Does cosmetic surgery melt away the years? Maybe not, but patients certainly
feel that way! Still, many patients are opting for less invasive procedures.
According to a recent study in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic
Surgeons (ASPS), patients who have undergone a facelift rate themselves as
appearing an average of 12 years younger.
Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Christine Petti, of Los Angeles, has
advocated for Sculptra Aesthetic a minimally invasive alternative to the
traditional facelift.
Despite the ASPS study, Dr. Petti says that the popularity of minimally invasive
procedures has been growing, and Sculptra Aesthetic is a viable alternative that
will not disappoint patients? expectations.
Sculptra Aesthetic is a facial volumizing procedure that gives a younger, more
natural-looking appearance with minimal recovery time. The procedure is easy to
recover from because of its ability to stimulate collagen production and smooth
facial creases and wrinkles. Volume can also be added during the treatment with
great effect at making sunken, hollow facial regions that show a person?s age
regain their youthful plumpness. Such regions tend to include the cheeks or the
areas surrounding the eyes.
Additionally, laser resurfacing is a widely used, minimally invasive method of
skin and facial rejuvenation. Dr. Petti has recommended Smart Skin Affirm
fractional carbon dioxide laser peel as an effective method of smoothing out
wrinkles that surgical procedures may not treat.
Dr. Petti also uses fractional laser peels to refresh the skin of patients who
have undergone previous surgical procedures.
As always, choosing the best procedure or set of procedures should involve
consulting a board certified surgeon who can take into account patient health
and risks, and customize the treatment to meet their specific goals and
expectations for cosmetic enhancement.
According to a recent American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)
study, there were almost 10 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures
performed in the United States in 2009. Surgical procedures accounted for 15% of
the total with nonsurgical procedures making up 85% of the total.
The study reported that from 2008-2009, there was a 2 percent decrease in the
total number of cosmetic procedures. Surgical procedures decreased by 17
percent, and nonsurgical procedures increased by almost 1 percent.
The authors of the study reported that since 1997, there has been over 147
percent increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures. Surgical procedures
increased by 50 percent, and nonsurgical procedures increased by 231 percent.
In 2009, breast augmentation continued to top the list of most popular cosmetic
procedures (311,957 procedures), followed by liposuction (283,735procedures),
eyelid surgery (149,943 procedures), rhinoplasty (138,258 procedures), and
abdominoplasty (127,923 procedures).
The top five nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in 2009 were Botox injection
(2,557,068
procedures), hyaluronic acid (1,313,038 procedures), laser hair removal
(1,280,031 procedures), microdermabrasion (621,943
procedures) and chemical peel (529,285 procedures).
Women had over 9 million cosmetic procedures, over 90%
percent of the total. The number of cosmetic procedures for women decreased over
3 percent from 2008.
Men had over 900,000 cosmetic procedures, over 9 percent of the total. The
number of cosmetic procedures for men increased over 8 percent from 2008. The
top five surgical procedures for men were: liposuction, rhinoplasty, eyelid
surgery, breast reduction to treat enlarged male breasts, and hair
transplantation.
Cosmetic surgery was most popular with people age 35-50 at almost 4.5 million
and 44 percent of the total. People age 19-34 had 20 percent of procedures, age
51-64 had 27
percent, age 65-and-over had 7 percent, and age 18-and-younger had 2 percent.
Americans spent almost $10.5 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2009.
Christine A. Petti, MD, FACS earned her medical degree from the Medical College
of Pennsylvania, where she also completed her general surgery residency. She
then completed her plastic surgery residency at the University of Chicago
Pritzker School of Medicine, where she also served as Chief Resident. Dr. Petti
is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society
for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and is a fellow of the American College of
Surgeons.