Cosmetic surgery procedures accessed by Nigerian women at a single private cosmetic surgery practice: A retrospective review

Background: Little is known about the cosmetic surgery procedures sought by Nigerian women. Aim: We sought to report the proportion of cosmetic surgery procedures accessed by Nigerian women and determine any associations between the demographics and cosmetic procedures accessed. Patients and Methods: A retrospective review was conducted between January 2020 and July 2021 of all cosmetic surgery procedures at a single private cosmetic surgery practice. Data were analyzed using means, Mann-Whitney U-test, chi square test, and Fisher's exact test as appropriate. The statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: Of the 392 consultations for cosmetic procedures, 245 (62.5%) patients accessed cosmetic surgery. Most were women (239 (97.6%)) and single (178 (72.7%)). The median age of the patients at surgery was 29.0 years (IQR 26-33), the median weight was 78.8 kg (IQR 71.4-88.8), and the median body mass index (BMI) was 28.1 (IQR 25.7-32.3). Liposuction was the procedure accessed by nearly all the patients (224 (91.4%)). Next to this was bilateral buttock augmentation (199 (81.2%)). Other cosmetic procedures such as tummy tuck, facial cosmetic surgery, umbilicoplasty, and labiaplasty each constituted less than three percent of the patients. The abdomen (224 (91.4%)), back (219 (89.4%)), and arms (79 (32.2%)) were the most common regions of the body sought for liposuction, while the calves (2 (0.8%)) were the least. Liposuction of the arms was associated with the BMI (p < 0.003). Conclusion: Liposuction and bilateral buttock augmentation are the most common cosmetic surgery procedures accessed by this cohort of Nigerian women.