Med Spa Trends 2026: 8 Shifts Backed by Data and What to Do About Each

The med spa trends that matter in 2026 are the ones you can see in the data: neuromodulators and hyaluronic acid fillers still make up about 80 percent of minimally invasive treatments, GLP-1 weight loss is changing what patients ask for (82 percent of plastic surgeons fielded GLP-1-related consultations in 2025), patients 66 and older are the fastest-growing age group, and most med spa patients are repeat patients. On the operations side, the compounded GLP-1 window has closed, states are tightening rules on IV therapy, and AI tools now come with consent and disclosure rules attached.

For med spa owners, medical directors and practice managers. Updated October 28, 2026 · Prepared by Prospyr. Prospyr makes software for aesthetic practices. Every number below links to the report or regulation it comes from. Where we couldn't find current national data for a trend you'll see on other lists, we left it out and say so at the end.

The 2026 trends at a glance

1. Injectables still anchor the menu

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons' 2025 Procedural Statistics Report, released September 1, 2026, found that neuromodulator injections "accounted for half of all minimally invasive treatments performed in 2025," and hyaluronic acid fillers represented another 30 percent. Within fillers, 70 percent of treatments focused on facial rejuvenation and 23 percent on lip augmentation. The rest of the top five were laser skin treatments; hair removal, IPL and tattoo removal; and non-hyaluronic acid fillers.

ASPS now lists six neuromodulators by brand: Botox, Dysport, Letybo, Xeomin, Jeuveau and Daxxify. A seventh is not coming as quickly as some expected: Galderma announced on July 1, 2026 that the FDA issued a complete response letter for relabotulinumtoxinA, citing manufacturing-site inspection observations and analytical method optimization.

One caveat: ASPS no longer publishes treatment counts for minimally invasive procedures. It says it is "seeking a data source that aligns with its cosmetic and reconstructive data sets" and for now ranks the top five by volume share. Be wary of any 2026 article that quotes a national 2025 Botox count.

What to do: Before you add a new device, check whether your injectors' calendars are full and whether neuromodulator patients rebook within their usual window. Our neurotoxin brands guide compares the FDA-approved options if you're weighing a second brand, and the Botox price-per-unit calculator helps you check margin by brand.

2. GLP-1 patients are asking about volume and lift

The clearest trend in the ASPS data is what follows significant weight loss. According to ASPS, 82 percent of member surgeons received consultation requests related to GLP-1 use in 2025. The procedures that grew most were the ones those patients ask about:

• Facial fat grafting rose 39 percent to 34,117 procedures, the largest gain of any aesthetic surgical procedure.
• Brow lifts rose 29 percent, neck lifts 21 percent, eyelid surgery 19 percent and facelifts 13 percent.
• Upper body lifts rose 22 percent, arm lifts 21 percent and thigh lifts 20 percent.

There's a useful concession in the same report. Tummy tucks were the procedure surgeons most often discussed with GLP-1 patients (88 percent of surgeons reported those consults), yet national tummy tuck volume grew only 2 percent, to 173,251. ASPS reads this as a gap between interest and completed surgery, and says the figures don't establish that GLP-1 use caused growth in any specific procedure.

What to do: A med spa will see these patients before a surgeon does. Train providers to talk through facial volume loss and skin laxity plainly, including when filler or a device is unlikely to meet the patient's goal. If you work with a plastic surgery practice, agree on a referral path both ways. Patients often need both.

3. The compounded GLP-1 window has closed

If your practice runs a weight-loss program, the supply rules changed underneath it. The FDA's compounding policy page records that the tirzepatide injection shortage was resolved (re-confirmed December 19, 2024) and the semaglutide injection shortage was resolved on February 21, 2025. Enforcement discretion for 503A pharmacies has ended for both drugs; for 503B outsourcing facilities it ran until March 19, 2025 (tirzepatide) and May 22, 2025 (semaglutide).

The two compounder types also differ in what you can order. Per the FDA, 503A compounding must be "based on the receipt of valid patient-specific prescriptions," while 503B outsourcing facilities may distribute "pursuant to a patient-specific prescription or in response to an order from a health care provider... that is not for an identified individual patient."

What to do: Ask your medical director to confirm, in writing, what each weight-loss medication on your menu is, where it comes from, and how it is prescribed. Our guide to e-prescribing for med spas covers the prescribing side.

4. Older patients are the fastest-growing group

ASPS reported that patients 66 and older recorded a 24 percent rise in procedure volume in 2025, the largest gain of any age group, while adults 36 to 55 accounted for "nearly half of all cosmetic procedures performed." Volume for patients 18 to 25 fell 9 percent.

What to do: Older patients usually bring longer medication lists and more health history to review. Allow more consult time, make sure your intake captures anticoagulants and other relevant medications before the visit, and write marketing that speaks to restoration rather than prevention alone.

5. Collagen stimulation and longer-lasting options

When ASPS asked surgeons which facial rejuvenation approaches they used in 2025, hyaluronic acid fillers led at 69 percent, followed by autologous fat grafting (49 percent), light or energy-based devices (45 percent), biostimulatory injectables (33 percent) and chemical peels (33 percent). Non-hyaluronic acid fillers, many of which work by stimulating collagen, made the top five minimally invasive treatments.

One surgeon quoted in the report, Kelly Killeen, MD, said patients "want a longer-lasting procedure and are moving away from fillers." That's one surgeon's view, not a national measurement, and HA fillers still lead the survey by a wide margin.

What to do: Patients increasingly arrive asking about "collagen" without knowing which treatment they mean. A short, plain explanation on your website and at consults (what each option does, how many sessions, when results appear) prevents mismatched expectations.

6. Repeat patients carry the business

The most recent American Med Spa Association figures, from its 2024 State of the Industry report, show:

• An average of 73 percent of med spa patients are repeat patients.
• Patients spend an average of $527 per visit, and the average med spa receives 245 patient visits per month.
• Locations grew from 8,899 in 2022 to 10,488 in 2023, and 81 percent of med spas are single-location.
• Average annual revenue rose from $1,307,587 to $1,398,833.

AmSpa's statistics page puts the industry above $17 billion, growing by more than $1 billion a year.

What to do: More locations means more competition for new patients, and most of your patients are already returning ones. Track rebooking rate by treatment and the share of patients who book their next visit before they leave. The patient retention calculator and patient lifetime value calculator give you a baseline.

7. More state rules for IV therapy and telehealth prescribing

States are writing rules aimed at services common in med spas. Texas's HB 3749, known as Jenifer's Law, took effect September 1, 2025. It lets a physician delegate prescribing or ordering elective IV therapy to a PA or APRN, and administration to a PA, APRN or registered nurse, each "acting under adequate physician supervision."

At the federal level, the DEA's telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances run through December 31, 2026. That matters for weight-loss and hormone programs that prescribe Schedule III or IV drugs after a virtual visit.

What to do: Review who orders, who administers and who supervises each IV and prescribing workflow, and check your state board's current rules. Plan now for what happens if the DEA flexibilities lapse on January 1, 2027. Our guide to telehealth licensing by state covers the cross-state rules.

8. AI at the front desk, with rules attached

AI is moving into reception work: answering questions after hours, drafting messages, summarizing calls. Two rules shape how far it can go.

• AI voices on outbound calls. The FCC's February 2024 declaratory ruling confirms "that the TCPA's restrictions on the use of 'artificial or prerecorded voice' encompass current AI technologies that generate human voices." Outbound AI-voice calls need the same prior express consent as prerecorded calls.
• AI-written clinical messages in California. Health and Safety Code §1339.75 requires a physician's office that uses generative AI to write patient messages about clinical information to include a disclaimer and instructions for reaching a human, unless a licensed provider reads and reviews the message first. Scheduling and billing messages are excluded.

What to do: Use AI where it shortens the patient's wait, keep a person reviewing anything clinical, and record consent before any automated outreach. Our guide to AI marketing tools for med spas goes further.

What we left out, and why

Other 2026 trend lists feature men's aesthetics, sexual wellness and IV drips as fast-growing categories. They may be, but we couldn't find current national data from an independent source to support a growth claim, so we haven't made one. AmSpa's State of the Industry report is the best source to watch for med-spa-specific numbers.

Where Prospyr fits

Prospyr is an operating platform purpose-built for aesthetic practices, including med spas, plastic surgery and wellness practices. Several trends above come down to having the right information in one system: treatment-based follow-up messages and memberships for rebooking, digital intake for longer health histories, e-prescribing and telehealth inside the chart for weight-loss programs, and an AI agent that answers patient questions from your own services and policies and hands anything it can't resolve to your team. Book a demo to see it with your own menu.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular med spa treatment in 2026?

Neuromodulator injections. ASPS's 2025 report found they accounted for about half of all minimally invasive treatments, with hyaluronic acid fillers second at 30 percent.

How are GLP-1 medications affecting med spas?

Patients who lose weight quickly often ask about facial volume loss and skin laxity. ASPS reported that 82 percent of its surgeons received GLP-1-related consultation requests in 2025 and that facial fat grafting grew 39 percent. On the supply side, the FDA has declared the semaglutide and tirzepatide shortages resolved, which ended the period when compounders could make copies of those drugs under shortage rules.

Is the med spa industry still growing?

AmSpa reported that locations grew from 8,899 in 2022 to 10,488 in 2023, and estimates the industry at more than $17 billion, growing by more than $1 billion a year. Those are the most recent published AmSpa figures.

Can med spas use AI to call or text patients?

Yes, with consent. The FCC treats AI-generated voices as "artificial" voices under the TCPA, so outbound AI-voice calls need prior express consent. In California, AI-written messages about clinical information need a disclaimer unless a licensed provider reviews them first.

Sources

• ASPS: 2025 Procedural Statistics Report (PDF)
• ASPS: Lift procedures led growth in 2025, press release (September 1, 2026)
• Galderma: RelabotulinumtoxinA regulatory update (July 1, 2026)
• FDA: Clarifies policies for compounders as national GLP-1 supply begins to stabilize
• FDA: Human drug compounding laws
• American Med Spa Association: 2024 State of the Industry executive report recap
• American Med Spa Association: med spa statistics
• Texas HB 3749, enrolled text
• DEA: Fourth Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities (90 FR 61301)
• FCC: Declaratory Ruling on AI-generated voices, FCC 24-17 (PDF)
• California Health and Safety Code §1339.75

Editorial scope

This is a general industry guide written by Prospyr with AI-assisted research and drafting, checked against the sources above on October 28, 2026. It is not legal or medical advice; confirm prescribing, supervision and delegation rules with your state board and counsel. Read our methodology or report a correction.