Differential trends in racial preferences for cosmetic surgery procedures

Abstract

There appears to be an increasing acceptance of cosmetic surgery procedures among minority populations in America. Our objective was to determine trends in elective cosmetic procedure utilization as they apply to racial/ethnic differences. A retrospective analysis was performed using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Adult patients undergoing elective cosmetic procedures defined by the appropriate International Classification of Disease 9 Clinical Modification procedure codes were included. Demographic characteristics and hospital course particulars were evaluated. There were 71,775 patients meeting the inclusion criteria. Median age was 48 years. The majority were female (90%), and white (65%). The median household income for the patient's zip code was most commonly in the highest economic quartile (4th quartile, 40%). The most common cosmetic procedure was liposuction (67%). The overall mean percentage change in the frequency of these procedures showed a 1.8 per cent decline among white patients, whereas Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American patients had an increase of 7.5 per cent, 4.7 per cent, 14.5 per cent, and 105.5 per cent, respectively. We conclude that there is an identified increasing trend in the proportion of racial/ethnic minorities represented among the recipients of cosmetic surgery procedures.