Juliette Gagliardi
Junior Researcher
Cosmetic procedures in Italy - Statistics & Facts
The number of cosmetic procedures, surgical and non-surgical, has increased worldwide with the widespread employment of such procedures to achieve beauty standards set by celebrities and social media. The stigma towards these procedures is gradually fading, and the cosmetic industry is therefore increasing its potential consumers. The growing demand for cosmetic procedures is also contributing to lowering costs for these procedures, as well as incentivizing the introduction of new and alternative procedures with the use of new technologies. In 2022, the leading surgical cosmetic procedure worldwide was liposuction, followed closely by breast augmentation. Conversely, the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedures were botulinum and hyaluronic acid. During the same year, Italy was among the ten countries performing the highest number of surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures worldwide.
Surgical cosmetic procedures
Italy is one of the countries with the highest number of cosmetic surgeons, with almost 1.2 thousand. The number of surgical cosmetic procedures in Italy has fluctuated over time and in 2022 it amounted to over 262 thousand, after peaking in 2016 to almost 325 thousand. Breast cosmetic procedures were the second most common among all surgical cosmetic procedures in Italy. In 2022, breast augmentation was the most popular type of such procedures, followed by breast lift and breast reduction. Face and head cosmetic procedures were the most frequent during this year, with almost 113.5 thousand procedures performed. Eyelid surgery was the most performed, with 33.5 thousand procedures, followed by lip enhancement and rhinoplasty, with roughly 21.1 and 20.7 thousand, respectively.Non-surgical cosmetic procedures
Lip filler was the most searched cosmetic procedure online by Italians in 2022. Lip fillers are temporary and last between 12 and 18 months, depending on the patient’s metabolism. In 2022, the most common filler used in Italy was hyaluronic acid, with almost 213 thousand procedures. Hyaluronic acid is the most versatile filler and can be dissolved by using enzymes that can break down the previously injected filler. Other commonly used injectables are botulinum toxin and calcium hydroxyapatite.
