While the total number of cosmetic surgical procedures has declined 5 percent since 2000, "minimally-invasive" treatments like BOTOX have exploded, according to a report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Facelifts along with collagen and fat injections are slowing just as the number of patients opting for minimally-invasive treatments have increased an astronomical 53 percent over the past five years. Among the most popular procedures from 2000-05, by the numbers:
- BOTOX -- 3.8 million
- Chemical peel -- 1 million
- Microdermabrasion -- 840,000
- Laser hair removal -- 780,000
The main reasons patients are choosing the less invasive options are pragmatic: They're time-starved, no anesthesia is required and it's cheaper too. Nevertheless, cheaper and faster doesn't mean safer. Explain that to the friends and loved ones of people who died because they injected themselves with contaminated BOTOX knockoffs.
If you want to protect your skin no matter how old you are, I urge you to review my six tips for keeping it young and smooth today.
EurekAlert March 16, 2006