Plastic makes perfect

By Economist.com

Where is most plastic surgery performed?

MORE people than ever are turning to the knife or the needle in the hope of physical perfection. Over 14.7m tucks, peels, jabs and lifts were performed by licensed plastic surgeons in 2011, according to a new study from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. The society estimates procedures by taking survey data received by licensed plastic surgeons and combining these with the official numbers of surgeons in a country. Non-invasive treatments to plump out wrinkles, smooth lines and remove hair account for more than half of all procedures: over 3m of these are for botox alone. America is home to more cosmetic enhancement than anywhere else, but accounting for population reveals a different story. On that measure, more primping and preening goes on in South Korea, Greece and Italy, as the chart below shows. The most popular invasive (ie, surgical) operation is fat removal, or lipoplasty, reflecting a growing problem for a fattening world. Breast augmentation, the second biggest surgical procedure, is most commonly performed in America and Brazil. Buttock implants are also a Brazilian specialty, as is vaginal rejuvenation. Asia is keen on nose jobs: China, Japan and South Korea are among the top five nations for rhinoplasty. (This year, alas, no figures are available for penis enlargements because America's national body does not collect data on it.)