Cosmeticsurgeon.co.uk - UK Cosmetic Surgeons

The recession has left all of us pinching the pennies and people are turning away from expenditures which cannot be considered essential. This has left many in the cosmetic surgery industry worried that people may put off having treatments until the economy picks up again.

The industry will gladly welcome the news then, that customers can actually get better value during an economic downturn. It is hoped this message, if put out correctly, will bring in more customers and help the cosmetic industry continue to grow.

The recession has in fact created a “buyers market” according to image enhancement coach Wendy Lewis.  She has suggested that those who want to go under the knife should do some “comparison shopping” in order to ensure that they are getting the best possible deal on their treatment.  It has also been suggested that shoppers may wish to try being slightly frugal, simply having a neck lift instead of a full face lift could save lots of money for potential customers.  Wendy Lewis went on to say that it was “an ideal time for men and women seeking to improve or maintain their youthful image to look at less pricey options”.

Her research has led her to state that more and more top doctors are offering much better value for money in an attempt to get as many new patients through the doors of their practises as possible.  The industry has not been entirely unaffected by the recession however. Lewis did point out that people who were regular Botox enthusiasts were leaving longer between injections. Not only was this saving them money but it was giving them the time to hunt out the best deals and bargains as well. Such tightening of purse strings is something which we can all learn from as we aim to come out the other side of the recession in a much stronger position.

Botox is the procedure which is probably most likely to survive the recession; it offers a cheaper alternative to face-lifts and is also much more widely available than it ever was before. Even dentists are getting in on the action, with one based in Scotland saying he has seen the number of his dental-practise-patients wanting Botox go up and up each year.  As the numbers on the financial graphs continue to droop and drop, the cosmetic surgery industry is hoping it can remain perky and water-tight and avoid the worst effects of the economic tsunami.

In times gone by it might have been the young and the vain who underwent plastic surgery, or perhaps the middle-aged desperately trying to regain their youth. Not anymore!

Now there’s a new group of cosmetic-surgery patients on the block and they’ve got free bus passes and a penchant for Alan Titchmarsh. A new survey carried out by MGM Advantage has shown that 1 in 30 women intend to have plastic surgery once they have retired from work; after about 50 years of working hard 5 days a week they clearly feel they deserve to treat themselves- and rightly so!

Whilst women want to make themselves look younger after retirement it would seem that men harbour no such ambitions; rather 1 in 50 of them say they want to travel into space when they retire! Having a face-lift or a tummy tuck certainly seems like a much more realistic option and will certainly be a lot less expensive.

However, day-dreaming is one thing, the financial realities of retirement are quite another. The website behind the survey has spoken out, saying that: “Our retirement dreams need to be paid for and that’s where many of us are simply not prepared”.  It is advised that people start planning early if they feel like they are going to want surgery as they get older. We all know that the ageing of our skin and our bodies in inevitable as death itself and thus, if you know you’re not going to be happy with this older you and want to do something about it when you have the free-time to do so, why not start saving for a post-retirement cosmetic procedure?

One woman who has done this recently spoke to the Daily Mail. Amelia, 62, decided that she didn’t like the way she looked around her early 50’s and thus had always planned to go under the knife once she was retired.  She decided to have a face-lift and, several years on, is now very pleased with the results.  She says she: “no longer had a droopy face but firmer younger-looking skin” and will now feel much more confident about enjoying her retirement whilst looking like a woman 20 years her junior! Retirement is for relaxing and, as long as you can afford it, why not make it about getting the body you’ve always dreamed of too!

Botox is a popular cosmetic treatment and is used to treat many different conditions, from crows-feet to baldness,  however because Botox is only a semi-permanent procedure it is now finding a new fan-base in the form of people who are wanting to undergo face-lifts but who don’t want to make the leap straight away. 

Botox is being used a quasi-preview procedure for those who are too scared to take the leap into a highly invasive, highly expensive face-lift.  San-Diego dermatologist Dr. Susan Stuart and Dr. Richard Chaffoo, have confirmed this story. “Botox can mimic some of the skin-smoothing effects of facial surgery,” said Dr Stuart. “Patients want a way to test the waters so that they can feel confident revealing their new look in their day-to-day lives,” they have been quoted as saying.

The temporary nature of Botox, used for treating brow furrows and laughter lines, often leads those undergoing the non-invasive injections on to more permanent solution to their quest for younger looking skin. Once patients see the dramatic changes which can be made to their ageing faces, they often feel more confident about the success and the integrity of cosmetic surgery. This confidence is then transferred into the face-lift market which is one of the most successful corners of the plastic surgery market.

Botox is amongst one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the U.K and indeed in the wider world. Kylie Minogue is amongst the celebrities which has been rumoured to have put themselves through the surgical procedure and, as they get older, they may well turn to face-lifts to achieve more lasting results which the needles cannot give. Botox has also been given a boost because of people’s hectic 21st century lives.  Face-lifts might be a better solution but they are incredibly hard to recover from and often people have to take a good few weeks off work. In the current economic climate, when many people are battling to keep hold of their jobs, this just isn’t an option. Botox offers a preview and also offers a stop-gap solution- younger appearances can be gained in the short-term and then, as the effects start to subside along with the worst part of the recession, perhaps more people will come to consider face-lifts as a viable option. One thing is certain, once you have had a taste of looking younger you won’t want to age again!

Much has been made recently of young professionals attempting to give themselves the edge in an ever-shrinking, ever more competitive jobs market by going under the knife.

However, it is no longer just the young who are attempting to get the coveted job; women in their fifties are now turning to surgery as a way of competing with their younger, more dynamic counterparts.  Following on quickly from the news that there has been a 13% increase in the number of people seeking Botox injections, the Portland-based T.V Station KGW has now revealed that women who should be contemplating retirement are now contemplating breast augmentations, tummy tucks and face lifts.

“People want to look like they are healthy and young,” commented Dr. Maria Ross. The message would seem to be that having the qualifications and experience might not be enough to secure that dream promotion or pay-rise. Like any other industry, the professional sector is obsessed with youth and with dynamism and, as the recession continues to bite, people are taking any possible chance to enhance their job prospects. “As people are losing jobs, it’s even more competitive” confirmed Dr. Maria Ross.

One might think, in a recession, that people would shy away from expensive luxuries such as cosmetic surgery but these latest figures would seem to suggest that such procedures are a necessity and not a luxury.  Money may well be tight at the minute but cosmetic surgery, far from being a one-off large extravagance, should perhaps be seen as an investment which may well help bring in larger earnings in the hard years to come.  Spending money now and keeping yourself looking young and fresh may be the only tool at your disposal to fight the recession.

It would seem this is not a situation which is exclusive to the business world; actress Patricia Hodge recently revealed that she was considering having surgery at it seemed to have “become the norm”.  It would seem whatever career you’re involved with, looking young is what it’s all about and cosmetic surgery may well be the best way to stay on top of your game for as long as possible.  Rather than hearing the dreaded words “You’re fired”, get yourself fixed up, feeling fabulous and pretty soon you might be hearing the words “you’re hired”. Invest in the future now by investing in yourself; get recession-proof cosmetic surgery.

It has been suggested that an increasing percentage of people are opting for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in order to see them through the difficult financial times until they can afford invasive treatments again.

Recent studies have shown that plastic surgery industry has not been struck by the worldwide economic crisis just yet, but researchers have already noticed an increased tendency towards tummy tucks and non-surgical facial treatments.

A new report published in the Miami Herald has revealed that there is growing demand for procedures such as non-surgical liposuction and Botox injections.

Dr Carlos Wolf, plastic surgeon and journalist, commented to the publication: “People are not willing to give up all of their cosmetic care.”

“We have found more people are coming in but they are not willing to take big-ticket items. They are doing minimally invasive procedures, things that will not keep them from going to work, with not much down time.”

These observations are possibly linked to a warning issued by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) for plastic surgery patients not to cut down on the costs of cosmetic treatments at the expense of quality.
 
Dr John Canady, the president of ASPS, recommended: “The search for bottom-basement prices may impact safety and patients should proceed carefully before putting their faces in the hands of just anyone.”

More people opt for sedation and local as the risks can be lower.

It has been revealed that more and more patients of cosmetic surgery are choosing an alternative form of facelift operation during which they can stay fully conscious.

US-based experts have reported that as the popularity of anti-ageing treatments is increasing in many different countries, many people now choose to have procedures performed while being only anaesthetized only locally.

It is also noted that liposuction facelifts which don’t require the patient to be fully unconscious are growing more popular than ones with full anaesthetic for a number of different reasons.

Dr Mike Maris, a surgeon based in Dallas, told WFAA: “I think this is a good procedure for chickens because if you’re afraid to go under anesthetics because of the risk, or if you’re afraid you’ll look too surgical when you get through, I think it’s an ideal procedure.”

Moreover, these changes are also influenced by some people who receive lower income having an opportunity to spend less money on aesthetics as well as the possibility to reduce the length of recovery from any cosmetic surgery.

This week US-based publications have also revealed that ”Botox parties” are becoming very successful among women in the States and could soon win over Tupperware parties in terms of popularity.