Did you know there are only 218 practicing plastic surgeons for every 10 million Americans? This statistic indicates a huge market for plastic surgery procedures in the United States.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), more than 28 million reconstructive and cosmetic (surgical and minimally invasive) procedures were conducted in the US in 2023 alone.
Despite this demand, many plastic surgeons struggle to keep their appointment schedules full. The key reason? A lack of a robust online presence.
Around 97% of people rely on search engines and social media platforms to discover businesses and services. If your practice isn’t visible online, potential patients might not even know you exist.
Unfortunately, leveraging the digital space into your plastic surgery marketing campaign can be challenging due to the following:
- Overwhelming Choices: There are many digital marketing strategies. Sifting for the most effective is time-consuming and expensive.
- Constant Evolution: The digital realm evolves quickly, making it difficult for 99% of businesses and professionals to stay updated.
- Finding the Right Partner: Not all digital marketing firms produce results. The average plastic surgeon works with three to seven agencies before finding an agency like us and, therefore, success.
Here’s where we come in.
With over 15+ years in the industry, we’ve successfully managed over 2,100 client campaigns. Our success speaks for itself: Our digital marketing strategies deliver real results.
Still not convinced? Continue reading to see the statistics that showcase the power of online marketing in acquiring new patients for your plastic surgery practice.
Better yet, contact us. We’re so confident in our digital marketing approach that we’ll audit your website and ad campaigns and craft a custom digital marketing plan for free even before you sign up.
It’ll be so straightforward that you can execute this blueprint yourself or with another online advertising agency. So, what are you waiting for?
Find out if the plastic surgery marketing statistics you see online are valid. Call 310 879 8003, email contact@digitalspotlight.com, or visit 2450 Colorado Avenue, Suite 100E, Santa Monica, CA 90404.
What’s New in the Industry?
If we can pinpoint one significant shift in this healthcare segment, it’s the growing social acceptance of plastic surgery—no more judgmental glances and whispers.
This narrative change has led to a marked increase in reconstructive surgery and aesthetic procedures, with over 1 million and 1.5 million performed in the United States in 2023.
If you’re a plastic surgeon specializing in reconstructive surgery, wouldn’t you want your practice to be among the top results for searches related to procedures like rhinoplasty and breast reconstruction?
Similarly, if your skills and expertise are geared toward cosmetic procedures, wouldn’t you want your practice to be the go-to online source for liposuction and skin rejuvenation?
By staying current on the ever-evolving trends and innovations in your plastic surgery area of expertise, you gain insight into opportunities that will allow you to reach your desired patients.
So, what’s new in the industry? Plenty—from technological breakthroughs in restoring form and function to the public’s growing demand for “natural-looking” cosmetic results.
Research shows that throughout the years, the focus moved from purely reconstructive surgeries to targeting aesthetics.
Global Cosmetic Surgery Market 2016 vs. 2026
The numbers don’t lie. The global cosmetic surgery market is thriving. In 2016, it was valued at about $26 billion USD (US dollars).
But wait, there’s more good news. Experts predict the global cosmetic surgery and procedures industry will reach even greater heights, with forecasts expecting a $46 billion valuation in 2026. That’s a massive increase!
And guess what? A substantial chunk of this growth is happening online. You only need to look at social media sites like TikTok for proof, with trending searches including:
- Buccal fat removal (also called cheek reduction): This surgical procedure removes the face fat, highlighting your cheekbones and jawline.
- Jaw filler: This nonsurgical procedure involves injecting skin or dermal fillers to give you smoother and younger-looking skin.
- Breast reduction: As its name implies, this plastic surgery procedure reduces breast size by removing the excess breast tissue and skin, typically through excision and liposuction.
- Brazilian butt lift (BBL): This aesthetic plastic surgery procedure enhances the buttock shape by adding volume.
In other words, you need a robust digital marketing presence to capture a share of this growing market. We can help with SEO (search engine optimization), online ads, and SMM (social media marketing).
COVID-19 Impact
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and lockdowns weren’t fun for anybody. Various industries were negatively affected, and the plastic surgery market was no exception.
In 2020, the ASPS’ board-certified plastic surgeons reported that the pandemic resulted in a 15% drop in the total number of procedures.
But unlike other niches, such as hospitality, retail, and food services, the plastic surgery sector bounced back much quicker.
Why? Think back. How did you go about your business during the lockdowns? What means did people use to communicate with one another? For many, it was through Zoom meetings.
Telecommuting became the norm, and everyone wanted to look “good” for the camera, changing the societal perception of “plastic surgery”—from reconstruction to aesthetic enhancement.
As a result, there has been a revitalized interest in procedures related to improving one’s facial features, including:
- Facelifts: This surgical procedure aims to reduce signs of aging by relaxing the skin of the face or removing excess fat in the neck.
- Eye lifts: Also known as blepharoplasty, an eye lift is a cosmetic procedure that reduces the bagginess of your eyelids.
- Rhinoplasty: This procedure focuses on reshaping the nose for aesthetic purposes or, sometimes, reconstructing it to correct a congenital condition.
Now, what does this information mean for you? As a surgeon specializing in reconstructive surgery, you must recognize the value of digital marketing, especially if you want to reach potential patients and stay relevant.
Online Marketing Continues to Overtake Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor advertising is an excellent way to promote your plastic surgery practice. As its name suggests, it’s a marketing avenue that lets you reach people outside their homes.
That said, relying on billboards or bus decals promising a “new you” to give you a continuous stream of prospective patients may not be the best move. After all, the game has changed.
Consumers are now proactive. Think about it. Do you wait for subliminal messages from ads to make purchasing decisions these days? No—you hop online, browse websites, and check reviews.
And businesses and professionals are taking notice, pushing digital advertising spending from 522.5 billion USD in 2021 to an estimated 835.82 billion USD in 2026.
Yes, any marketing is better than no marketing. However, if your plastic surgery practice isn’t visible online, you’re missing out on a massive audience leveraging the digital space to learn more about the field.
Conversion Attribution Is Getting Harder for Digital Marketers
One of the upsides of online advertising is that you can customize your plastic surgery marketing campaigns to explicitly target audiences based on criteria like device type, location, demographics, and interests.
This precise targeting ability leads to higher conversion rates—the percentage of users who completed a desired action, such as booking a consultation appointment.
Statistics show that online marketing tactics like search engine optimization (SEO) have an average conversion rate of 14.6%. In contrast, traditional tactics like cold-calling and direct mail typically only have 1.7%.
Doesn’t that mean that digital marketing is the better advertising investment? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as cut and dry as you’d think. After all, the online marketing world isn’t all sunshine and roses.
More and more web browsers are implementing technology that prevents publishers like Google and Facebook from collecting user information.
As a result, it has become more challenging to track campaign performance—pinpointing which strategies work at driving patients toward your plastic surgery practice and which ones need a second look.
But if you partner with us, you don’t have to worry about this growing trend. Why? Apart from using industry-standard tracking tools, such as Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, and Hubspot, we also:
- Have full-time researchers who monitor patterns across the web to identify high-value marketing avenues
- Utilize advanced statistical analysis, data modeling, and multivariant testing to determine which tactics deliver the best returns
- Boast a dataset built from managing over 2,000 client campaigns that tell us which initiatives will bring you the most conversions
Driving Factors
We’ll say it again: The plastic surgery industry is booming. The COVID-19 pandemic was undoubtedly a significant factor in this growth.
However, other elements also drive the overwhelming demand we’re seeing, and understanding them can go a long way toward fueling your plastic surgery marketing strategy.
So, what are these other factors? Here are some of the most significant ones:
- The boom of medical spas: Think of medical spas as your traditional day spa. The only difference is that these establishments offer procedures you’d only typically get from a medical clinic.
The number of medical spas in the US grew by around 50% from 2016 to 2018, making procedures more accessible to the public and increasing the industry’s growth.
Unfortunately, more medical spas means more competition. So, if you want your practice to stand out, you must ensure your marketing campaigns communicate its advantage over these facilities.
- Technological advancements: Innovative plastic surgery products and techniques with faster recovery times and fewer complications appear everywhere.
These innovations are sparking interest among patients, driving the growth of the plastic surgery market. So what’s a good strategy? Stay on top of the latest advancements and spread useful information through articles, blogs, email campaigns, and targeted ads.
Restraining Factors
Would you believe us if we say the increased demand for reconstructive procedures should be higher? Well, that’s precisely the case.
Unfortunately, various bad actors are limiting you and other plastic surgeons’ ability to get more patient leads, consults, and procedures, and one cause is the unregulated market.
Many are trying to capitalize on the growth of the plastic surgery sector, and among them are unlicensed or unregistered medical practitioners who offer substandard products and procedures.
Still, you can prevent and combat the negative reputation that these unqualified facilities may have on the industry and your practice through digital marketing tactics like:
- Highlighting your qualifications—credentials, certifications, and years of experience— on your website and social media presence
- Showcasing patient reviews and testimonials that spotlight your expertise and instill confidence in your plastic surgery offerings
- Communicating your commitment to patient safety and ethical practices through informative articles and blogs
What Is SEO?
If you’re considering leveraging digital marketing to help your plastic surgery practice reach more prospective patients and boost your consultation and procedure numbers, SEO is a good place to start.
The question is, “What is it, and how does it work?”
Unfortunately, search engine optimization isn’t that simple. If it were, anyone could do it, which isn’t the case.
But unlike many online advertising agencies, we pride ourselves on translating complex concepts into plain English for our clients.
So, here’s SEO: It’s all about raising your organic (nonpaid) rankings on search engines like Google so potential patients can find your practice more easily online.
While every digital marketing firm has its distinct way of improving your SERP (search engine results page) rank, ours generally involve the following initiatives:
- Making your website search engine-friendly by ensuring Google, Bing, and other search engines can crawl (find) and index (save a copy) content on your website
- Auditing your existing articles and blogs to craft content that hits the user’s intent—the reason for the search
- Building trust and authority by connecting you with relevant and authoritative websites through backlinks (referral links)
SEO Continues to Grow in Impact
There’s no question that more and more people are turning to search engines to discover plastic surgeons and practices for reconstructive procedures.
Case in point: The monthly search volume (number of searches) for the search query “plastic surgery” on Google in the US was around 90,500 as of July 2024—and that’s for one keyword.
As a response, many business owners and professionals are allocating over 40% of their marketing budget to organic search—to SEO—and so should you. Why? Check these statistics out:
- The #1 traffic source for all websites is organic search.
- The top three organic results get 75.1% of the clicks, with the top website having an average CTR (click-through rate) of 31.7%. CTR measures the ratio of how often people click your listing after seeing it.
- Only 30% of searchers click on paid online advertisements.
If those stats aren’t enough to convince you of the effectiveness of search engine optimization, here are some more figures that may change your mind:
- We’ve helped over 1,800 clients, including surgeons, secure first-page positions on Google.
- Around 79% of our clients rank first on over 400 nonbranded keywords (search phrases without the client’s brand name).
- Our SEO services have generated over $130 million in additional annual revenue for our clients.
There Have Been Big Increases in Google Searches for Cosmetic Surgery Procedures
There’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic brought about many distressing outcomes. However, the data is clear: There is some good, too, such as the rise in searches related to reconstructive and cosmetic surgery procedures.
If you want to leverage this surge in public interest in plastic surgery marketing campaigns, you must understand what potential patients might be searching for.
Please note that the statistics used in the following sections are based on Google search volume data in the US collected in July 2024 and are subject to change.
Rhinoplasty Trends
Even before the pandemic hit, people were becoming increasingly curious about rhinoplasty. Monthly search numbers were already climbing from about 40,000 to 90,000 in 2019.
And it hasn’t decreased since then. As of July 2024, the top five rhinoplasty-related keywords have a monthly search volume of 90,500, which includes:
- “rhinoplasty”
- “nose operation”
- “nose reshaping”
- “nose reduction”
- “rhinoplasty nose surgery”
Facelift Trends
The desire for a more youthful appearance remains strong. In 2017, the monthly search volume for facelift-related terms was around 18,000. Then, during the lockdowns in 2020, it rose to 30,000.
Although the numbers have dipped slightly since then, they’re still higher than pre-COVID-19 search volume statistics, with searches for “face lift” hovering at roughly 27,100 as of July 2024.
Brazilian Butt Lift Trends
If you’re looking for keywords to target in your digital marketing campaigns, you’d want those related to Brazilian butt lift (BBL). After all, search numbers have skyrocketed in recent years.
Before the pandemic, the search volume for BBL-related search queries tiptoed around 40,000 monthly. As of July 2024, the search volume for keywords like “brazilian butt lift” and “bbls” are at a whopping 368,000!
Butt Implant Trends in Search
Body contour trends are constantly changing, and the same is true for the “ideal butt” shape.
During the 1990s, everyone wanted a tiny and flat behind. Today, however, the fad is big and round.
Meanwhile, searches related to butt implants are continuously fluctuating, with the numbers increasing by 50% during the 2020 pandemic and tapering off to around 12,100 on July 2024.
Liposuction Search Trends
A study by the Harvard Medical School indicates that 39% of people gained weight during the pandemic, which isn’t surprising considering that in most places, people couldn’t access gyms or even go for jogs.
That’s why it makes sense that the monthly search volumes for liposuction-related keywords are 50% higher than before the pandemic.
For instance, search terms like “bugle fat removal,” “liposuction,” and “belly fat removal without surgery” have search volumes of 135,000, 110,000, and 90,500, respectively.
Breast Implant Search Trends
Like many searches related to plastic surgery products and procedures, breast implants saw a bump during the lockdowns but quickly returned to pre-pandemic numbers.
As of July 2024, the monthly search volumes for breast implant-related keywords like “breast implants” and “silicone breast implants” in July 2024 are 20,300 and 572, respectively.
Reconstructive
Plastic surgery goes beyond aesthetics. For many surgeons, it’s about restoring form and function after an illness, injury, or congenital condition rather than enhancing the body’s appearance.
Making this distinction is essential to reach the right individuals—those interested in your reconstructive surgery offerings and those ready to book a consultation or procedure.
The good news is that potential patients also utilize search engines and social media channels to find information about reconstructive procedures, as they do about cosmetic ones.
Consider the following data:
Breast Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction helps reshape or rebuild damaged breasts after treatments like mastectomy (breast cancer surgery) or congenital anomalies.
According to the ASPS, 157,740 of these flap and implant-based reconstructive procedures were performed in 2023, a 4% increase from the previous year.
Maxillofacial Surgery
Maxillofacial surgery can address various problems and conditions in the maxillofacial area (the bones and tissues of the jaw and lower face), including physical trauma and birth defects like a cleft palate.
For this reason, many people sought and are still seeking plastic surgery practices that offer this reconstructive surgical procedure, as evidenced by the over 52,000 operations performed in 2023.
This demand is also evident from the search volume data. As of July 2024, the keyword “oral maxillofacial surgeon near me” has around 90,500 Google searches in the US.
Scar Revision
What do you think is the most vulnerable organ we have? If you answered “skin,” you’d be correct. After all, it’s constantly exposed to potential injury.
In other words, almost everyone has a scar on their body. However, some are more conscious about their appearance than others and will go to great lengths to remove these skin blemishes.
That’s why it’s no surprise that 52,000 scar revision surgeries were performed by ASPS members in 2023. Keywords like “scar removal surgery” hover around 4,400 searches monthly.
Tumor Removal
As per the ASPS’ 2023 statistics, tumor removal, which includes clearing cancerous skin growths, was the most in-demand reconstructive procedure in the US.
This plastic surgery procedure was performed 351,591 times, 2% more than in 2022, and it seems the trend will continue, with searches for “basal cell carcinoma cell” reaching 301,000.
For context, basal cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer that causes lumps or lesions to appear on your skin. These skin anomalies may require surgery to be removed depending on the prevalence and severity.
Hand Surgery
Maybe it’s because we spend most of our time typing away at keyboards and phones that people today are more prone to hand injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) than in previous decades.
Regardless of the reason, hand surgery is the second-most reconstructive procedure performed in 2023, with 207,887 instances—a 2% climb from 2022.
Face and Neck
Facial and neck-related plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures remain in demand, and the face and neck plastic surgery market is at the forefront of this growth.
As per a 2023 report by the ASPS, cleft lip and palate repair, for instance, saw a 2% increase.
In the realm of aesthetic plastic surgery, however, procedures like cheek implants increased by as much as 7%.
If you want to reach potential patients looking for procedures for the face and neck, here’s data that may come in handy when forming your digital marketing strategy:
Eyelid Surgery
In 2023, board-certified plastic surgeons performed 120,747 blepharoplasty procedures, a 5% jump from the previous year. As of July 2024, some of the most searched related keywords include:
| Keyword | Monthly Search Volume |
| blepharoplasty | 135,000 |
| eyelid operation | 60,500 |
| Eyelid lift cost | 60,500 |
Lip Augmentation
With “cherub lips” trending on platforms like TikTok, it’s evident that people want “fuller” lips with a doll-like shape, and the data supports that. The ASPS reports that over 1.4 million lip augmentation procedures occurred in 2023.
This 4% increase from 2022 also reflects on the monthly search numbers for lip augmentation-relevant keywords, such as the following:
| Keyword | Monthly Search Volume |
| lip augmentation filler | 110,000 |
| lip injections | 40,500 |
| lip enlargement near me | 22,200 |
Chest and Core
If your plastic surgery practice specializes in procedures for the chest and core, you’re in luck. These procedures remain incredibly popular among patients—a golden opportunity.
To prove the value of leveraging this ongoing trend in your plastic surgery marketing plan, here are some stats:
Tummy Tuck
According to the ASPS, around 170,000 tummy tucks (abdominoplasty) were performed in 2023, up by 5% from the previous year.
This plastic surgery procedure aims to restore weakened muscles and create a firm abdominal profile by eliminating extra fat and skin from the abdomen.
For this reason, it’s no surprise that the July 2024 search volume for search queries like “stomach tuck,” “belly tuck,” and “tummy surgery” hovers around 90,500 for each keyword.
Breast Augmentation and Breast Lift
Among the nearly 1.6 million cosmetic procedures done in the US in 2023, breast augmentation took second place, with 304,181—a 2% jump from the previous year.
On the other hand, statistics show that breast lift is the fourth-most desired aesthetic enhancement. The number of breast lifts performed increased by 7% in 2023, totaling 153,600.
For reference, breast augmentation focuses on improving breast size and shape. On the other hand, a breast lift is about changing the breast position, not the size.
Lower Body and Extremities
In the past, if you had a bone infection, vascular disease, or other lower extremity damage, your only option was amputation. Today, you have reconstructive surgery.
In fact, 21,427 lower extremity reconstructions, including microsurgical ones, were reported in 2023. At the same time, the number of pelvic floor reconstructions jumped by 7% from 2022.
Minimally Invasive
Just as you might specialize in reconstructive surgery while other surgeons focus on cosmetic ones, some patients prefer procedures that don’t involve them going under the knife.
So, depending on your target audience, leveraging minimally invasive procedures in your digital marketing campaigns may be the most effective way to acquire more leads and consultations.
For example, noninvasive fat sculpting and skin tightening procedures saw a 9% and 7% increase in 2023, respectively.
How about statistics for other minimally invasive procedures? Here they are:
Skin Treatments
Laser hair removal, IPL (intense pulsed light) treatment, and other skin treatment cosmetic procedures climbed by 6% in 2023, putting the total number of procedures performed at over 3 million.
This statistic is in line with the July 2024 monthly search volume for skin treatment-related keywords on Google, which include:
| Keyword | Monthly Search Volume |
| laser hair removal | 301,000 |
| intense pulsed light | 1,830,000 |
| skin tag removal | 165,000 |
Neuromodulator Injections
Neuromodulator injections like Botox®, Jeuveau®, Dysport®, and Xeomin® are cosmetic treatments that unwrinkle and improve skin smoothness. And guess what? They’re the most sought-after noninvasive procedure of 2023.
According to the ASPS, nearly 10 million neuromodulator injections occurred in 2023, up 9% from the previous year. If your practice offers these treatments, highlighting them can go a long way.
After all, search queries like “botox,” which has a monthly search volume of 201,000, means you have many chances to appear as the most relevant result for researchers seeking neuromodulator injections.
Soft Tissue Fillers and HA Fillers
Dermal fillers like HA (hyaluronic acid) can provide various aesthetic improvements, from addressing wrinkles and lines to enhancing lip plumpness and defining cheekbones.
That’s why phrases like “dermal fillers under eyes,” “cosmetic fillers,” and “cheek dermal fillers” are prominent keywords used by internet users, with their search volumes hitting 49,500, 22,200, and 18,100, respectively.
It’s also this reason why procedures involving fillers like HA ballooned to 5,294,603 in 2023, up by 8% from the previous year.
Skin Resurfacing
Skin resurfacing is a nonsurgical procedure that removes your skin’s most damaged outer layers to reveal the smoother, clearer skin underneath.
ASPS members, who make up 92% of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the US, performed over 3.5 million of these procedures, including dermabrasion and chemical peels, in 2023.
Skin resurfacing treatments aim to rejuvenate the skin, and people are looking for skin specialists who offer these solutions with minimal downtime.
Here are the July 2024 Google searches for related keywords:
| Keyword | Monthly Search Volume |
| microneedling | 201,000 |
| dermaplaning | 135,000 |
| microdermabrasion | 90,500 |
AI-Generated Content Is Here
Blogging and producing high-quality, informative articles can increase your plastic surgery practice’s search visibility, allowing you to reach and engage potential patients and address their concerns.
But writing content that resonates with your desired audience, in addition to providing top-notch plastic surgery expertise and skills, is not something everyone can handle.
So, what do you do? If you go online, you’ll find no shortage of tips suggesting you utilize AI (artificial intelligence) tools like ChatGPT to make content creation easier.
We cannot deny that these AI tools can help you quickly churn out articles and blogs as if you had an entire team working 24/7. However, we advise against it.
While Google doesn’t punish advertisers for AI-generated content, there are some caveats. The primary one is that Google values and rewards original content more, which AI tools cannot create.
Here’s where our in-house content team, comprised of experienced writers, proofreaders, and editors, comes in. If you need help with content creation, you can trust our team to:
- Craft original articles that address your target audience’s concerns and instill confidence in your plastic surgery practice
- Understand the user’s intent and seamlessly integrate ROI-focused keywords into your content marketing materials
- Ensure your content demonstrates E-E-A-T (expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness), qualities that boost rankings
PPC Increases in Competition
SEO is an effective way to establish a robust online presence and get on potential patients’ radars. Unfortunately, it’s not perfect—SEO investments take time to bear fruit.
According to Google, it typically takes four months to a year for you to see any noticeable SEO results—the patient leads, consults, and procedures your plastic surgery practice needs to grow.
Here’s where PPC (pay-per-click) advertising comes in as a speedy alternative. Unlike organic digital marketing strategies like SEO, PPC marketing gives you immediate online visibility.
Another advantage is that, as its name implies, a PPC model only charges you for the clicks your advertisements get, giving you more bang for your buck.
So, don’t these qualities make PPC the clear-cut choice over SEO? Not exactly. While it certainly has advantages over other online marketing tactics, PPC has downsides.
The most glaring one is that the fiercer the competition over your target keywords, the more expensive each click becomes. And in a highly competitive industry like plastic surgery, it’s something you must consider.
Cost per Click by Procedure
As of July 2024, the CPC (cost-per-click) for a plastic surgery procedure like “tummy tuck” is between $2 and $8.41. On the other hand, the CPC for “scar removal surgery” ranges from $1.26 to $4.38.
In other words, the CPC for keywords related to plastic surgery procedures can vary significantly. Depending on the procedures you offer, this variability can cause budget problems.
Fortunately, you won’t have to worry about that if you partner with us. We have the inside track on Google’s mathematics, giving us insight into the most profitable keywords.
We also excel at targeting the right audience, crafting the right message, and ensuring your marketing dollars lead to conversions for the procedures most valuable to your practice’s bottom line.
Segmentation
The world of plastic surgery caters to a diverse range of patients—those who want to restore bodily functions, those who wish for aesthetic enhancements, and those who want noninvasive procedures.
Understanding which individuals are most valuable to your plastic surgery practice can help maximize your advertising spending.
That’s why our digital marketing process involves audience segmentation. Doing so helps us put the right message in front of the right people on the right marketing channel.
So, with that out of the way, here’s a breakdown of the plastic surgery market trends:
By Procedure Analysis
On a macro level, the plastic surgery market is divided into two segments: surgical and nonsurgical. The surgical segment still reigns supreme in terms of revenue—at least, for now.
In 2023, more surgical procedures were performed than nonsurgical ones, which makes sense, considering that the former typically delivers more long-term results.
But that may soon change. After all, minimally invasive surgeries, like HA fillers, lip augmentation, and neuromodulator injections, saw an increase in procedures across the board, with some rising by as much as 9%.
What does this increased interest in minimally invasive procedures mean for you? Focusing your digital marketing efforts on promoting your nonsurgical offerings may help you capture a growing market segment.
By Gender Analysis
If it isn’t apparent, you can and should segment your target audience by gender. After all, your desired patients’ gender can impact your plastic surgery marketing approach.
Think about it. Would you focus on advertising a procedure like breast reconstruction to men? Sure—to correct damage from breast cancer.
But if you want more patients to walk through your plastic surgery practice’s doors, you’d want to promote that procedure primarily to women. After all, breast cancer in men accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancer cases.
Here are some essential figures to consider:
Women
Based on a report by the ISAPS (International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery), the world’s leading body for board-certified aesthetic surgeons, women make up the majority of cosmetic surgery patients at 86.2%.
Similarly, the ASPS notes that procedures like breast lifts, butt implants, and tummy tucks, which increased by 7%, 3%, and 5% in 2023, respectively, are primarily targeted at women.
Men
The stigma surrounding male plastic surgery is fading fast. Over 1.6 million cosmetic procedures and more than 1.5 million minimally invasive surgeries were performed on men in 2023.
Although these numbers are a fraction of the procedures done on females, it’s evident that your digital marketing strategy should target men, too.
By Age Group Analysis
In the US, age affects what plastic surgery procedures prospective patients get. For instance, breast augmentation procedures involving silicone breast implants require patients to be over 21.
So it’s a good strategy to segment your target market by age group, too. Otherwise, you’ll be marketing to people who may not be legally allowed to obtain your offerings—wasting your ad dollars.
Here’s a peek at the trends by age group:
Ages 13-19
According to the ASPS, patients between 13 and 19 primarily consider procedures that can help improve their self-esteem. The two most sought-after procedures are nose reshaping and ear surgery, features that impact self-expression and appearance.
Ages 20-29
Gen Zs (born between 1997 and 2012) comprise a significant portion of the 20 to 29 age group, which focuses on improving their appearance and establishing their identity. In-demand procedures involve those that build confidence, which include:
- Breast augmentation
- Liposuction
- Injectable neuromodulators like Botox®
- Soft tissue fillers
- Breast reduction
Ages 30-39
According to a 2023 report by the ASPS, the 30- to 39-year-old audience segment, comprised primarily of millennials (born between 1981 and 1996), leads the charge on “natural-looking” surgery results.
Some of the procedures that resonate most with this age group and the ones you should target when marketing to them include Brazilian butt lifts and eyelid surgery.
Ages 40-54
Unlike other age segments, 40- to 54-year-old patients have broad strike zones regarding plastic surgery procedures, indicating their great desire to maintain a youthful look or enhance their appearance.
If you want to reach and engage prospective patients in this age group, consider marketing reconstructive procedures like abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), cosmetic ones like liposuction, and noninvasive options like Botox®.
Ages 55-69
Your face can reveal many things about you, including your age. That’s why people between 55 and 69 make up the lion’s share of procedures related to fighting the signs of aging on the face.
Some of the most popular procedures for this market segment include face, neck, and forehead lifts, eyelid surgery, and facial fat grafting.
Facial fat grafting involves harvesting fat from other areas of your body through liposuction and transferring it to your face via small syringes to replenish volume.
Ages 70
If only all of us could age gracefully, right? Sadly, that’s not the case. That’s why people age 70 and beyond often seek procedures like facelifts, eyelid surgery, and skin resurfacing to look young again.
By Provider Analysis
Do you work for a hospital, or do you practice plastic surgery at your private facility? As with real estate, plastic surgery marketing is all about location, location, location.
Patients have preferences regarding where to get their reconstructive or cosmetic surgery procedures. According to a 2020 ISAPS report, more people choose hospitals, with 8.2 million conducted within these health centers.
So, should you associate with hospitals instead of driving potential patients toward your private plastic surgery practice? Not exactly.
While it’s undeniable that more people choose hospitals for their plastic surgery needs, specialty clinics are close behind. After all, roughly 6.1 million procedures were performed in specialty clinics.
Social Media’s Role in Cosmetic Surgery Marketing
Social media channels like Meta’s Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok aren’t solely for sharing funny videos and selfies with your family and friends anymore.
With over five billion users across various platforms in 2024, it’s become a valuable marketing channel you’ll want to leverage to help your plastic surgery practice get more patient leads and consultations.
But wait. Google processes 5.9 million searches per minute. So, if we’re talking potential traffic, wouldn’t running an SEO or Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords and Google AdWord Express) campaign be better than tapping into social media’s user base?
Yes, advertising on Google’s network lets you reach a significant number of users that dwarf the combined power of social media platforms. However, the latter has a considerable advantage.
Social Media Is Effective at Brand Building and Nurturing Leads
While some Google tools like Google Business Profile let you interact with your audience through reviews, FAQs (frequently asked questions), and direct messages, they’re late to the game.
From community posts and content sharing to commenting and hosting live online broadcasts, the level of engagement on social media channels is unmatched.
And that’s what our SMM (social media marketing) services take advantage of. Through organic posts and targeted ads in various engaging formats like images and videos, we can help you:
- Reach and nurture your desired patients
- Increase and improve your brand visibility
- Drive traffic to your plastic surgery website
- Establish credibility and build trust
- Generate leads and sales
Demographic Trends on Different Social Media Channels
The average American uses at least seven social media sites. Now, you might wonder, “What does this statistic have to do with getting more patients for my plastic surgery practice?”
Simple: The social media channel on which you focus your marketing efforts impacts your SMM venture’s effectiveness. After all, depending on their demographic, some people will gravitate toward a specific platform.
Take, for instance, the younger crowd—the millennials and the Gen Zs. They’re no longer on Facebook. Instead, they spend most of their online time on Instagram and TikTok.
If you’re dedicating most of your marketing dollars trying to attract potential patients who are millennials or Gen Zers on Facebook, you’re only flushing money down the toilet.
Fortunately, we understand the language of Meta, TikTok, and other social media sites—mathematics. This math-based approach gives us valuable insight, allowing us to tweak your campaigns to deliver unbeatable returns.
Want to find out where your most valuable patients are? Talk to our SMM experts by calling 310 879 8003 or emailing contact@digitalspotlight.com.
TikTok Offers Better Discoverability for Plastic Surgeons Than Any Other Social Media Channel
Social media platforms aren’t created equal. TikTok reigns supreme if we compare them based on “discoverability” or getting your content seen by new people.
The reach that TikTok offers to plastic surgeons is so massive that misinformation about reconstructive and cosmetic procedures on the site has become prevalent.
However, this greater visibility also gives you better odds of being seen by people actively seeking information about plastic surgery, helping you establish yourself as the go-to expert.
You can increase your chances of driving potential patients toward your plastic surgery offerings further with our help. After all, our marketing philosophy focuses on addressing your audience’s needs.
This way, you don’t need to sell your skills, expertise, and services—they sell themselves.
Regional Insights
As with audience segments, the geographical location influences plastic surgery trends and procedures. In other words, you’ll need a unique approach to attract audiences depending on their region.
So, to help you craft an effective plastic surgery marketing strategy, one that brings your practice a steady supply of patients, consults, and procedures, here’s a quick snapshot of what’s currently hot in the US:
South Atlantic
In 2023, 426,300 procedures were performed in the South Atlantic region of the US, accounting for 28% of the country’s cosmetic procedures. The South Atlantic region includes the following:
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Maryland
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Virginia
- West Virginia
In these states, the most desired procedures were BBL (50%), liposuction (35%), and neuromodulator injections like Botox® and lip augmentation via injectables (28%)
East South Central and West South Central
The following states made up 18% of all cosmetic procedures in 2023 at 281,800:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Texas
In these East South Central and West South Central areas, the most performed procedures were butt implants (43%) and butt lifts (32%), with skin resurfacing and sclerotherapy (spider vein treatment) accounting for 23% and 21%, respectively.
Mountain and Pacific
The Mountain and Pacific regions of the US are comprised of the following states:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Hawaii
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Utah
- Washington
- Wyoming
The cosmetic procedures conducted in these states in 2023 totaled 449,300, accounting for 29% of the total in the US. The procedures with the most volume included:
- Cheek implants (73%)
- Buccal fat pad removal (54%)
- Noninvasive skin tightening (44%)
- Skin treatments (40%)
New England and Middle Atlantic
Butt lifts are a top procedure among patients in the Middle Atlantic and New England regions, making up 27% of all procedures done.
Liposuction, rhinoplasty, and noninvasive fat reduction were next, accounting for 17% each. HA fillers followed, with a volume of 16% in the region.
The total number of procedures in these regions was 168,500. This figure means that New England and Middle Atlantic states accounted for 11% of all procedures conducted in the US in 2023.
The states comprising this valuable plastic surgery market include the following:
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
East North Central and West North Central
Approximately 220,700 cosmetic procedures were conducted in the East North Central and West North Central regions of the US. Among the top were:
- Chin augmentations (33%)
- Male breast reductions (19%)
- Spider vein treatments (33%)
- Non-HA (hyaluronic acid) fillers (19%)
States that comprise the regions, which made up 14% of all performed procedures in the US in 2023, include the following:
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
Key Companies and Market Share Insights
With interest and demand for plastic surgery skyrocketing, it’s no surprise that many other competitors will try to get a piece of the action.
The ones taking up a significant market share include the following:
- AbbVie Inc.
- Cynosure
- Evolus Inc.
- RevanceGalderma
- Lumenis
- Solta Medical
- Syneron Candela
- Alma Laser
- Airsculpt Technologies, Inc.
But why do you need to know who the leading faces are? Our answer: Competitive analysis can make or break your plastic surgery marketing campaign.
By analyzing your competition’s strategies, we can identify potential gaps in the market and uncover opportunities for you to stand out. It’s about learning what’s working for others and finding ways for you to do it better.
Understanding the key figures in your industry also helps with our reputation and credibility-building efforts. After all, part of our approach includes connecting you with relevant and authoritative entities.
Cosmetic Surgery Marketing Will Continue to Evolve Moving Forward
Digital marketing is dynamic and constantly evolving. The marketing strategies that deliver patients to your plastic surgery practice today might be less effective tomorrow.
For this reason, it’s critical that you stay informed about the latest trends, adopt your approach accordingly, and work with a digital marketing agency that does.
We’re that agency. We never consider our campaigns perfect. We constantly tinker under the hood, ensuring our marketing efforts leverage the latest data and you benefit from it.
The best part about working with us is seeing how your campaigns evolve with your industry. After all, we work on your account and proactively report our results.
Why Trust Us?
It can be challenging to trust us with your hard-earned marketing dollars if you’ve worked with several digital marketing firms before and have nothing to show for the money you spent.
Don’t worry. Many of our clients were in the same boat—hesitant to retake the digital marketing leap. After all, how can you trust another agency when you’ve had nothing but bad experiences?
We could tell you that we’re one of Google’s highest-level partners. We could say that we approach online marketing through the lens of math, just as you approach plastic surgery through science.
We could try to convince you with our no-lock-in contract offer or that we’ve been featured in publications like VentureBeat for our search, social, and online advertising expertise.
But none of that matters. If there’s a reason to trust us, it’s that we don’t work with everybody. We only work with surgeons we believe, with 100% confidence, we can help.
That’s why before we ask you for a single dime, we’ll research, analyze, and audit your unique online situation and give you a marketing plan we’ve tested on our internal sites.
So, why wait? Find out if our skillset and experience can help your plastic surgery practice get the patient leads, consultations, and procedure appointments it needs to dominate the industry.
You can book a no-pitch, no-obligation consultation by calling 310 879 8003, emailing contact@digitalspotlight.com, or visiting 2450 Colorado Avenue, Suite 100E, Santa Monica, CA 90404.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Should we mention the risks?
Yes, as a plastic surgeon who practices medical ethics, you should disclose essential information regarding your reconstructive or aesthetic procedures, including the risks of surgery.
2. Who is plastic surgery’s target audience?
The target market for plastic surgeons generally includes individuals who want to restore form and function after illness, injury, or birth defects and enhance their body aesthetics through surgical and nonsurgical procedures.
That said, your practice’s primary audience hinges on your unique situation. What’s your specialization? Do you focus on providing reconstructive or cosmetic surgery procedures?
Our job as a digital marketing firm is to understand who your most valuable patients are and craft strategies to reach and engage them at the right place and time.
3. What is the market size of the plastic surgeon industry in the US?
As of July 2024, there are over 86,000 employees in the plastic surgeon industry, with a market size value of an estimated $24.3 billion.
4. What is the growth rate of the plastic surgeon industry in the US?
As of July 2024, the plastic surgeon industry’s CAGR (compound annual growth rate) is 4.4%. CAGR calculates and determines returns. A positive number means that the plastic surgeon industry has appreciated in value.
5. Has the plastic surgeon industry in the US grown or declined over the past five years?
Over the past five years (2018 to 2023), the plastic surgeon industry has grown in revenue, reaching a valuation of $24.3 billion, and the number of employees, with over 86,000 employed in the sector.
6. Is the plastic surgeon industry in the US expected to grow or decline over the next five years?
According to recent trends, the American economy is growing, and, by extension, the public’s disposable income. This dollar surplus means that people will have more money to spend on their health.
Experts believe that this rising economic tide will boost consumer spending on cosmetic surgery, pushing the market size to grow over the next five years.
7. What is the base year calculated in the plastic surgeon market report?
The base year used to calculate the five-year forecast in the plastic surgeon industry is 2024.
8. What is the most common plastic surgery procedure?
Based on the 2023 procedural statistic report by the ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons), the most popular reconstructive procedure is tumor removal, including skin cancer treatment, accounting for 351,591 in 2023.
If we’re talking about the top cosmetic surgical procedure, that title belongs to liposuction—according to the ASPS’ 2023 report. In 2023, the number of liposuction procedures totaled 347,782.
The most common minimally invasive procedure in 2023 was neuromodulator injections, including Botox®, Dysport®, Xeomin®, Daxxify® and Jeuveau®, with over 9.4 million performed in the US.
