A Lift in Surgeries
In 2004, there were about 461,000 cosmetic and reconstructive procedures performed on African Americans in the United States. And while this only makes up 5 percent of the total number of procedures done across the country, it represents a 24 percent increase in procedures done on African Americans from 2000.
"In many ways, people are realizing that plastic surgery is not just for extreme kinds of indications," says Dr. Few, "rather, people can actually come to a plastic surgeon with reasonable issues that they wish to have improved, and that it is actually something that is both affordable and can be performed very safely."
The most popular major cosmetic procedures requested by African Americans are nose reshaping, breast reduction and liposuction. Interestingly, this does not deviate much from the general population, with the exception that more women, in general, seek breast augmentation as opposed to a reduction. However, the trend is not just reserved to women.
"Women still make up the majority of patients, but we're seeing a steeper rise in the number of men getting plastic surgery done," says Anthony Griffin, MD, FACS, member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and a featured surgeon on the television show, Extreme Makeover.
Reducing Scarring
The rise in African Americans seeking plastic surgery has signaled a change in the industry to a certain extent. As demand grows, plastic surgeons are compelled to understand the differences in an African American face and the complications that impact darker skin more so than lighter skin.
"Most people of color are concerned, and rightly so, about abnormal scarring, keloids and so forth," says Dr. Griffin.
