Americans underwent a record number of lip procedures last year.
“We live in the age of the ‘selfie’, and because we see images of ourselves almost constantly on social media, we’re much more aware of how we look,” Dr. David Song, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said in a society news release, ABC News reported.
There were more than 27,400 lip implants performed in 2015 -- a 48% increase since 2000. That averages out to one lip implant every 19 minutes, the society said, noting the procedure became more popular among both men and women.
Lip injections, which include Botox and various soft-tissue fillers, also rose steeply last year, reaching nearly 9.2 million. That’s an increase of more than 1,000 percent since the year 2000, the plastic surgeons noted.
Lip procedures have been the second-fastest-growing facial procedure in the United States since 2000. Only dermabrasion procedures have climbed more rapidly.
Dr. Robert Houser, a plastic surgeon in Westerville, Ohio, said that lips are an easy place for people to start. “A patient may not be ready to commit to something as dramatic as a facelift or eyelid surgery, but there are a variety of ways you can change the shape of your lips,” he said.
