The estimated frequency of cosmetic breast augmentation among US women, 1963 through 1988.

Estimates ranging from 1 to 2 million have been used to describe the number of women in the United States who have had cosmetic breast implants. Original data from a historical cohort study of women with breast augmentation were combined with simulation techniques to compute new estimates grounded on a more objective set of information and assumptions than previous attempts. It was estimated that the number of women who had cosmetic augmentation mammoplasty between 1963 and 1988 was 894,206 (range = 437,602 to 2,035,783). The number of women ever treated with cosmetic augmentation mammoplasty may be substantially smaller than previously reported.