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Nip, Tuck Boom: Cosmetic Surgeries Up 32 Percent in U.S.
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Nip, Tuck Boom: Cosmetic Surgeries Up 32 Percent in U.S.
Bijal P. Trivedi
National Geographic Channel
April 20, 2004
Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Angelina Jolie are among the most worshipped celebrities in Hollywood—right down to their individual body parts. Nicole's nose, Catherine's eyes, and Angelina's lips were the most requested facial features of 2003, according to a recent survey of patients of the Beverly Hills Institute of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery. And that's just the tip of the scalpel when it comes to the ballooning popularity of cosmetic surgery.
With U.S. television shows like ABC's Extreme Makeover, MTV's I Want A Famous Face, and Fox's The Swan—in which self-professed ugly ducklings are surgically transformed into beauty pageant contestants—and increased coverage in the print media, the general public is is far more educated than ever before about the full gamut of available procedures.
Now more and more people, some inspired by televised total-body overhauls, are flocking to plastic surgeons to rid their faces and bodies of nagging "imperfections."
Last year cosmetic surgeons in the U.S. performed more than 8.7 million procedures—a 32 percent increase over the 2002 figure—according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
It's a boom that's been a long time coming, said Richard Fleming, a cosmetic surgeon to the stars and co-director of the Beverly Hills Institute. "The procedures are better, faster, and safer, and people can get back to their lives much quicker," he said.
Patients can also undergo multiple procedures at the same time.
Minimally invasive operations like Botox treatments, collagen injections, chemical peels, and laser hair-removals increased by 41 percent. Surgical procedures like breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, face-lifts, liposuction, and nose reshaping grew by 5 percent.
TV Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgeons say there are definite pluses and minuses to this glut of TV exposure.
In the best-case scenarios, these programs educate, spotlighting standard consultations that accompany cosmetic procedures, surgical risks, and the importance of using a board-certified plastic surgeon.
"The disadvantage is that some of the shows are really sensational and overstretch people's expectations about what cosmetic surgery can do for them," said Andrew Elkwood, a plastic surgeon with offices in New Jersey and Manhattan. Last year, New York magazine listed Elkwood as one of the top 15 up-and-coming plastic surgeons in New York City, as voted by his peers.
"There is no doubt that all these shows are giant advertisements for plastic surgery. They have increased business, and in that respect they've been good for me," Elkwood said. "But they do underplay the risks, and over the long term, they denigrate the profession to glorified beauticians."
With the new crop of TV shows, it is particularly difficult to blend the entertainment goals with the needs of the patient and surgeon, said James Wells, a Long Beach, California-based plastic surgeon and former president of the ASPS.
"The ASPS doesn't endorse The Swan or I Want A Famous Face, because patients are chosen for their story and entertainment value, and not because they are necessarily the best candidates for surgery," Wells said. "These shows are in very bad taste. They really tread on the insecurities of the patient."
ASPS green-lighted member participation in Extreme Makeover, in part because surgeons had the final say in patient choice, and because the TV program gave a more realistic impression of the plastic surgery process—from initial consultation to surgery to follow-up.
Coming Out Parties
Another problem, according to Wells, is that although many procedures can be performed in a single session, such operations require a strong, coordinated team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and a conscientious recovery team. And multiple procedures won't work for everyone.
People have perhaps always been impatient about cosmetic surgery—they tend to want the results instantly and believe they can recover in a very short time. "The reality shows are probably reinforcing this misconception," Fleming said.
Nationwide, women accounted for 82 percent of cosmetic surgery procedures. But in places like Los Angeles, the ratio is a little more even. Fleming says that his practice receives roughly equal numbers of men and women seeking various procedures.
The patients tend to fall into distinct groups. Teenagers typically seek alterations of congenital "abnormalities" such as big noses and ears.
Middle-aged men and women are generally interested in body procedures such as liposuction, tummy tucks, and buttock and breast lifts.
For women, many of the procedures are related to childbirth. Then there are the baby boomers seeking rejuvenation—eye- and face-lifts.
Perhaps the greatest change triggered by reality TV is that these shows have removed the negative stigma from plastic surgery—the field itself has been given a face-lift. It used to be that women would only undergo and recover from their cosmetic operations in secret. Now both men and women enjoy coming out parties to celebrate their new look. |
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