What specialties perform the most common outpatient cosmetic procedures in the United States?

The number of cosmetic procedures performed annually is on the rise and is being performed by more specialties.

We sought to determine the relative outpatient cosmetic procedure experience of dermatology and other specialties. We also examined demographic data of patients who underwent cosmetic procedures.

Demographics and data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) were analyzed to estimate the number of visits for office-based cosmetic procedures from 1995 to 2003 by specialty and type of procedure.

In order of decreasing frequency, the percentage of all cosmetic procedures performed in the outpatient setting by specialty was as follows: dermatology (48%), plastic surgery (38%), general surgery (>4%), otolaryngology (>3%), ophthalmology (>3%), facial plastic surgery (1%), family practice (<1%), pediatrics (<1%), and internal medicine (<1%). Most cosmetic procedures were performed on white, female patients in the 40- to 59-year-old age group. There was a mean of 55 visits per 1,000 whites and 27 visits per 1,000 nonwhites. Chemical peels and soft tissue fillers were the two most common procedures.

Dermatology as a specialty performs more office-based cosmetic procedures than other specialties. On a per-physician basis, dermatologists and plastic surgeons have far more experience with cosmetic procedures than other physicians.