October 22, 2026
The plastic surgery sector in Lebanon has witnessed a radical shift in the nature of the most popular procedures, going beyond the traditional limits of beautification of the nose and facial features, and moving towards liposuction, tummy tuck, and facial rejuvenation, in addition to the strong entry of men into this field, according to what was revealed by two recent scientific studies.
In this context, a study published in 2022 in the “SKINmed” magazine, which included 877 Lebanese women between the ages of 18 and 31, showed that 44% of the participants underwent at least one cosmetic procedure during their lives. Laser hair removal topped the list of procedures at 32%, followed by teeth whitening at 14%, and rhinoplasty at 9.3%, which reflects a great diversity between surgical and non-surgical options.
On the other hand, a more recent study conducted by researchers in the Department of Plastic Surgery at Hotel Dieu University Hospital (Saint Joseph University), and published in May 2026, monitored a remarkable development by analyzing 4,706 surgical operations performed during the periods (2000–2004) and (2020–2024).
According to the recent study, the share of rhinoplasty among the total operations studied declined from 82.8% to 38.5%, while eyelid surgery recorded a wide jump, rising from 1.7% to 20.7%, and the percentage of facelift operations increased from 0.9% to 4.9%.
In terms of demographic composition, the study recorded a remarkable shift in men’s increasing interest in body sculpting surgeries. Their percentage increased among those undergoing liposuction from 2.6% to 24.2%, and among those undergoing tummy tuck from 5.7% to 16.1%. In parallel, the average age of visitors to cosmetic clinics increased from 29.4 years to 38.6 years, while women continued to occupy the largest majority of the total number of patients.
These scientific indicators confirm a fundamental change in the cosmetic priorities of the Lebanese over the past two decades, expanding and diversifying beyond the scope of traditional rhinoplasty to include the face and body and treating the signs of aging. Despite the importance of these results, they are based on specific research samples and do not represent a comprehensive national census of the cosmetic sector in Lebanon.
