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Nip, tuck trend goes mainstream
From liposuction to Botox, many try to reclaim youth
WEST BLOOMFIELD — Patty Snyder didn’t even wince when Dr. Michael Gray eased a tiny needle into her forehead, injecting a drug to paralyze the facial muscles causing the furrow between her brows.
It was the second Botox treatment to erase facial wrinkles for the 55-year-old from Southgate. Just an hour later, she was off to a luncheon at the Grosse Ile Country Club.
“It’s really that easy,” she said. “I don’t plan on growing old any other way but gracefully.”
Cosmetic surgery, so popular for years with Hollywood celebs and Manhattan socialites, is taking hold in the heartland.
Doctors performed 1.2 million cosmetic procedures last year alone in 12 Midwestern states, including Michigan. That’s up 64 percent from 2001, according to data collected by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Nationwide, plastic surgeons performed 8.2 million procedures last year.
“It’s been accepted and approved by mainstream America,” said Theresa Kennedy, director of plastic surgery for Physician’s Skin Care, a full-service cosmetic surgery practice in Lathrup Village. “People come in here thinking, ‘Everyone else is doing it. I might as well do it, too.’ ”
From baby boomers to Generation Y, Americans are lining up for breast augmentations, Botox treatments, face-lifts and liposuction. As techniques have improved, cosmetic procedures are less invasive and recovery times shorter. And television shows like ABC’s “Extreme Makeover,” where people undergo an array of procedures to improve their looks, reflect a society that is more accepting of people who alter their appearance.
That was the mindset of Dawn Wade, a 37-year-old medical receptionist from Southfield who had a breast augmentation in January.
“It’s the age of the implant,” said Wade, who went from a size 32A to a 34C. “I did it to feel better about myself. If you know in your heart it will make you feel better about yourself, then go ahead and do it.”
The trend is funneling more money than ever before to plastic surgery centers. Individual centers will not release annual revenues, but expenditures on cosmetic procedures nationwide totaled $7.2 billion in 2002, the most recent figures available, according to the plastic surgeons group. These are mainly out-of-pocket costs to patients since insurance plans generally only cover procedures such as breast reconstructions for breast cancer patients.
While the majority of plastic surgery candidates are middle-age women, men are increasingly going in for eyelid lifts, laser hair removal and hair transplants. Last year, more than 1.2 million men underwent cosmetic procedures — up 28 percent from the year before.
Shane Robertson, 33, of Chesterfield Township underwent liposuction and an eyelid lift in January. His waist went from a size 34 to a 32 after the liposuction.
“It’s more mainstream now, especially for guys,” he said.
“In my case, I kept working out, working out, running, running and I couldn’t lose that extra bit of fat around my waist.”
Also fueling plastic surgery’s popularity is a boost in noninvasive treatments, which are more affordable and require little recovery time. Doctors performed more than 980,000 nonsurgical cosmetic procedures last year — up 62 percent from 2002.
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During a Botox treatment, for example, the doctor injects a form of botulinum — a bacteria that causes food poisoning when ingested — to paralyze facial muscles that contract to form wrinkles around the eyes and forehead. The 10-minute procedure runs from $250 to $500 and its effects last from three to eight months.
At the same time, traditional plastic surgeries such as tummy tucks and breast augmentations continue to grow in popularity.
The risk of complications is increased with these procedures and they require longer recovery times — up to a week or more in some cases.
“Patients have to understand that complications are a real possibility,” said Dr. Melek Kayer. “The good news is the morbidity is very small and the risks really vary depending on the procedure and the person.”
For example, surgery is much riskier for smokers and people who are extremely overweight, he said.
With each patient, Kayer reviews a list of more than 20 potential complications ranging from delay in healing to death.
Patients can help reduce the likelihood of complications by seeking out a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons and that has credentials at a reputable area hospital, Kayer said.
Often times, surgeons trained and certified in another field will perform cosmetic surgeries, he said. And doctors who cannot admit patients to area hospitals will perform the surgeries in their offices, but that can create serious problems if complications arise that require more advanced medical care.
“For those of us who have gone through this training, to have someone who has no training do the same thing is very frustrating,” he said. “And to have to care for one of their patients in the emergency room is even more frustrating.”
Sandy Eklund was sure to check the credentials of her doctor — Dr. Michael Meininger of Troy — before undergoing a breast reconstruction and tummy tuck earlier this year. The 44-year-old mom from Harper Woods had both breasts removed after a bout with cancer in 2002.
Eklund said she knows some people think plastic surgery is shallow, but the procedures made her feel more comfortable and self-confident.
“I feel if you want it, and you’re not going overboard and your expectations aren’t too high, go for it,” she said. “We do other things to make ourselves look good, make our house look good, make ourselves happy — why not do plastic surgery, too?”
http://www.detnews.com/2004/health/0403/28/a01-105568.htm