New Survey Suggests Patients No Longer Embarrassed by Cosmetic Surgery

NEW YORK -- In a new study commissioned by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), men and women of all ages report a greater willingness to tell non-family members that they've had cosmetic surgery.

According to the February 2006 report of 1000 Americans 18 years of age and older, 79 percent of men and 82 percent of women would not be embarrassed if anyone other than immediate family and close friends knew about any plastic surgery they'd had done.  While 29 percent of men and women aged 18 to 24 claimed they would be self-conscious about revealing they'd had work done, 89 percent of those in the 55 to 64 range claimed that they would have no misgivings whatsoever, up 7 percent from a 2005 survey.

Other key findings of the study include:

-- The majority of men and women (74 percent) have not wavered on their attitude toward cosmetic surgery in the past five years, although 16 percent said they were 'more favorable' as opposed to 9 percent that said they were 'less favorable.'

-- Men and women are nearly equal in their approval of cosmetic surgery, with men showing a slightly lower (52 percent) approval rating than women (55 percent).

-- Out of all age groups, men and women between the ages of 18 and 24 are the most likely to have grown 'more favorable' of plastic surgery in the last five years.

-- Marital status has little effect as to whether a man or a woman would consider having cosmetic surgery.  At 25 percent, those who are married are only slightly less likely to have work done than the unwed (28 percent).

-- Men and women age 55 to 64, at 61 percent, are the most likely to approve of cosmetic surgery, while those age 65 and over, at only 42 percent, are the least likely to show approval.

The study was commissioned by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and conducted by the independent research firm Synovate.

Source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery