The numbers are in from the American Society of Plastic Surgery and it looks like we are making our way out of the recession, one surgery at a time. If your neighbor’s face is looking a bit more symmetrical than it used to; he or she could have been one of the 243,000 people that had a rhinoplasty (nose reshaping) in 2011. Breast augmentations are still leading the way with over 300 thousand procedures performed in 2011.

What do these numbers really mean? If you compare the statistics of 2011 with those from 2000, trends in health, beauty and finances become very apparent.

Weight gain and extreme weight loss has increased:  Weight Loss procedures are up – 3,000% up in fact.  Procedures to remove excess skin after a significant weight loss (100 pounds or more) include lower body lifts (up 3,579%); upper arm lifts (up 4,337%) and buttock lifts (up 235%).

Patients are looking for a less expensive, quicker treatment: Aside from the increase in surgical procedures, the minimally-invasive non-surgical treatments are showing even more growth. Total minimally-invasive procedures are up 123% with Botulinum Toxins (Botox and Dysport) being the top seller with over 5.6 million patients treating their wrinkles.

We’re taking our skincare more seriously: Laser skin resurfacing procedures to treat hyperpigmentation from sun exposure, rosacea, acne scars and fine lines have increased from 2000 to 2011 over 170%.

What will the numbers have to tell us in 2020?