What Percentage of Women Have Breast Implants? Popularity, Satisfaction, and Regret Rates
By Partington Plastic Surgery on September 10, 2026 in Breast Implants, Buttock Augmentation
Breast augmentation has been one of the most requested cosmetic surgeries in the United States for decades, and many prospective patients want to know just how common it really is before making their own decision. If you have searched for the percentage of women with breast implants, the honest answer is more nuanced than a single number, and this article breaks down what the available data actually shows.
What Percentage of Women Have Breast Implants?
There is no single official figure tracking the total percentage of women in the United States currently living with breast implants, since no national registry counts every patient over time. What is tracked reliably is the number of procedures performed each year. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) 2024 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report, 306,196 breast augmentation procedures were performed in the United States in 2024, making it the second most frequently performed cosmetic surgical procedure that year, behind only liposuction.
Because breast augmentation has remained consistently popular for over two decades, with hundreds of thousands of procedures performed annually, cumulative estimates of women who have had breast implants at some point in their lives are almost certainly in the millions nationwide, even without one definitive percentage figure.
Percentage of Women With Breast Implants in the US: Why the Number Is Hard to Pin Down
A precise percentage of women with breast implants in the US is difficult to calculate for a few practical reasons. Many women who had implants placed years or decades ago move, change surgeons, or never appear in follow-up data. Others have implants removed, exchanged, or replaced, which means yearly procedure counts include a mix of first-time patients and returning patients rather than only new additions to the total population.
This is why credible sources describe breast augmentation trends using annual procedure volume and popularity rankings rather than a single lifetime prevalence percentage, and why you should be cautious of any website citing an exact percentage without linking to a verifiable source.
Percentage of Women Who Get Breast Implants: Popularity Over Time
Breast augmentation has held a top position among cosmetic surgical procedures in the United States for many years running, consistently ranking in the top two or three most performed surgeries according to ASPS annual reporting. This sustained demand reflects both first-time augmentation patients and a smaller portion of returning patients pursuing implant exchange or revision.
Patient motivations vary widely, from wanting fuller proportions after pregnancy or weight changes to correcting asymmetry or simply achieving a look that feels more aligned with their sense of self.
BREAST AUGMENTATION GALLERY
VIEW GALLERYPercentage of Women Who Regret Breast Implants
Regret is one of the more research-backed data points available on this topic. A systematic review published examining patient regret across plastic surgery procedures found that regret after breast augmentation specifically falls in a range of roughly 5.1 to 9.1 percent of patients, which is notably low compared to some other elective surgical procedures.
That means the substantial majority of patients report being satisfied with their decision, though regret is not the same as revision. Some patients who do not regret their original decision still pursue a size change, lift, or exchange years later simply because their body, goals, or lifestyle changed, not because the original surgery went wrong.
What Drives Satisfaction With Breast Implants?
Patient satisfaction with breast augmentation tends to correlate closely with a few controllable factors:
- Choosing an implant size and profile that matches your frame rather than an arbitrary trend
- Working with a board-certified surgeon experienced specifically in breast augmentation
- Having realistic expectations set during a thorough consultation
- Selecting a technique and implant type suited to your anatomy and long-term goals
At Partington Plastic Surgery, our On Top® Rapid Recovery approach and exclusive use of Motiva® 6th-generation silicone implants are both aimed at supporting a natural-looking, comfortable long-term result, which is consistently linked to higher patient satisfaction in the research on this topic.
How to Reduce Your Own Chances of Regret
If you are still deciding whether breast augmentation is right for you, a few steps can meaningfully lower the chance you will be part of the smaller percentage who report regret:
- Try implant sizers in person rather than choosing based on photos alone
- Ask to see before and after results from patients with a similar starting frame
- Discuss your lifestyle, including exercise habits and future plans like pregnancy, openly with your surgeon
- Give yourself adequate time between consultation and surgery to feel confident in your decision
Rushing the decision-making process is one of the more commonly cited contributors to dissatisfaction in the broader plastic surgery literature, which is why an unhurried, consultation-first approach matters.
Why This Question Keeps Coming Up in Consultations
Many prospective patients ask about the percentage of women with breast implants not out of pure curiosity, but because it helps them gauge how common a decision they are considering really is. Feeling like an outlier can add unnecessary pressure to an already personal decision, and understanding that hundreds of thousands of women choose this procedure every year in the United States alone can help normalize a choice that is ultimately about your own goals rather than a comparison to anyone else.
At the same time, popularity alone should never be the deciding factor in whether breast augmentation is right for you. A thorough consultation that evaluates your anatomy, health history, and personal goals matters far more to your individual outcome and satisfaction than any national statistic.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of women have breast implants?
There is no single verified national percentage, since no registry tracks every patient over time, but annual procedure data shows breast augmentation is consistently one of the most common cosmetic surgeries performed in the United States.
How many breast augmentation procedures are performed each year in the US?
According to ASPS 2024 data, 306,196 breast augmentation procedures were performed in the United States that year, ranking it the second most common cosmetic surgical procedure.
What percentage of women regret getting breast implants?
Research places breast augmentation regret at roughly 5.1 to 9.1 percent of patients, which is relatively low compared to many other elective surgeries.
Is breast augmentation more popular now than in past decades?
Yes, breast augmentation has remained one of the most requested cosmetic surgical procedures for well over a decade, according to ongoing ASPS annual statistics.
Does regret mean the surgery was unsuccessful?
Not necessarily. Some patients who do not regret their original decision still choose a later size change or revision simply because their goals or body changed over time.
What can I do to lower my own risk of regretting breast augmentation?
Trying sizers in person, reviewing realistic before and after examples, and taking adequate time to decide with an experienced, board-certified surgeon all support higher long-term satisfaction.
Considering Breast Augmentation? Start With a Personal Consultation
The best way to understand what breast augmentation could look like for your body, and to ask any questions about popularity, satisfaction, or your own candidacy, is a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Partington.
Schedule a consultation to learn more →
Learn more about our approach on the homepage and explore the On Top® Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation technique that supports the natural-looking results linked to higher patient satisfaction.
Sources
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons: 2024 Plastic Surgery Statistics
- A systematic review of patient regret after surgery, American Journal of Surgery