Aesthetic laser treatments done to remove hair or improve wrinkles and fine lines on the face is a discretionary item. It’s not reimbursed by insurance companies or Medicare, and has to come out of the consumer’s pocket. And these are pretty pricey treatments. We’re talking about $3,000 or more just for some hair removal. With the U.S. economy off a cliff consumers tend to tighten up on this kind of spending.

Hair removal, which has been the most popular laser procedure is showing signs of maturity, and is slowing down. Further decline in growth is inevitable.

The newer treatments like the fine line, wrinkle removal and facial lesion removal – improving the skin, resurfacing skin tissue – those markets are growing because they are relatively new and consumers’ awareness of the benefits is improving. Even factoring the worsening economic environment, these markets will grow 10-15% in 2009.

People are cutting back on cosmetic surgery and other elective surgeries in response to the dismal economy, reversing the booming popularity of tummy tucks, eye lifts, and breast implants, which have soared in popularity in recent years, particularly among the middle class.

When polled in October, 62 percent of members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said their business was down 20 percent or more from the year before. “I expect it’s more than that in some areas, a 40 or 50 percent decrease,” says Michael McGuire, president-elect of the ASPS. That’s particularly true in areas like New York, California, and Florida, which led the surge in popularity. A small survey by the society in October found that 60 percent of respondents said the economy had had an impact on their plans for cosmetic surgery. That’s not surprising, given that cosmetic procedures aren’t covered by insurance.

People may be shunning surgery not only because of the cost but because of the downtime for recovery. “Now, you just even don’t want to take the time off [from work],” says Alan Gold, president of the American Society of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgeons, a group of doctors who specialize in cosmetic surgery.

The demand may be deferred, not denied. Alan Gold, who says he saw a similar downturn after 9/11, predicts that business will revive with the economy. Those who desire cosmetic procedures “are people who are concerned about their appearance or are concerned about age-related changes,” he says. “They may defer that desire, but the desire isn’t lost.”

As a contrast to the surgery statistics, it appears that non-invasive treatments, like injectables and laser rejuvenation, are still on the rise. Hair removal and photorejuvenation are value offers for consumers. In most cases these procedures are cheaper than Botox but may provide a much longer lasting result with no downtime.

Nearly 11.7 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in the United States in 2007, according to statistics released today by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The Aesthetic Society, which has been collecting multi-specialty procedural statistics since 1997 says the overall number of cosmetic procedures has increased 457 percent since the collection of the statistics first began. The most frequently performed procedure was Botox injections and the most popular surgical procedure was liposuction.“Our statistics confirm that aesthetic plastic surgery is not defined by race or gender,” said Aesthetic Society president Foad Nahai, MD. “The number of surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed on men increased 17 percent since last year, and 22 percent of the aesthetic procedures were performed on traditional racial and ethnic minorities.”

TRENDS AND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

Women had 91 percent of cosmetic procedures. The number of procedures (surgical and nonsurgical) performed on women was over 10.6 million, an increase of 1 percent from the previous year. Surgical procedures increased 9 percent; nonsurgical procedures decreased by less than 1 percent. Since 1997, surgical procedures increased 142 percent, while nonsurgical procedures have increased 743 percent.

Men had 9 percent of cosmetic procedures. The number of procedures (surgical and nonsurgical) performed on men was just over 1 million, an increase of 17 percent from the previous year. Surgical procedures increased 5 percent; nonsurgical procedures increased 21 percent. Since 1997, surgical procedures have increased 3 percent while nonsurgical procedures have increased 886 percent.

Racial and Ethnic Distribution
Traditional racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 22 percent of all cosmetic procedures in 2007. Hispanics again led minority racial and ethnic groups in the number of procedures: Hispanics, 9 percent; African-Americans, 6 percent; Asians, 5 percent; and other non-Caucasians, 2 percent.

Location and Fees
Almost fifty-four percent (54 percent) of cosmetic procedures in 2007 were performed in office-based facilities; 28 percent in freestanding surgicenters; and 17 percent in hospitals. Americans spent just over $13 billion on cosmetic procedures; $8.3 billion was for surgical procedures, and $4.7 billion was for nonsurgical procedures.