Every figure on this page links to the organization that produced it, and each was re-checked against that source before publishing. How med spas, plastic surgeons and other aesthetic practices market themselves with video and social media, and the evidence behind it: procedure counts from ASPS, The Aesthetic Society, ISAPS and AAFPRS side by side; how many med spas and skincare workers there are; advertising spend from SEC filings and Census data; how patients choose a provider; what studies of YouTube, TikTok and Instagram aesthetic video found; the FTC, FDA, state and platform rules on before-and-after content and reviews; and where five popular aesthetics marketing numbers came from.
Board-certified plastic surgeons performed 1,523,330 cosmetic surgeries in the U.S. in 2025 (ASPS), and in 2024 its members gave 9,883,711 neuromodulator injections and 5,331,426 filler treatments. (ASPS)See details
AmSpa counted 10,488 med spas in 2023; establishments in NAICS 812199, the federal category that holds most of them, grew 50.4% from 2019 to 2025 to 33,417. (AmSpa, BLS)See details
AirSculpt spent 18.0% of its 2025 revenue on advertising, about $2,305 per case, and runs procedure-room video and a catalog of over 300,000 before-and-after photos. (AirSculpt 10-K)See details
In a 2024 study of 369 U.S. adults, a surgeon's number of social media posts scored 5.62 out of 10, among the least important factors, and a web search was the most common first step (32.2%); in the 2025 ASDS survey 94% said review sites affect their choice. (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, ASDS)See details
Top #PlasticSurgery TikTok videos had 1,680,910,700 views by November 2020; nonphysician providers made 37.1% of top injectable videos, and seven studies rated plastic surgery TikTok videos 1.91 on the DISCERN quality scale. (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Aesthetic Surgery Journal)See details
Med spa market sizes run from $9.1 billion (Grand View Research, 2025) to AmSpa's $17 billion; AmSpa's own count times its own average revenue gives $14.7 billion (our calculation). (AmSpa, Grand View Research)See details
The popular social media numbers are surgeons' impressions or narrower questions: AAFPRS's 72% "selfie" figure is a share of surgeons, its "24 percent increase" in under-30 patients is a rise from 58% to 72% of surgeons, and the 45.9% is a feature ranking from a 401-person online panel. (AAFPRS, JPRAS)See details
Fake reviews and testimonials can cost up to $53,088 per violation under the FTC rule in force since October 21, 2024. (FTC, eCFR)See details
How many cosmetic procedures are performed in the U.S.?
About 1.5 million cosmetic surgeries in 2025 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' count, and many times that number of injections. ASPS estimated that board-certified plastic surgeons performed 1,523,330 cosmetic surgical procedures in 2025, up 7 percent on 2024 (ASPS). The estimate draws on member surgeons, an insurer and a national claims dataset covering more than 3,000 board-certified plastic surgeons (ASPS). Liposuction led with 317,196 procedures, ahead of breast augmentation at 304,234 (up 11%) and tummy tucks at 173,251 (ASPS). Eyelid surgery rose 19% to 118,978, and facial fat grafting grew 39%, the largest gain ASPS tracks (ASPS). ASPS also counted 1,282,735 reconstructive procedures in 2025 (ASPS).
Injectables dominate the non-surgical side. In 2024, the last year ASPS published counts, its members performed over 28.5 million minimally invasive procedures, led by 9,883,711 neuromodulator injections such as Botox and 5,331,426 hyaluronic acid filler treatments (ASPS). In 2025 neuromodulators and fillers made up 80 percent of members' minimally invasive work, and fillers alone 30 percent (ASPS). The 2023 total was nearly 25.4 million (ASPS). These counts cover plastic surgeons only, not med spas, dermatologists or nurse injectors outside surgical practices.
Weight-loss drugs now drive consultations. 82 percent of ASPS member surgeons received consultation requests tied to GLP-1 medications in 2025 (ASPS), and ASPS counted over 800,000 of its members' aesthetic patients using those drugs in 2024 (ASPS). Facial plastic surgeons say the same: 67% of AAFPRS members reported more patients seeking treatment related to rapid weight loss in 2025 (AAFPRS).
Four counts of the same market
Each society surveys its own members and extrapolates, so their totals do not agree. Read each within its own series, never across.
U.S. facial plastic surgery procedures, surgical and non-surgical
1.6 million
For 2025, the ISAPS U.S. surgical estimate is 1.46 times the ASPS one (our calculation). Even one society's series can move: ASPS's 2024 report counted 1,585,878 cosmetic surgeries for 2024 (ASPS 2024), while its 2025 report restated 2024 at 1,425,390 under a new method (ASPS 2025), 160,488 fewer. The 7% rise for 2025 is measured against the restated figure.
How the U.S. compares worldwide
The U.S. performs more aesthetic procedures than any other country. ISAPS, the international society, estimated nearly 17.9 million surgical and 17.3 million non-surgical procedures by plastic surgeons worldwide in 2025 (ISAPS), with non-surgical procedures down 15.7% from 2024 (ISAPS). The U.S. accounted for over 5.4 million (ISAPS), including 1,456,812 botulinum toxin injections, 19.9% of the world total (ISAPS). Botulinum toxin was the most common non-surgical procedure worldwide at 7.3 million (ISAPS). ISAPS bases its estimates on data from 2,900 plastic surgeons (ISAPS) and estimates the U.S. has 7,749 plastic surgeons, the most of any country (ISAPS).
What surgeons earn from it
The Aesthetic Society's last published spend figure put revenue from all aesthetic procedures by U.S. plastic surgeons at $11.8 billion in 2022, $8.5 billion of it surgical (The Aesthetic Society). That year non-surgical procedures jumped 23% while surgery fell 12% (The Aesthetic Society). Neurotoxin injections led its non-surgical count at 3,945,282 (The Aesthetic Society), and its top surgery in 2023 was liposuction at 394,527 (The Aesthetic Society). Its 2024 and 2025 reports are not public.
Who are aesthetic patients?
Mostly women in middle age, and the oldest group is growing fastest. Women had 1,431,257 of the cosmetic surgeries ASPS counted for 2025 and men 89,617 (ASPS). Patients aged 36 to 55 had 49 percent of procedures, according to an ASPS surgeon quoted in the report (ASPS). Patients 66 and older rose 24% to 203,105, while 18 to 25 year olds fell 9% to 62,670 (ASPS). In The Aesthetic Society's 2023 data, women had 93.4% of aesthetic surgeries and patients aged 35 to 50 40.0% (The Aesthetic Society). Worldwide, women had 85.6% of surgical procedures in 2025 (ISAPS). In 2023, patients aged 40 to 54 received over 56 percent of ASPS members' neuromodulator injections (ASPS).
Facial plastic surgeons report what they see in their own practices. In the AAFPRS member survey for 2025, 80 percent of members' procedures were non-invasive, 57 percent of members saw more patients under 30, and 45 percent said more women cited menopause or perimenopause, up from 28% a year earlier (AAFPRS). 92 percent of members reported having male patients in 2024 (AAFPRS). These are shares of surgeons, not of patients, and AAFPRS does not publish how many members answered.
Consumers say cost holds them back. In the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery's 2025 consumer survey of more than 3,500 people, 70% said they were considering a cosmetic procedure (ASDS), and cost (24%) and pain (14%) were the top reasons for waiting (ASDS). ASDS did not publish field dates. RealSelf, which sells advertising to practices, found in a 2023 YouGov survey of 2,002 U.S. adults (April 3 to 12) that 24% had had at least one cosmetic procedure and 12% two or more (RealSelf).
How many med spas are there, and how fast is the sector growing?
About 10,500 by the trade association's last count, inside a federal industry category that grew by half in six years. The American Med Spa Association (AmSpa), which sells memberships, events and its full report to med spas, counted 10,488 U.S. medical spas in 2023, up from 8,899 in 2022 (AmSpa). Their average annual revenue rose to $1,398,833 (AmSpa). The average med spa had 245 patient visits a month at $527 a visit, 73% of patients were repeat patients, and 89% were women (AmSpa). 54% of female patients were 35 to 54 (AmSpa). 74% of med spa medical directors came from outside plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, oculoplastic surgery and dermatology (AmSpa). In June 2024 AmSpa's chief executive said med spas employ more than 100,000 people (AmSpa).
Government statistics have no med spa category. Med spas run as businesses are classed with day spas, tanning, tattoo and hair-removal shops in "other personal care services" (NAICS 812199); physician-owned ones sit with offices of physicians (NAICS 621111). With that caveat, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 33,417 private establishments in NAICS 812199 in 2025, up from 22,213 in 2019 (BLS QCEW 2025; 2019), a rise of 50.4% (our calculation). Their employees rose 27.0% from 147,940 (2019) to 187,817 (BLS QCEW), and average annual pay went from $25,520 (2019) to $34,907 (BLS QCEW). Over the same years private offices of physicians grew 10.6% in number, from 204,988 (2019) to 226,698 (BLS QCEW).
Industry receipts rose 69.5% from 2017 to 2022, and skin care services revenue inside the industry grew 2.5 times (our calculations from the Economic Census). In 2022 the industry's $13.7 billion came from 29,692 establishments owned by 26,697 firms (Census), so most are single-location businesses. Across all sectors, employer businesses took in $5,196,079 thousand from skin care services in 2022, up from $2,430,596 thousand in 2017 (Census 2022; 2017), and $3,467,882 thousand from hair removal, up from $1,889,772 thousand (Census 2022; 2017). Physician practices barely show up in these lines: offices of physicians reported only $13,240 thousand of skin care receipts as a separate product line (Census), because doctors report cosmetic work as patient care. Owner-only businesses in NAICS 81219 took in $6,979,745 thousand in 2024 (Census).
The Census Bureau's annual survey put 2024 revenue at $18,010,074 thousand for other personal care services (NAICS 81219), up 6.1% (Census AIES), $60,824,869 thousand for all personal care services (Census AIES), and $761,094,726 thousand for offices of physicians, up 12.9% (Census AIES) from $526,044,903 thousand in 2019 (Census AIES). Census County Business Patterns counts offices of physicians falling from 211,654 in 2019 to 204,617 in 2023 (Census 2023; 2019) while BLS counts them rising; the two count establishments differently, so we use BLS for the trend.
How much do aesthetics businesses spend on marketing, and on what?
The businesses that sell straight to patients spend heavily and lean on social media; the device and drug makers that sell to practices spend most of their money on sales teams. AirSculpt, which ran 31 body-contouring centers at March 31, 2026 in the U.S. and Canada (AirSculpt 10-K), spent $27.3 million on advertising in 2025, about 90% of it digital (AirSculpt 10-K). That was 18.0% of its revenue and about $2,305 per case (our calculations). Its advertising was $33,429 thousand in 2024 (AirSculpt 10-K). Counting sales staff, selling expenses were 24.3% of revenue (AirSculpt 10-K), and it reported a customer acquisition cost of about $3,114 per customer (AirSculpt 10-K). Revenue fell to $151,818 thousand (AirSculpt 10-K) and cases to 11,852 (AirSculpt 10-K).
AirSculpt's filing is the most detailed public account of how an aesthetics business uses video. Its 2025 annual report says it has collected over 300,000 before-and-after photos and runs "AirSculpt TV", procedure-room video on Instagram and its website (AirSculpt 10-K). Its web lead generation brings over 625,000 website visits a month, mainly through Google spend (AirSculpt 10-K). It encourages patients to share their before and after photos on social media (AirSculpt 10-K), names its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts as marketing tools that carry legal risk (AirSculpt 10-K), and warns that if it cannot use social media cost-effectively, acquiring new patients may suffer (AirSculpt 10-K). It counts consumer beauty consciousness driven by social media among its market's drivers (AirSculpt 10-K) and cites a study it commissioned sizing its addressable market at $11 billion (AirSculpt 10-K).
Evolus, which sells the neurotoxin Jeuveau, describes its advertising as primarily social media ads and co-branded programs (Evolus 10-K). Its net revenue rose in 2025 to $297.2 million (Evolus 10-K) and its selling, general and administrative expenses to $220.8 million (Evolus 10-K). It counts awareness through social media among the market's drivers (Evolus 10-K), sizes the U.S. neurotoxin market at $3.2 billion (Evolus 10-K), and warns that the FDA has issued "multiple untitled letters" over social media and influencer promotion (Evolus 10-K).
Hydrafacial's maker runs influencer spa days with its accounts (SkinHealth 10-K), cut selling and marketing in 2025 to $93.6 million on net sales of $300.8 million (SkinHealth 10-K), sells about 69% of its products into the medical channel (SkinHealth 10-K), claims about 60% of the U.S. microdermabrasion category (SkinHealth 10-K), and cites an Ipsos survey of 1,100 people giving it 38% aided brand awareness (SkinHealth 10-K). It warns that social media could bring fines (SkinHealth 10-K). In 2025 InMode spent $180.6 million on sales and marketing on revenue of $370.5 million (InMode 20-F), has an installed base of about 30,900 platforms at the end of 2025 (InMode 20-F) and supplies practices with digital marketing assets (InMode 20-F).
The biggest brand is shrinking. AbbVie's Botox Cosmetic revenue was $2,602 million in 2025 (AbbVie 10-K), with U.S. sales down 11% on loyalty program changes, lost share and lower consumer demand (AbbVie 10-K). Juvederm fillers fell to $993 million (AbbVie 10-K), down 15% on lower demand (AbbVie 10-K), and other aesthetics brought $1,265 million (AbbVie 10-K). Establishment Labs' North America revenue reached $45,557 thousand after its U.S. breast implant launch (Establishment Labs 10-K), helped, it says, by a singer partnership that generated over 9 billion media impressions (Establishment Labs 10-K), and its strategy names social media and influencers (Establishment Labs 10-K). Older filings: Revance had over 7,000 aesthetic accounts at the end of 2023 (Revance 10-K), spent $8.4 million on advertising that year (Revance 10-K) and cited a $8.1 billion global neuromodulator market (Revance 10-K). Cutera spent $4.5 million on advertising in 2023 (Cutera 10-K) and noted that non-core practitioners such as gynecologists and family doctors had added aesthetics (Cutera 10-K).
Outside the U.S., Japan's SBC Medical Group managed 237 franchised aesthetic clinics at the end of 2025 (SBC 10-K), reaches patients through Instagram and YouTube (SBC 10-K) and reported 2025 revenue of $173,607,489 (SBC 10-K).
Physician practices as a whole spend little on advertising. U.S. offices of physicians spent $1,815,721 thousand on advertising and promotion in 2024 (Census AIES), 0.28% of operating expenses (our calculation), and $2,129,047 thousand in 2023 (Census AIES). The Census Bureau does not publish advertising for personal care services, where most med spas are classed.
Aesthetics in SEC filings, 2015 and 2025
Annual reports now talk about med spas and influencers far more often. Counting 10-K filings in SEC EDGAR full-text search (our count, November 1, 2026):
The counts are small and some hits come from unrelated businesses, so read them as direction, not size.
How do patients research procedures and choose a provider?
Online, but the practice website and reviews count for more than social media posts in the studies that asked patients directly. In a 2024 study of 369 U.S. adults considering plastic surgery, a web search was the most common first step in finding a surgeon (32.2%) (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery), and the surgeon's number of social media posts ranked among the three least important of 36 factors, scoring 5.62 out of 10 (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery). In a survey of 100 consecutive patients at one California practice, published in 2017, social media played a minor role compared with the practice website (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery).
Consumers in the dermatologic surgeons' 2025 survey put more weight on social media. 74% followed the social media of a provider they saw or were considering, and nearly half said a provider's social media affected their decision to book; 94% said rate-and-review sites affected their choice (ASDS). The survey was run for a society whose members do these procedures, and ASDS did not publish its field dates.
Earlier patient surveys come mostly from single clinics. In Sweden, in a survey at one Stockholm clinic published in 2015, 95% of 500 aesthetic surgery patients used the internet before their consultation (Aesthetic Plastic Surgery), and 46% used social media, of whom 40% said it strongly influenced their choice of doctor (Aesthetic Plastic Surgery), about 18% of all patients (our calculation). The same Swedish clinic's later surveys of 1,646 breast augmentation patients found the share starting their research online rose from 68.0% in 2014 to 72.9% in 2019 (Aesthetic Surgery Journal), while the share of surgeons blaming the internet and social media for unrealistic expectations rose to 65.3% (Aesthetic Surgery Journal). In Saudi Arabia, in a 2022 study at one Riyadh practice, 76.1% of 205 rhinoplasty patients said before-and-after pictures on social media influenced them and 52.7% said social media ads did (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery).
Social media use and interest in surgery move together, though the studies cannot show which causes which. In a 252-person U.S. survey in 2018, investment in social media correlated with considering cosmetic surgery (R = 0.35) (JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery). In a 2022 Dutch study of 470 Instagram users aged 18 to 25, following influencers who had had procedures went with higher intentions to have one (Body Image). In a 2024 survey of 473 U.S. adults, social media use was linked to greater decision-making empowerment on six of seven measures (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery). In a 2024 national survey of 1,483 Saudi adults, 29% of those with body dysmorphic disorder spent 4 to 7 hours a day on Instagram and Snapchat (Frontiers in Public Health). RealSelf's 2023 YouGov survey found 44% of Gen Z adults had learned about cosmetic procedures on social media, against 8% of Boomers (RealSelf).
Which platforms patients use
YouTube reaches the most people, and Instagram and TikTok skew female and young. In Pew Research Center's 2026 survey of 5,511 U.S. adults (January 30 to June 18), 83% of women used YouTube (Pew), 56% used Instagram (Pew) and 43% TikTok (Pew). 79% of adults 18 to 29 used Instagram (Pew). In 2025, 37% of U.S. adults used TikTok, up from 21% in 2021 (Pew), and 24% used it daily (Pew).
How surgeons use social media
Most cosmetic surgeons are on it, and private practices use it to win patients. In an ASPS member survey published in 2019, 79.4% of surgeons with a mainly cosmetic practice had a professional account (Aesthetic Surgery Journal). In a 2020 ASPS member survey, private-practice surgeons used social media for patient acquisition far more than salaried ones, 74.3 percent against 28.3 percent (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery). In 2013, 52.1 percent used it because they thought it was effective marketing, while 64.6% said it had no effect on their practice (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery). Of board-certified plastic surgery practices ranking on Google in the 25 largest U.S. metro areas, 19.6% had no social media accounts at all (Aesthetic Surgery Journal).
What does aesthetic video on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram look like?
It is watched by the hundreds of millions, and most of it is not made by board-certified surgeons or rated as good information. The 143 most-surfaced YouTube videos on five common cosmetic surgeries had 667,373,209 views, in a Rutgers analysis published in 2019, with a mean DISCERN quality score of 2.44 out of 5 (Aesthetic Surgery Journal). 72 of the 143 included U.S. board-certified plastic surgeons (Aesthetic Surgery Journal). An earlier study of 523 YouTube videos on 12 procedures scored them 13.1 out of 27 for quality (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery); physicians made 59 percent of them (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery). Botox and filler videos found in a July 2020 search scored 50.04% on DISCERN against 55.46% for websites (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery), and 39.06 out of 100 on procedure-specific content (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery). In a 2022 study, fat grafting videos by laypeople and non-plastic surgeons drew 40% more views than better-scoring surgeon videos (JPRAS), and the 80 most-viewed scored 1.5 out of 5 (JPRAS).
Study (platform, published)
Videos or posts
Total views
Who made the largest share
#PlasticSurgery top videos (TikTok, data Nov 2020) PRS
376
1,680,910,700
Educational videos averaged 6.3 million views each PRS
On TikTok, physician-made injectable videos scored higher on reliability (2 vs 1.5 median DISCERN) but drew less engagement (Aesthetic Surgery Journal). Breast augmentation was the most viewed procedure among top #PlasticSurgery TikTok videos in November 2020, at 531,143,800 views (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery). A 2023 review of seven studies put the mean DISCERN score of 386 plastic surgery TikTok videos at 1.91, poor quality (ASJ Open Forum). In the 2024 study of TikTok videos on men's procedures, 38% of physician videos came from doctors outside the U.S. (Aesthetic Surgery Journal). In a 2026 study, of Brazilian butt lift patient videos on TikTok that named a location, 77.1% were for procedures abroad or in Miami (ASJ Open Forum). In a 2026 study of 30 TikTok aesthetic videos aimed at Southeast Asian migrant workers in Taiwan, 15/30 were home surgery demonstrations (JMIR Infodemiology).
On Instagram, surgeons are outnumbered. Board-certified plastic surgeons made only 17.8% of top posts under 21 plastic surgery hashtags in 2017 (Aesthetic Surgery Journal), and 67.1% of top posts were self-promotion (Aesthetic Surgery Journal). The hashtags had 1,789,270 posts then (Aesthetic Surgery Journal); in a 2020 update 22 hashtags had 11,516,969 (ASJ Open Forum), and eligible plastic surgeons made 4.17% of top posts (ASJ Open Forum). In a 2025 study of 587 top Brazilian butt lift posts, 73.0% showed results (Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) and only 12.0% mentioned risks (Aesthetic Plastic Surgery). In February 2022, the 10 most-followed plastic surgeons' recent posts were 64.5% marketing (ASJ Open Forum), and 43.5% were videos, with no significant engagement difference between photos and videos (ASJ Open Forum).
How many people work in aesthetics, and what do they earn?
About 73,000 skincare specialists on payrolls, with most outside medicine. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated 72,890 wage and salary skincare specialists in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), at a median of $45,330 a year (BLS OEWS), $21.79 an hour (BLS OEWS), and a mean of $51,850 (BLS OEWS). Personal care services employed 53,350 of them (BLS OEWS), at a median of $43,880 (BLS OEWS) and a mean of $50,340 (BLS OEWS). Offices of physicians employed 6,360 (BLS OEWS), at a median of $51,590 (BLS OEWS) and a mean of $58,270 (BLS OEWS).
Counting the self-employed, skincare specialists held about 104,200 jobs in 2025, 29 percent of them self-employed and 6 percent in offices of physicians (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). BLS projects the occupation to grow 9 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 14,200 openings a year (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
Medical staff in the personal care industry are few. Personal care services employers, with 755,790 jobs in all (BLS OEWS), employed an estimated 3,670 registered nurses (BLS OEWS), 1,620 nurse practitioners (BLS OEWS) and 270 physician assistants (BLS OEWS) in May 2025. Nurses and physician assistants in physician-owned med spas are counted under offices of physicians instead. There were 11,370 wage and salary dermatologists (BLS OEWS), with a mean wage of $323,530 (BLS OEWS). Offices of physicians averaged 2,904,306 employees in 2025, up from 2,613,645 in 2019 (BLS QCEW 2025; 2019), at average pay of $116,597 (BLS QCEW).
What do the rules say about before-and-after video, testimonials and reviews?
A before-and-after or patient testimonial is read as a promise of typical results, fake reviews carry federal penalties of more than $50,000 each, and states add their own photo rules. This is a summary of published rules, not legal advice.
Federal Trade Commission
The FTC's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255) were revised on July 26, 2023 (eCFR). A testimonial about a key result is taken to reflect what consumers generally expected performance would be, unless the ad shows otherwise (eCFR, 16 CFR 255.2(b)). Ads that present "actual consumers" should use actual consumers in both the audio and video or say they are not (eCFR, 16 CFR 255.2(c)). The Guides' own before-and-after example is a woman who lost "50 pounds in 6 months" (eCFR), and a fair disclosure reads like "typically lose 15 pounds" (eCFR). Stock photos of people with "near perfect skin" beside acne testimonials misrepresent the results (eCFR).
The FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials (16 CFR Part 465), published at 89 FR 68077 (eCFR), took effect on October 21, 2024 (FTC). Section 465.2 bans writing, buying or selling fake reviews and testimonials (eCFR), 465.4 bans incentives conditioned on positive reviews, such as a discount on the next treatment for a five-star review (eCFR), and 465.8 bans buying fake followers or views (eCFR). When the rule was published, the maximum civil penalty was $51,744 per violation (FTC); the eCFR now shows $53,088 (eCFR, 16 CFR 1.98).
In October 2021 the FTC sent a notice of penalty offenses on endorsements to more than 700 companies (FTC), warning of penalties up to $43,792 per violation (FTC); Botox's owner AbbVie Inc. was on the list (FTC). In 2018 the FTC brought its first case against an IV drip marketer, iV Bars of Texas, whose drips sold for between $100 and $250 (FTC), on a 5-0 vote (FTC). Earlier, in 2009, the New York Attorney General settled with the cosmetic surgery chain Lifestyle Lift over staff posting fake reviews, for $300,000 (New York Attorney General).
FDA and CDC
Counterfeit Botox reached patients through unlicensed injectors. CDC's April 2024 health advisory reported 22 people in 11 jurisdictions harmed by counterfeit or mishandled botulinum toxin (CDC), 91% of them treated for cosmetic reasons (CDC) and 11 hospitalized (CDC). CDC's closed investigation counted 17 people in 9 states (CDC), of whom 76% were hospitalized (CDC). FDA said the fakes could be spotted by a 150-unit vial, a size the maker does not produce (FDA). On November 5, 2025 FDA issued 18 warning letters to websites selling unapproved botulinum toxin (FDA), and on April 1, 2026 it sent a warning letter to a Texas med spa over its drug supply chain (FDA). FDA has approved dermal fillers only for adults 22 years and older and has approved no needle-free filler devices (FDA). On July 30, 2018 it warned against laser and radiofrequency devices marketed for vaginal "rejuvenation" (FDA).
State rules: Florida, Texas and California
Florida lists "False, deceptive, or misleading advertising" as grounds to discipline a physician (Florida Statutes 458.331), lets the Board of Medicine fine up to $10,000 per count (Florida Statutes 456.072), and requires any ad naming a practitioner to state the type of license held (Florida Statutes 456.072). Its physician advertising rule, last amended effective 3/19/2026 (Florida Administrative Code 64B8-11.001), treats an ad as misleading if it creates "false or unjustified expectations of beneficial assistance" (Florida Administrative Code). Florida fines a physician $5,000 per incident for office-surgery violations, including on gluteal fat grafting (Florida Statutes 458.328). Texas's Jenifer's Law on elective IV therapy took effect September 1, 2025 (Texas Legislature), after passing the House 117 to 2 and the Senate 31 to 0 (Texas Legislature). California requires before-and-after views to be "comparable in presentation" (California B&P Code 651), requires any model in a health care ad to be labelled as one (California B&P Code 651), and makes a violation a misdemeanor (California B&P Code 651).
Professional and platform rules
ASPS members may not use before-and-after photos taken with different light, poses, or photographic techniques (ASPS Code of Ethics), must keep a record of every ad for one year (ASPS Code of Ethics), and count social media "tags, likes, pins" as endorsements (ASPS Code of Ethics). Meta requires ads for cosmetic procedures to target people at least 18 years old (Meta), and with that targeting allows ads "depicting before and after transformation" (Meta). TikTok's U.S. policy also limits cosmetic clinic ads to audiences 18 and older (TikTok), and in the UK it bans Botox and elective surgery ads, allowing filler ads only to users 18 and older (TikTok). In England, giving Botox or a cosmetic filler to anyone under 18 is an offence (legislation.gov.uk), UK ad rule 12.25 bars targeting cosmetic ads at under-18s (ASA), and rule 12.2 bars advertising Botox to the public (ASA).
What the popular aesthetics marketing numbers really say
Med spa marketing agencies, software vendors and roundups repeat a small set of numbers. We traced each to the organization that produced it. Pages that repeat a claim are linked only as dated evidence of how it spread, never as a source for the number.
"Most patients choose their surgeon from social media"
No survey of patients says so; the best-known numbers are surgeons' impressions or answers to a narrower question. The "selfie" figures come from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery's yearly member survey: 72% of members saw patients wanting to look better in selfies in 2019 (AAFPRS), 77 percent in 2021 (AAFPRS) and 79 percent in 2022 (AAFPRS), up from 13 percent who flagged social media image concerns in 2013 (AAFPRS). In 2020 75 percent reported it (AAFPRS), and in 2021 79 percent saw patients wanting to look better on video calls (AAFPRS). The survey is fielded online each December among a select group of the academy's 2,200 members (AAFPRS), and trade press reported 110 respondents for 2018 (Aesthetics Journal). It asks surgeons what they see; it never asks patients how they chose. In 2024 the same survey found only 30 percent of members named finding the right surgeon as a top patient concern (AAFPRS).
The academy's earliest social numbers conflict. Its poll on 2012 reported a 31 percent rise in surgery requests from social media photo sharing (Practical Dermatology), and said only seven percent of prospective patients used social media to research doctors in 2012, down from 35 percent in 2011 (Practical Dermatology). Trade press a year earlier had reported the 2011 study as 42% of patients getting plastic surgery information from social networks (The Hospitalist). We could not find the academy's original releases to settle which is right.
A second figure, "45.9% chose a surgeon based on before-and-after results on social media", circulates in agency roundups credited only to "ScienceDirect" (ColorWhistle). It comes from a 2021 survey of 401 Amazon Mechanical Turk workers, published in 2023, that asked which feature of a social media account was most influential; 45.9% picked before-and-after results (JPRAS), and the conference abstract of the same study gives the question and the other answers: 45.9% before-and-after results, 16.2% links to reviews (NESPS). It does not say that 45.9% of patients choose surgeons on social media. A 2026 marketing list's "78% of plastic surgery clinics report social media is their top lead source" names no survey at all (MarketingLTB). Use instead: the patient surveys. ASPS publicised a 2017 100-patient single-practice study (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) in which more than half named the practice website and eight percent Facebook (ASPS); and in a 2024 study 369 U.S. adults ranked the number of social media posts among the three least important factors, at 5.62 of 10 (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery).
"Before-and-after videos increase consultations by X%"
We found no measured original for any version of it. A 2026 marketing list says clinics using video see "34% higher consultation booking rates" with no source (MarketingLTB). An automation vendor says before-and-after photo workflows convert "25% more consultations", crediting the American Med Spa Association (US Tech Automations); AmSpa's public pages carry no such figure. The same post credits PatientPop, a practice software seller, with "22% more consultation requests" from galleries, with no report, sample or date (US Tech Automations). The nearest measured number is about photos, not video or bookings: RxPhoto, which sells before-and-after photo software, said in March 2024 that 74.8% of over 1,000 consumers would not consider a practice without a before-and-after gallery (RxPhoto), a statement of intent with no field dates. In the Sorice study, before-and-after photos were the website content patients cared about most of five types (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery), and in the Mechanical Turk survey photo posts were preferred over video posts, 51.4% to 27.2% (JPRAS). Use instead: say that patients look for before-and-after results; no published study measures what before-and-after video does to consultations.
"The med spa industry is worth $X billion"
The numbers range from $9 billion to $50 billion because they measure different things, and none publishes its method. AmSpa says the industry has "eclipsed $17 billion" (AmSpa), $17 billion on its industry page (AmSpa); its survey of med spa owners ran September 2023 to March 2024, and its chief executive spoke of more than 11,000 med spas (AmSpa). Its own executive summary counts 10,488 for 2023 (AmSpa), and that count times its own average revenue per med spa gives about $14.7 billion (our calculation), so the $17 billion must rest on assumptions AmSpa does not publish. Report sellers put the U.S. market at 9.1 billion dollars in 2025 (Grand View Research) and the world at 24.2 billion (Grand View Research), or the world at 18.6 billion rising to 44.1 Bn dollars by 2032 (Persistence Market Research). A practice software seller calls U.S. aesthetic medicine a $50 billion market under a "$15 Billion" headline (Aesthetic Record), and a video marketing vendor gives $22.1 billion globally with no definition (Webtonic). Use instead: the Economic Census, which counted $13.7 billion in 2022 receipts for the whole of NAICS 812199 (day spas and other personal care included), and The Aesthetic Society's $11.8 billion for plastic surgeons' aesthetic work in 2022; name what each covers.
"A 24% increase in patients under 30"
It is a change in the share of surgeons who noticed younger patients, not a count of patients. AAFPRS reported in January 2019 that 72 percent of its members saw more cosmetic surgery or injectables in patients under 30, up from 58 percent in 2013, and called that a "24 percent increase" (AAFPRS). The next year it repeated the construction, 74% up from 56% (AAFPRS). By December 2019 a youth-research firm had restated it as "a 24% increase in registrations at medical aesthetics clinics" and credited a different society (YPulse). In the 2022 survey close to 75 percent of members reported more patients under 30 (AAFPRS), and the 2023 "Gen Z" figure is a forecast: 77 percent expect more prevention starting in the twenties and thirties (AAFPRS). Use instead: procedure counts by age. ASPS counted 62,670 cosmetic surgeries for 18 to 25 year olds in 2025, down 9%, while the over-65s rose 24%.
"Video lifts conversions by 80%" and "patients research online"
Aesthetic marketers borrow general video numbers. One med spa agency says landing pages with video earn "66% more conversions" without a source (Studio 3 Marketing). The 80% traces to EyeView Digital, a landing-page video vendor, whose 2010 white paper said "in some cases" the boost was over 80% (EyeView Digital); its one fully described test, for a trading platform, found almost 32 percent (EyeView Digital). This matches our trace on the video advertising statistics page. For "patients research online", RxPhoto's 2024 vendor survey says 91.3% of cosmetic consumers check at least two practice websites (RxPhoto), and in the 369-adult study a web search was the most common first step, at 32.2% (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery).
We started from the questions people search for about aesthetics video statistics and looked for the organization that actually produced each answer. Every figure on this page sits in an evidence ledger with its source, the exact table or paragraph it came from, the measurement period, the population measured, and the date we checked it. This edition holds 343 figures from 55 publishers.
On November 1, 2026, each sourced figure on this page was re-fetched with the fetch cache cleared and matched against the recorded wording: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (through the BLS data API), Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages open data and the Occupational Outlook Handbook (through an Internet Archive copy, because bls.gov refuses automated requests); Census County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, the 2017 and 2022 Economic Census and the Annual Integrated Economic Survey (through the Census data API); the procedure reports of ASPS, The Aesthetic Society, ISAPS and AAFPRS, the ASDS consumer survey and AmSpa's public pages; the 10-K and 20-F filings of AirSculpt, Evolus, AbbVie, InMode, SkinHealth Systems (Hydrafacial), Establishment Labs, Apyx Medical, Revance, Cutera and SBC Medical Group, and SEC EDGAR full-text search; peer-reviewed studies through PubMed; Pew Research Center and RealSelf releases; the eCFR, FTC, FDA and CDC (several through Internet Archive copies), the Florida, Texas and California legislatures, the ASPS Code of Ethics, Meta and TikTok ad policies and UK rules; and the pages behind each popular claim. Meta's policy page was read in a headless browser because its archived copy shows no text. We left out The Aesthetic Society's 2024 and 2025 reports and AmSpa's full report (neither is public), Fortune Business Insights and other market reports that refused automated requests, and two TikTok and Snapchat studies with no abstract.
We only cite the producer: government agencies, regulators, company filings and official posts, and the survey owner's own report. We do not cite statistics roundups, Statista-style aggregators, or salary sites without a public method. We did not bypass paywalls or sign-up forms; where a full report was gated, we used only the figures its publisher states publicly.
Figures marked "our calculation" are arithmetic on the cited numbers, and anyone can reproduce them:
This edition contains no Mark Studios customer data.
Limitations
No agency counts med spas. Med spas run as businesses are classed with day spas, tanning, tattoo and hair-removal shops in NAICS 812199, and physician-owned ones with offices of physicians, so government figures bound the sector rather than measure it.
Procedure counts are society estimates. ASPS, The Aesthetic Society, ISAPS and AAFPRS each survey their own members and extrapolate; their totals differ, ASPS restated its own 2024 count, and none covers injections done outside surgical practices.
Many sources have a stake. AmSpa sells memberships and reports to med spas; RealSelf, RxPhoto and the device and drug makers sell to practices; the professional societies represent the surgeons whose work they count.
Patient surveys are small. Most come from one clinic or an online panel, several from outside the U.S., and the AAFPRS figures are what surgeons report seeing, not what patients say.
Nobody measures what video does to bookings. We found no published study of before-and-after video and consultation rates; the only company figures on video and social media marketing are AirSculpt's.
How to cite this page
For a single figure, cite the original publisher named next to it, and link here if the verification trail is useful to your readers. Each figure has its own anchor, so you can link straight to it, for example https://www.markstudios.com/research/aesthetics-video-statistics#DRV-112. To cite the page as a whole:
Mark Studios. "Aesthetics Video Statistics." Last verified Nov 1, 2026. https://www.markstudios.com/research/aesthetics-video-statistics
APA
Mark Studios. (2026, November 1). Aesthetics video statistics. https://www.markstudios.com/research/aesthetics-video-statistics
MLA
“Aesthetics Video Statistics.” Mark Studios, 1 Nov. 2026, www.markstudios.com/research/aesthetics-video-statistics.
Chicago
Mark Studios. “Aesthetics Video Statistics.” Last modified November 1, 2026. https://www.markstudios.com/research/aesthetics-video-statistics.
BibTeX
@misc{markstudios_aesthetics_video_statistics_2026,
author = {{Mark Studios}},
title = {{Aesthetics Video Statistics}},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
url = {https://www.markstudios.com/research/aesthetics-video-statistics},
note = {Last verified 2026-11-01}
}
Our calculations and the evidence table are free to reuse with attribution and a link to this page. Each underlying figure remains the claim of its original publisher, and some publishers ask for a link when their figures are reused.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Sorice et al., Stanford University Medical Center and Plastic Surgery Associates of Santa Rosa), Social Media and the Plastic Surgery Patient (2017-11). Accessed 2026-11-01.
Florida Department of State (Florida Administrative Code), Board of Medicine rule, 64B8-11.001 Advertising (2026-03-19). Accessed 2026-11-01.
Florida Department of State (Florida Administrative Code), Board of Medicine rule, 64B8-11.001 Advertising (rule text) (2026-03-19). Accessed 2026-11-01.
We re-verify every figure quarterly and when a major source publishes a new edition. The next scheduled review is February 2027. Corrections go to contact@markstudios.com.
Nov 1, 2026: First published with 343 figures from 55 publishers, each checked against its original source.
Frequently asked questions
How many cosmetic procedures are done in the U.S. each year?
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons estimated 1,523,330 cosmetic surgical procedures by board-certified plastic surgeons in 2025, and more than 28.5 million minimally invasive procedures by its members in 2024, led by neuromodulator injections.
How many med spas are there in the U.S.?
The American Med Spa Association counted 10,488 medical spas in 2023, with average revenue of $1,398,833 each. No government agency counts med spas separately.
How big is the med spa industry?
Estimates run from $9.1 billion (Grand View Research, 2025) to more than $17 billion (AmSpa). AmSpa's own count multiplied by its own average revenue comes to about $14.7 billion; none of these publishes its method.
Do patients choose a plastic surgeon from social media?
Few say so. In a 2024 study of 369 U.S. adults, the surgeon's number of social media posts scored 5.62 out of 10, among the three least important of 36 factors, and in a 100-patient practice survey 8 percent named Facebook against more than half for the website.
How much do aesthetics companies spend on advertising?
AirSculpt, which sells straight to patients, spent $27.3 million on advertising in 2025, 18.0% of revenue. Evolus's advertising, mostly social media ads, was 2.6% of revenue.
Do before-and-after videos increase consultations?
No published study measures it. Figures such as 34% higher booking rates appear on marketing pages with no source; the nearest measured number is a photo-software vendor's survey in which 74.8% said they would not consider a practice without a before-and-after gallery.
Can a med spa post before-and-after photos and patient testimonials?
Yes, within rules. The FTC treats a testimonial as a claim of typical results, its 2024 rule bans fake reviews with penalties up to $53,088 per violation, and California requires before-and-after views to be comparable in presentation.
How many skincare specialists are there?
BLS estimated 72,890 wage and salary skincare specialists in May 2025, with a median wage of $45,330, and projects 9 percent growth from 2025 to 2035.
