Cosmetic surgery rates up, breasts most popular

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More people than ever got cosmetic plastic surgery in the United States in 2006, with breast enlargements the most popular procedure, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported on Thursday.

Nearly 11 million cosmetic plastic surgery operations were performed in the United States in 2006, up by 7 percent from 2005, the group said.

It also said more than 5.2 million reconstructive plastic surgery procedures were performed last year, mostly removal of tumors.

The most popular cosmetic choice was breast augmentation, with 329,000 reported in 2006. This is the first time "breast jobs" have passed nose reshaping surgery, performed on 307,000 people in 2006.

Liposuction followed in a close third place, with 302,000 procedures.

The group reported an 8 percent rise in minimally invasive cosmetic procedures such as injections to fill out wrinkles, with more than 9 million such operations. Botox treatments were by far the most common, with more than 4 million treatments in 2006.