Is the Economy Hurting or Helping Plastic Surgery Practices?

Reports seem to indicate that plastic surgery is taking a hit these days, along with almost every other industry. However, the decline is not quite as steep as one might expect, nor is it as steep as in so many other industries. So what are the reasons for this interesting anomaly?

First, there's the fact that in trying times, people are on the lookout for anything that makes them feel better about themselves and/or takes their minds off of the things that are stressing them out. That's why the entertainment industry usually continues to thrive during a recession, as well as the personal grooming and beauty industries.

Second, there's the fact that certain demographics (i.e., the wealthy) are generally not hit as hard as the rest of us...and this demographic is known to spend more on plastic surgery.

Finally, there's the fact that a struggling economy causes a lot of stress. Stress ages our skin more quickly than any almost any other factor (besides sun exposure and cigarette smoke). That means that there may be even more people signing up for procedures designed to reduce or eliminate the outward signs of stress that show up on our faces. Therefore, statistics are showing that treatments like Botox, dermal fillers, laser resurfacing, non-surgical skin tightening and other minimally invasive light-based procedures are still on the rise, even in these trying economic times.