The aesthetic medicine market - United States

1.1 Definition and presentation

The market for cosmetic surgery and medicine counts several distinct segments:

- Aesthetic surgery - a branch of plastic surgery - is a technique for remodeling the body through targeted surgery to eliminate a morphological anomaly or the external appearance of the patient's body;

- Aesthetic medicine, on the other hand, is a less invasive technique aimed at correcting physical defects of the patient.

Aesthetic surgery therefore only concerns interventions on the patient's body, such as breast surgery, the most common procedure. Aesthetic medicine, on the other hand, can be practiced by general practitioners or specialists. Most aesthetic medicine procedures involve injections under the skin, for example to reduce wrinkles. The global market for aesthetic surgery and medicine is growing rapidly, driven in particular by the dynamism of the Asian regions, which are currently at the center of global demand. However, the market remains largely dominated by the United States and Brazil.

Demographic and social changes in the US, such as the trend preventive medicine and the aging population, have helped boost demand. The market is growing also thanks in particular to the increasing popularity of so-called “non-invasive” methods of aesthetic medicine, located on the borderline between medical care and simple aesthetic procedures. In addition, the continuous technological innovation on the supply side seems to be able to respond to an even more demanding demand.