Cosmetic procedures in the US

Between 2005 and 2022, MLB pitchers recorded more strikeouts per season and American patients underwent more cosmetic procedures, and the two have climbed together (r = 0.957) in a combination that reads like a joke about precision and optimization. Both industries discovered that their traditional approach left performance on the table. Both found the next level involved specialists, and a syringe.

MLB total strikeouts per season grew from about 31,000 in 2005 to over 40,500 by 2022, a product of velocity gains, the slider revolution, and the analytics-driven shift toward max-effort bullpen usage; US cosmetic procedures grew from about 11 million (surgical and minimally invasive) to over 27 million in the same window, dominated by Botox (now about 7.4 million procedures annually) and dermal fillers. Both are stories of professional specialization in pursuit of a formerly-acceptable baseline being outperformed by newer, more technical approaches. The 2005 pitcher threw 91 mph average; the 2022 pitcher throws 94. The 2005 average injection patient was 45; the 2022 patient is 38. The baselines, in both fields, moved.

The slider bites. The syringe empties. Both procedures, technical, quick, routine now in their respective arenas.