Friday, May 8, 2009

Recession and Cosmetic Surgery Trends

This being the worst economic recession in decades hasn't left an industry unscathed. Elective spending in particular has been clearly curtailed, and with much of cosmetic surgery being elective, it has been scarred right in the face by the turbulent economy's clout.

Recent figures from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) unravel the magnitude of damage caused, with the year 2008 registering a drop of 9 percent to $11.8 billion in the number of cosmetic surgery procedures in the U.S.

Mars & Venus Differ

The quest of looking more beautiful or handsome has traditionally been a woman's forte, while men only recently realized that they too have the potential to look good and reap its benefits. However, recession seems to have put men back on the track of regression in terms of cosmetic surgery, while they continue to use skin care products. Statistics uncover that for the past couple of years men had been competing quite well with women in terms of cosmetic surgeries, but in 2008, the male surgery decreased by 2 percent, whereas 29% more women have consulted plastic surgeons. Popular cosmetic procedures during the past year were blepharoplasty, liposuction, breast augmentation, laser hair removal, Botox (R) injections, and injectable fillers.

Survival For The fittest

The changed economic scene with all the job cuts, failing businesses, and uncertainty about the future pretty much seems to have snatched away the coziness of livelihood that we became used to during the good times. Jobs are now hard to find, and only if you are lucky, and are among the best of the lot. Increasingly, cosmetic surgery is being seen to make job seekers and holders more competitive and confident. In a survey 756 women between the ages 18 and 64, about 13 percent said that they would consider a medical cosmetic procedure to make them more competent within the job market.

While plastic surgeons may be reaching out for their surgical boxes somewhat less in the current scenario, the longer term outlook is a lot brighter. It is estimated that in excess of 55 million cosmetic surgery procedures will be conducted in 2015.

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