CHICAGO, March 13 (UPI) -- Sclerotherapy, a treatment for spider and varicose veins, is the second most performed cosmetic surgical procedure, mostly because of men, a U.S. report said.
The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery's 2007 Procedural Data said that for the eighth consecutive year, liposuction was the nation's top cosmetic surgical procedure. The report also said there has been a 13.7 percent increase in the percentage of men from 2002 to 2007 who have had cosmetic surgery, showing a growing trend among men. However, among patients treated, 80 percent were women and 20 percent were male.
Sclerotherapy has seen a 226.3 percent increase in males over the past five years -- compared to the 3.5 percent increase in females since 2002.
Males have strayed away from hair transplants and cost may be a factor. Over the past five years, the price of hair transplants increased by $1,296, while sclerotherapy decreased by $103, the report said.
The 2007 Procedural Data is based on a survey of American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery members completed in December 2007.
