The Five Most Common Non-Surgical Treatments
Botulinum toxin, dermal fillers, chemical peels, laser hair removal and microdermabrasion. What each treats, how it works, and how the volumes compare with surgical procedures.
Non-surgical treatments outnumber operations by a wide margin. These five account for most of that volume. The figures below are United States industry statistics for 2013–2014 and are included to show relative scale — they are a decade old and should be read as historical rather than current.
Botulinum toxin
Botulinum toxin type A blocks the nerve signals that make specific facial muscles contract. Relaxing the muscle softens the lines that repeated contraction has etched into the overlying skin.
It is the most frequently performed non-surgical treatment by a substantial margin: around 6.7 million treatments in the period covered.
Dermal fillers
Soft tissue fillers replace volume rather than relaxing muscle. They are used to soften fine lines and wrinkles, restore facial proportion where volume has been lost, add fullness to the lips, contour the face, and improve the appearance of some scarring and pigmentation.
Around 2 million treatments in the period, an increase of about 3 per cent on the preceding year.
Chemical peel
A chemical solution removes damaged outer layers of skin, allowing them to be replaced by new skin. Used for acne and acne scarring, age spots, fine lines and wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, dryness and freckling.
Around 1.2 million treatments.
Laser hair removal
Concentrated light is directed at the hair follicle, where the pigment absorbs it and the resulting heat damages the follicle. Non-invasive and requiring a course of treatments rather than a single session.
Around 1 million treatments, an increase of about 3 per cent.
Microdermabrasion
Mechanical removal of the outer layer of skin to promote rejuvenation. Used for scarring, hyperpigmentation, acne, fine wrinkles and stretch marks.
Around 800,000 treatments, a decrease of about 9 per cent on the previous year — the only one of the five to fall.
For comparison: the surgical procedures
In the same period, the five most frequently performed operations were breast augmentation (around 286,000), rhinoplasty (around 217,000), liposuction (around 210,500, and the most frequently requested operation among men), blepharoplasty (around 206,000) and facelift (around 128,000).
The gap in volume between the non-surgical and surgical lists is the substantive point here. Non-surgical treatments are performed far more often — but they treat different problems, and none of them substitutes for an operation where the underlying issue is descended tissue or excess skin.
Before you act on this
Everything here is general. What applies to you depends on your anatomy, your history and what you are trying to achieve, and none of that can be assessed from a page. If a question here is yours, bring it to a consultation.