Plastic Surgery Statistics
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All sorts of off-the-wall methods exist that supposedly tell anxious investors what the U.S. stock market is going to do.
One even advises watching hemlines on womens’ skirts. When the hemlines fall, times are tough. But when hemlines rise to the level of a mini-skirt, it’s supposed to be a rock ‘n roll period for good economic times.
Now, eight plastic surgeons at the world famous Cleveland Clinic in Ohio have discovered an apparent connection between certain cosmetic procedures and some U.S. stock market indices, like the famous NASDAQ.
The authors got on this track because they noticed certain reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgery procedures are done either more or less as conditions change in the stock market and in the U.S. economy.
To establish their theory, the surgeons looked at 8,205 cosmetic procedures performed on 7,360 patients from January, 1992 to October, 2008.
(Note: we are not making this up! Read more about plastic surgery and the stock market.)
But here’s the lowdown in case you want a handy new guide to investing:
The surgeons studied the volume of four cosmetic surgery procedures:
- Forehead lift
- Face Lift
- Breast Augmentation
- Liposuction
Probably because people can live O.K. without those procedures, the surgeons then compared the volume of three, more medically necessary plastic surgery reconstructive procedures which were:
- Breast reduction
- Breast reconstruction
- Carpel tunnel release
Results? Face lift, liposuction and breast augmentation “demonstrate a direct (positive) statistical correlation to all three stock market indices –NASDAQ, S&P 500, Dow-Jones”.
They also found that breast reduction and breast reconstruction show a direct correlation to two of the three major indices.
But here’s the key to making a financial killing: “Carpel tunnel release procedures show an inverse relationship to all three indices.”
The authors did the study to remind surgeons to offer procedures that insure survival during hard times, but hey, what more could any investor want?
Before buying stocks, just contact the major plastic surgery organizations and check on how many forehead and face lifts, breast augmentations and liposuctions are being done. If those numbers are up, pick your stocks!
Then, just to make sure your investment is sound, check again and make sure the numbers of carpel tunnel release operations are down.
If the numbers are right, invest away! It’s got to be better than watching hemlines!
admin @ August 27, 2010
After Surgery
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The Women Healthy Blog carries a short article on coping with unsatisfactory plastic surgery and gives some good advice, but then drops the ball in following through on everything you can do to make sure your investment in yourself does not fall short of the mark.
Read more about coping with bad plastic surgery but don’t be alarmed by all the disastrous results. Provided you have wisely chosen a plastic surgeon, most unsatisfactory cosmetic surgery just leaves the patient wanting better results, not threatening a life.
Nationwide, about 15 percent of plastic surgery requires some touch up, additional nips or even a surgical revision. So in your first meeting, discuss the procedure if surgery is not pleasing.
If you are unhappy for some reason, make another appointment with your surgeon and explain the source of your dissatisfaction. He or she will be glad to spend extra time with you because most of any surgeon’s new patients come from referrals from happy patients.
In the profession, cosmetic plastic surgeons know that one happy patient will bring in three more. But one disgruntled patient will drive away ten interested patients.
First, review your before and after plastic surgery pictures. Some patients have in mind an exaggerated concept about their rejuvenation should look. Compare your current, healed results to how you looked before surgery.
That often resolves it. Many minor touch ups can be done in the surgeon’s office.
For instance, if you have saline implants and are unhappy with the size (the number one complaint in breast augmentation surgery!) more fluid can easily be added. If your nose job has minor errors, Juvederm can be used as a filler.
If you are still unhappy, ask for a second opinion from a plastic surgeon who frequently does your procedure. For instance, perhaps you’ve had rhinoplasty and really wanted a smaller nose. But your plastic surgeon says making your nose as small as you want would compromise your breathing. All physicians are required by law, oath and ethics to act in patients’ best interests so put the question and medical records to a neutral – but qualified – third party.
The bottom line is, you are a walking ad for your surgeon’s skills. He or she wants you to look good!
admin @ August 25, 2010
insurance
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According to one medical insurance company, the top five plastic surgery procedures that result in an unplanned complication are:
- Tummy tuck
- Breast augmentation
- Liposuction
- Face lift
- Lower body lift
While the standard average rate for complications in the United States is about 1 percent, any surgical procedure carries some unplanned risks like infection, blood loss, breathing problems or edema ,a swelling and build up of fluids in bodily tissues or a body cavity.
The British are also keeping track of complications during cosmetic plastic surgery and claim that a complication rears its ugly head in one of twenty procedures.
Consequently, Lloyds of London and the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) teamed up to offer Beautysure, a cosmetic plastic surgery insurance policy that kicks in when complications happen after surgery.
The policy covers related medical conditions but does not guarantee a second, revision surgery if the patient is unhappy with the outcome of plastic surgery.
In the United States, the patient pays for the policy, if the plastic surgeon is top rated.
Nonetheless, it can be awkward for a surgeon who just spent an hour in the first consultation with a patient showing what great results he or she provides. Just when the patient is ready to set a surgical date, the surgeon suggests buying insurance “just in case” any untoward but serious medical condition happens resulting in additional – but unplanned – expenses for treatment.
Usually, the patient’s existing health plan won’t cover treating the cost of plastic surgery complications. But, of course, it gets more complicated because some cosmetic procedures are covered. (Read more about plastic surgery and standard health plans.)
Currently, at least two private U.S. firms offer insurance on a cosmetic plastic surgery procedure.
According to one firm which covers 17 cosmetic procedures and claims to have insured 107,000 invasive cosmetic surgeries, the top five highest, covered complications include:
- Lower body lift – 1 in 26
- Tummy tuck – 1 in 53
- Face lift -1 in 80
- Thigh lift – 1 in 95
- Breast augmentation – 1 in 114
The same insurance firm says that one of every 66 covered patients has some complication.
Bottom line: do your homework and make sure the plastic surgeon you use is board certified in plastic surgery or head and neck surgery! (Read more on finding a qualified plastic surgeon.)
admin @ August 20, 2010
Celebrity Plastic Surgery
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It all got lost in the huge storm of news about Heidi Montag’s ten-procedure plastic surgery session, but Frank Ryan, M.D., the plastic surgeon to the stars was more than a makeover artist to the rich and famous. As you probably know by now, Dr. Ryan was killed on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 in an auto accident.
Behind the scenes, Dr. Ryan’s pride and joy was his foundation and the Bony Pony Ranch, founded to use the arts of plastic surgery – along with the great outdoors and leadership training – to help city kids and teens who had lost their way.
Basically, gang tattoos, birthmarks and scarring were removed at the ranch. Some life skills classes also helped young people better cope. (Read more about the foundation which was supported through Beverly Hills plastic surgery profits and donations.) The foundation and ranch were created back in 1994.
Better known, however, was Dr. Ryan’s star studded client list, in addition to The Hills’ Heidi Montag. That list of cosmetic surgery patients included:
- Kiss Rocker and actor Gene Simons
- Miss USA ’08 Crystal Stewart
- Miss USA ’10 Nicole Johnson
- Janice Dickson
- Shauna Sand
- Lorenzo and Shane Lamas
According to news reports, Dr. Ryan’s Jeep went over a cliff on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and crashed onto the rocks below. Toxicology tests won’t be available for about eight weeks but law enforcement reports indicate the doctor succumbed to massive head injuries before rescue workers could reach him. He had been hiking just before the accident.
Twitted a shocked and saddened Heidi Montag: “I am devastated to hear the news of Dr. Frank Ryan’s death. He was the most amazing person I have ever known.”
One of the ways Dr. Ryan helped the general image of plastic surgery was when the Internet was buzzing about how Heidi Montag must be addicted to plastic surgery. (Read our take on Heidi’s many plastic surgery procedures.)
Dr. Ryan’s response? He announced he would do no more procedures on Heidi because there was nothing left to improve.
Our take: Dr. Ryan may have found out that Heidi’s husband Spencer was the force behind her massive makeover. One of the basic rules for plastic surgeons is that one gets cosmetic plastic surgery to please one’s self – and no other person.
admin @ August 17, 2010
Plastic Surgery Science
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Plastic surgeons report that people who are becoming aware of facial aging often show up in their offices asking about a neck lift only.
Several things happen to necks, thanks to normal aging, including:
- The Platysma muscle loosens
That muscle is actually a twin band of cords running from the collar bone to just below the chin. As patients go into their mid to late 50s, the platysma stretches, sags and starts showing through the skin. In the 60s, that area often unkindly becomes known as a “turkey gobbler neck.”
Fat deposits also gather in the neck and cause more skin sagging.
Plastic surgeons shorten the sagging platysma muscle so it no longer shows through the neck and liposuction away the fat that has settled, causing neck drooping.
Five patients are hardly enough for reliable statistics, but 80 percent of neck lift patients on realself.com said the average cost of a neck lift at $5500 was worth it. (Read more about the neck lift which is often done with a face lift.)
Two plastic surgeons devised a way to make sure the cost of neck plastic surgery is well spent and lasts longer.
After giving patients a standard neck lift, Wallace Dyer II, M.D. and colleague Arvind Prabhat, M.D. installed an ear-to-ear sling under the skin to give better support to the skin, tissues and muscles of the necks of 100 neck lift patients whose average age was 54.
Writing in an issue of The Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, a professional journal for facial plastic surgeons, the doctors then followed those patients for about three years.
The doctors were concerned about “rebound tissue relaxation.” That means they wanted to avoid the necks looking like they did before the procedure.
Results? None of the neck lift patients felt any discomfort from the slings although two had to have the slings removed because of infections. But 86 of the patients said they would recommend the procedure to a friend or relative.
Read more about the neck lift and sling in the journal article. If the scientific and technical style is too much to wade through, just check out the many before and after neck lift pictures.
Those get the point across perfectly…..and quicker!
admin @ August 17, 2010
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All sorts of off-the-wall methods exist that supposedly tell anxious investors what the U.S. stock market is going to do.
