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Statistics Show That Plastic Surgery is Rebounding Despite the Economy
THE ECONOMY
Plastic Surgery as Economic Indicator
By BRAD TUTTLE | @bradrtuttle | February 14, 2012 |
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VERONIQUE BERANGER / GETTY IMAGES
Most plastic surgery procedures are considered non-essential, or elective—as in, the patient can elect to have work done, just don’t expect health insurance to cover it. Or as in: When the economy’s shaky and money is tight, it makes sense that fewer people elect to spend out of pocket for boob jobs, facelifts, and the like, mostly because they don’t have the money to spend. The fact that elective cosmetic procedures rose by 5% last year could be viewed as an indication that the economy is recovering.
If you look hard enough at the data, you can find manifestations of the economy’s wellbeing just about anywhere. How often parents change kids’ diapers, and sales of everything from men’s underwear to hard liquor have been construed as indicators of the state of the economy.
(MORE: Cheers! Increase in Liquor Sales Bodes Well for Economic Recovery)
During the heart of the recession, one sign of the times was that people were scaling back by opting for cheaper cosmetic surgeries instead of pricier procedures. Last year, reports USA Today, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) statistics reveal that there was a 5% increase in overall cosmetic procedures, including a 2% rise in surgeries and a 6% rise in minimally-invasive procedures such as Botox, compared to 2010.
The ASPS’s press release welcomed the news, but at the same time the organization’s president, Dr. Malcolm Z. Roth, admitted that “the overall growth in cosmetic procedures is being primarily driven by a substantial rise in minimally-invasive procedures.”
The way in which cosmetic procedures are rising, then, may be an indication of continued economic struggle, with consumers electing to go with cheaper procedures (chemical peels, Botox, laser hair removal) partly because they don’t have the money for invasive, big-ticket surgeries like rhinoplasty, a.k.a., nose jobs, which were actually down 3% last year.
For that matter, none of the five most popular cosmetic surgeries for 2011 (breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, facelift, liposuction, nose reshaping) grew significantly for the year, experiencing increases in numbers of 5% or less. And in two cases (nose reshaping, eyelid surgery), there were more surgeries in 2010 than there were last year.
(MORE: The Science of Animal Friendships)
The growth areas for plastic surgery, if you will, are for pectoral implants, buttock implants, buttock lifts, cheek implants, lip augmentation, and chin augmentation. All of these surgeries experienced an increase of 38% or more in 2011.
Overall, though, the plastic surgery business is down quite a bit compared its booming, pre-recession heyday. In 2005, an all-time record of 2.1 million cosmetic surgeries were performed in the U.S. Last year, there were about 1.58 million such surgeries, a rise of 2% from the year before—but down by about half a million from six years prior.
I guess that’s one way we’ll all be able to tell when the economy is faring better: We’ll be able to see it directly on the non-expressive faces of people all around us.
Brad Tuttle is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @bradrtuttle. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.
Read other related stories about this:
Plastic surgery numbers rise with economy, stay below peak USA Today
Related Topics: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation, cosmetic surgery, doctors, health care, health insurance, nose job, plastic surgery, rhinoplasty, Economics & Policy, Odd Spending, Saving & Spending, The Economy
Read more: http://moneyland.time.com/2012/02/14/plastic-surgery-as-economic-indicator/#ixzz1msoQ0BQ9
I Have What Looks Like A Rope Around My Neck Following Facelift/Necklift
Patrons1 in Henderson, NV asks:
I had a face lift and a neck lift a month ago. As a result, I now have what appears to be a small rope around 1/2 of my neck. Additional my right side of my face is far more doopy than my left, ( which is good). I go back to the Dr. in 10 days for my 6 week evaluation. Is this something that he should fix?
It has been approximately five weeks since the procedure and generally at this time healing issues, bumps and lumps and “ropey” appearance problems have resolved. However in a small percentage of individuals this can be a persistent manifestation. Bumps and lumps and ropey appearance can last longer than five weeks, even into the three month mark. Generally, according to the appearance of the picture, there is no evidence of infection and this is simply an area that is going to take longer to heal. The reasons this happens is sometimes unexplainable, sometimes related to the way bandages are placed or it can occur with slow accumulation of fluid and/or blood into the tissues underneath the skin. Ongoing observation is still the mainstay of treatment. Massage can be beneficial I believe and sometimes ultrasound treatment to the area can help accelerate the wound healing process.
Swelling and Bruising After Facelift
Cindy MD in Rockville, MD asks:
It has been 3 weeks since I had facelift as part of removing the cyst on my face. I experienced severe hematoma after the surgery, but it seems that everything is healing as expected. I’m concerned about the bruises, since they still look very dark in some areas. The swelling on my cheek and jaw still a bit noticeable and feel so tense. Should I be alarmed? what can I do to better the situation? Thank you for your answer.
It is likely that the hematoma after your procedure has contributed to some of the swelling and discoloration issues. Generally swelling and bruising will take less than three weeks for standard facelift surgery, but with a hematoma then the swelling will last longer. The fact that it is still noticeable and somewhat tense would be not too surprising three weeks after having hematoma formation. Darkness to the skin occurs due to a combination of breakdown of the hemoglobin and metabolism of the hemoglobin due to the deeper hematoma. This contributes to skin discoloration; also hyperpigmentation can occur in these areas. The best therapy is patient observation. Generally with time by itself it will get better. There are medications, topical skin lighteners can help if needed and also other skin treatments such as chemical peels or photofacial laser treatments that can assist. Nonetheless this change at three weeks is expected and not alarming.
Celebrities influencing cosmetic surgeries
Article from : Celebrities influencing cosmetic surgeries.
Celebrities influencing cosmetic surgeries
Lady Gaga’s hit song “Born This Way” may be landing on deaf ears. Many cosmetic surgeons say that popular celebrities, such as the pop sensation, are causing admirers to seek out surgeries to look as similar as possible to their favorite stars.
According to the Toronto Sun, cosmetic plastic surgeons say that commonly-mentioned celebrities include Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez and reality TV stars Kim Kardashian and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino.
While those who like the way Lady Gaga’s face is contoured may request facial implants to achieve a similar look, other well-known celebrity features require different procedures.
Those who want fuller lips, like Angelina Jolie’s, often opt for lip augmentation with hyaluronic acid fillers.
Other popular requests are Brad Pitt’s nose through rhinoplasty, liposuction to get Jennifer Aniston’s abs, and a lower body lift with gluteal implants to get Kim Kardashians back side.
Men who like the way The Jersey Shore’s “The Situation’s” chest and abdomen look may receive liposuctionor breast reduction surgery (gynecomastia) to achieve a similar appearance.
While the phenomenon of wanting to look like a celebrity isn’t anything new, experts say that individuals should remember that not all features are achievable or natural-looking on everyone.
In addition, those seeking cosmetic surgeries are encouraged to discuss their options and determine a realistic result with their board-certified plastic surgeon.
Will Facelift Surgery Get Rid of Melasma?
Jessnmomf in Milwaukee, WI asks:
Will a doctor perform a face lift and while doing so get rid of the melasma on the forehead and cheeks?
Melasma photo courtesy of real self.com
Facelift surgery does not resolve, improve or make worse melasma. Melasma is a hyperpigmentation of the skin and is related to a number of medical conditions such as pregnancy. Treatment is difficult, but is non-surgical. Topical medications and skin lighteners can be helpful. Other treatments include chemical peel and laser resurfacing. Nonetheless, a physician skilled with quick identification of the problem and instructions to minimize the potential for worsening of the melasma or recurrence of the melasma after treatment is important and valuable.
Terrified After Midface Lift – Now I Have a “Moon Face”
Gatorgirl29 in Rockingham NC Asks:
I recently had about 4-5 procedures performed seven weeks ago. One of the procedures was a midface lift.I am 29 years old and i had chubby cheeks even before surgery.Unfortunately i also had fat pads (i guess the malar fat pad )on each side of my nose that kind of hung and dragged down my midface area. The doctor suggested I do a midfacelift along with the other procedures i was doing. Now my whole cheek upper mid and lower is full.I look like i am on steroids with a moon face.Can this be fixed?
Reversal of lift procedures is uncommon but does occur. Forehead lifting, as an example, when performed too high, can be reversed to a moderate degree. Less invasive procedures could be tried in a conservative fashion first; these would include small canula liposuction or laser lipolysis in a very conservative manner. If this does not achieve the desired benefit, then surgical treatment could provide reduction of the asymmetry component, as well as the high cheek component. Of course this depends on the specific anatomy and a direct examination is required before coming up with a good game plan. Nonetheless, this is an uncommon request but not one that could not be improved upon one way or the other.
