Global post-COVID shifts in leading cosmetic procedures: A multiregional time-series analysis

This study examines the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aesthetic procedural rates, across the United States (US), Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Procedural counts from 2017 to 2024 were extracted from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery's global survey. An interrupted time series analysis compared short-term procedural volume rates to pre-pandemic trends for leading cosmetic procedures. Globally, nonsurgical fat reductions increased significantly in the immediate post-pandemic period. In the US and Latin America, abdominoplasties increased (+Δ92,018; +Δ28,534), while blepharoplasties (+Δ14,218) and rhinoplasties (+Δ19,323) increased in Latin America only. Conversely, Europe experienced declines in surgical liposuction (-Δ6399), botox injections (-Δ38,033) and chemical peels (-Δ18,577). Despite regional variability, a sharp universal post-pandemic surge occurred, followed by a sustained upward trend in cumulative global procedural volumes.