Cosmetic Plastic Surgery as an Economic Indicator?

Breast Augmentation, Plastic Surgery Blogs, Plastic Surgery Statistics Comments (0)

I came upon an article saying that cosmetic plastic surgery can serve as an economic indicator, the same way consumer spending, auto sales, manufacturing output, and unemployment rate are used to gauge the health of US economy.

In an article published by Time, the writer highlighted the fact that most plastic surgery procedures are elective, meaning the patients do not need them “medically” and just want to have them to improve their appearance.  And for this reason, insurance reimbursements are not possible with these treatments.

Because it is safe to surmise that plastic surgery is for people with a surplus of money—but not necessary rich folks—the writer said it can also serve as an economic indicator.  With this statement, I guess I have to agree with him.

Just recently, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has released data showing that plastic surgery has increased 5 percent in 2011 from the previous year.  Meanwhile, the organization said the market’s growth has been primarily driven by minimally invasive procedures rather than cosmetic surgeries.

Minimally invasive procedures such as Botox injection and dermal fillers are cheaper than surgical treatments such as facelift and nose job, although one catch is that they often provide less dramatic improvements.

Because minimally invasive treatments were more popular than the expensive cosmetic surgeries last year, the writer went further by stating that it is an indication that our economy has not yet fully recovered.  However, what he failed to realize was that other factors might have also played some role.

For instance, some surveys have suggested that men are more likely to choose minimally invasive procedures—regardless of the cost—over cosmetic surgeries because they are simply not willing to go under the knife.  On the other hand, women are more open to the idea of having surgeries.

Take note that the number of male patients seeking plastic surgery has been increasing over the past couple of years.

Another probable reason why minimally invasive procedures are more popular these days is that certain techniques allow patients to achieve the same result provided by cosmetic surgeries.  For instance, Threadlift can reduce the sagging by simply inserting suture barbs that act as a hook that gathers the skin and lifts it upward, making this a great alternative to traditional facelift in which longer incisions are needed.

Meanwhile, the writer noted that five of the most popular cosmetic surgeries last year (breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, facelift, liposuction, nose job) did not grow significantly as compared to six years ago.  Perhaps this trend does not necessarily mean less people are willing to spend more money for physical improvements; probably new procedures such as butt augmentation are instead more appealing.

Over the past couple of years, plastic surgeons have noticed an increasing number of patients seeking butt augmentation as celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Beyonce Knowles, and Jennifer Lopez are enjoying the limelight.

Cosmetic Surgery Blogger @ February 16, 2012