According to recent articles in the Wall Street Journal and CNNMoney, there was an increase in plastic surgery procedures in 2010. This was confirmed by the annual statistics recently released by the American Society For Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Surgical procedures increased by 3% and non-surgical procedures increased by 11% despite the economy. For women, breast augmentation remains the most popular surgical procedure followed by liposuction, eyelid surgery, tummy tuck and breast reduction. Facelifts were up by 35% over 2009. This is interesting because even though the use of Botox and fillers is up, they cannot replace surgery totally. Botox and fillers can be very effective in treating facial lines and wrinkles, but they do not treat excessive, drooping skin. When a facelift is really needed, there is no substitute. The good news is that, in general, an increase in plastic surgery procedures is indicative of economic recovery. This is certainly true in our office. Our schedule usually reflects the stock market; when it’s up, we are very busy.
