Recent Status of Procedures in a Single Nationwide Cosmetic Surgery Group

BACKGROUND: Recently, cosmetic surgery demand has increased due to the spread of promotional social media in Japan. However, understanding the overall landscape remains difficult due to many clinics with varied procedure options. To understand the current trends and status of cosmetic surgery in Japan, we analyzed large-scale data from a group of clinics throughout the country. METHODS: We analyzed data from 152,457 patients in our database. The periods from September 2018 to August 2021 and September 2021 to February 2023 were defined as the first and second periods, respectively, and the statuses of procedures were compared between the two. RESULTS: Eye procedures were the most common (23.6%), followed by face-lifts (19.5%) and dark circles under the eyes (10.4%). Between the first and second periods, the number of procedures in the second period (128,898 cases) was overwhelmingly higher than that in the first period (23,559 cases). Orbital fat removal for dark circles under the eyes significantly increased (OR 2.97, 95%CI 2.78–3.17); procedures in provincial cities significantly increased (Kinki/Chugoku/Shikoku: OR 2.21, 95%CI 2.08–2.36); and procedures for patients with occupations where appearance is considered important, such as nightlife businesses or being a celebrity, decreased (celebrity: OR 0.44, 95%CI 0.38–0.51, nightlife business: OR 0.58, 95%CI 0.53–0.62). CONCLUSIONS: In Japan, cosmetic surgery has become increasingly common in recent years, and the trend has been changing over time. In the future, it will be important to organize and enhance our large-scale database to disseminate more accurate and useful information.