Are Your Dreams of Lipo Being Killed by the Economy?
Liposuction, Lipo-Dissolve, Laser Lipo, call it what you want…it’s all Lipo. The process of removing unsightly fat deposits resulting in a leaner, more confident you. Traditional Liposuction has commonly been the most popular cosmetic surgery in the United States, or at least until now. The 2008 American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) statics reflect that for the first time ever, lipo has been kicked to the side by the new surgery in town, you guessed it…Breast Augmentation.
In 2008 there were 10.2 million surgeries performed in the U.S. Our usual first place holder liposuction claimed nearly 356,000 of these procedures. However, breast augmentation surpassed lipo procedures by more than 14,500 clients. So it’s official, nice boobs are more desired by Americans than thinner thighs.
However, the trend doesn’t just stop there. The total number of cosmetic surgeries performed in the U.S. in 2008 dropped by a whopping 12 percent from that of 2007. Moreover, surgical procedures among women dropped by 15 percent compared to a 22 percent drop for men. So have we all gotten less vain? I doubt that very seriously. I think it is more likely that the downward turn of our economy has made women…and especially men, decide to use their hard earned dollars in a much more efficient manner.
Taylor, 36, of San Fernando Valley, California, has been hoping to be able to afford lipo for some time now. “I had planned on getting it but I was afraid of the recovery time,” said Taylor. However, in March of this year Taylor was laid off and her husband’s contracting business is just not seeing the same numbers as before. “Now it’s not even the risk factor,” said Taylor. “I have a family and would feel extremely guilty spending that kind of money on vanity right now.”
Taylor is not alone. Cosmetic surgery financing has tripled over the past years as people desperately seek to continue their beautification process, while keeping their finances in order. Since it is rare these types of procedures are covered by insurance, the ability to spend $4,000-$8,000 on lipo and looking better is simply getting a lot harder.
Ironically the lipo spin-off’s like SmartLipo and Lipo-Dissolve have not seen a decrease, in fact their client numbers are study rising. This is even after the recent ban on these procedures and the chemicals used. The Food and Drug Administration issued a ban on Phospatidylcholine-based products (Also known as Lipostabil®, Lipo-zap, and others) for fat removal. Furthermore, the FDA is currently investigating several medical spas in the U.S. for the same. The FDA has further called this a “buyer-beware situation.”
It is hard to get complete statistics regarding these forms of procedures since many of them are not FDA approved and not tracked by plastic surgery societies.
Cosmetic Surgeon, James Barber has developed a First-of-its-kind tell all video series which addresses all facets and all forms of plastic surgery. This series allows the consumer to get all of their questions answered from the comfort of their home, without time consuming in office consultations. If you have ever considered cosmetic beautification please visit Dr. Barber’s site before making any decisions.
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