The 2025 data painted a more complete picture of what patients chose and why. The numbers pointed to a shift that may be connected to the rising use of weight loss medications like GLP-1s and the issues surrounding rapid weight loss, including skin laxity, chafing and sagging excess skin.

"It's showing the real start of this GLP-1 revolution, and it's not going to stop. I don't think it's a trend," said Sara Dickie, MD. "Americans are getting bodies that are healthier in many ways, because yes, they're losing weight, but they also want proportional balance. We're seeing this medication change a lot about how people want to present themselves, and, as plastic surgeons, we are professionally trained to help our patients meet that goal."

Top five procedures by volume

The shift in patient goals and aesthetics showed up nearly everywhere in this year's data. While some procedures never go out of style, others moved up in the rankings, demonstrating how patients have moved beyond the COVID-19 era of "Zoom boom" facial procedures and into a GLP-1 weight loss era that may have them less focused on one feature and more in tune with an overarching, proportional aesthetic.

1. Liposuction: 317,196 procedures, down 1 percent
2. Breast augmentation and implant revision: 304,234 procedures, up 11 percent
3. Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty): 173,251 procedures, up 2 percent
4. Breast lift: 156,131 procedures, up 8 percent
5. Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty): 118,978 procedures, up 19 percent

Why everyone's suddenly talking about lifts: A defining category of 2025

The popularity of GLP-1 medications for weight loss is undeniable. For patients who add this medication to their nutrition and exercise regimen, it can feel like a game changer. However, after working hard and losing significant weight, patients may be surprised to find that their skin hasn't quite caught up. That is the scenario behind one of the biggest shifts in plastic surgery this year.

Lift and contouring procedures didn't just grow in 2025. They surged across nearly every part of the body. Facial fat grafting recorded the single largest increase among cosmetic surgery procedures, rising 39 percent. Forehead and brow lifts increased 29 percent, upper body lifts climbed 22 percent, arm lifts rose 21 percent, neck lifts increased 21 percent and thigh lifts grew 20 percent. Facelifts continued their steady ascent with a 13 percent gain, breast lifts rose 8 percent and lower body lifts increased by 4 percent.

In a companion survey conducted alongside this year's procedural statistics, 82 percent of ASPS Member Surgeons reported receiving consultation requests related to GLP-1 medications. Consultations and completed procedures are not the same thing, but the widespread growth across the lift category is consistent with what surgeons increasingly report hearing from patients following significant weight loss.

If you've lost significant weight recently, you are not alone in wondering about your options for the skin left behind, not only aesthetically but for improved function as well.

The face is getting some love too

It wasn't only bodies. Facial rejuvenation had a big year, and again, not from one single procedure but from patients wanting a more complete refresh. Eyelid surgery, facelifts, neck lifts, brow lifts and facial fat grafting all posted double-digit growth.

The shift may show that patients are no longer addressing one feature at a time. They are addressing sagging, volume loss and aging as a whole, often tied to the same weight changes reshaping the rest of the body and adopting a more comprehensive approach to their overall aesthetic goals.

Beyond surgery: Reconstruction and minimally invasive treatments

Cosmetic surgery isn't the whole picture. A few other notable numbers:

• Neuromodulator injections, commonly referred to as Botox, accounted for roughly half of all minimally invasive procedures performed in 2025, while hyaluronic acid fillers accounted for another 30 percent.
• On the reconstructive side, repair procedures grew 5 percent to 367,880, hand surgery increased 13 percent and breast reconstruction rose 10 percent.

Breast surgery: Still going strong

Breast procedures had a big year. Breast augmentation and implant revision surpassed 300,000 procedures, up 11 percent. Breast lifts and breast reductions also saw meaningful gains. Whether the goal is enhancement, comfort or quality of life, breast surgery remains one of the most consistently in-demand categories year over year.

Honorable mentions

Although these procedures may not be headline grabbers or have seen the increases other categories saw in 2025, they are not insignificant. More patients are pursuing procedures tied to comfort and everyday quality of life, not only aesthetics.

• Labiaplasty: Up 9 percent
• Breast reduction: Up 7 percent, continuing a steady upward trajectory

What didn't change, and why that matters

Not every procedure needs a significant upward trajectory to matter. Many popular procedures remained remarkably steady in 2025.

• Liposuction: When a procedure is already the most performed in the country, holding ground is a win.
• Tummy tuck: Statistically flat, despite being one of the procedures patients ask about most during GLP-1 consultations. Curiosity and commitment don't always follow the same timeline.
• Breast implant removal: Essentially unchanged from last year.

What went down in 2025

A handful of procedures cooled off in 2025:

• Nose reshaping (rhinoplasty): A 5 percent decline, reversing two consecutive years of growth
• Brazilian butt lift (buttock augmentation with fat grafting): A 5 percent decline, continuing to cool after years of rapid expansion
• Male breast reduction (gynecomastia surgery): An 8 percent drop

None of these dips undo the year's overall growth. They remind us that preferences evolve, sometimes as quickly as they rise.

The bottom line

If there is anything to take away from the 2025 data, it may be that the year wasn't about a single viral procedure or headline trend. It was about people's bodies and expectations genuinely changing, likely due in part to the ripple effects of significant weight loss. Rather than chasing a particular look, patients are pursuing balance, comfort and the feeling of being themselves again.

"It's always interesting to see the numbers come out after living it as a surgeon in private practice, particularly the cosmetic numbers," said Dr. Dickie. "Absolutely, without question, I have more arm lift consults and more arm lift patients opting for surgeries than I've ever had before. The same with thighs, to an extent, and breast lifts, which is something I do a lot. I'm seeing more breast lifts with augmentation, too."

Behind each of these percentage points is a real patient story, driven by aging, weight loss, improved function or renewed confidence. If any of this sounds familiar, you are in good company, and your plastic surgeon has almost certainly had this exact conversation with someone else.

To find a qualified plastic surgeon for any cosmetic or reconstructive procedure, consult a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All ASPS members are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, have completed an accredited plastic surgery training program, practice in accredited facilities and follow strict standards of safety and ethics. Find an ASPS member in your area.