By Jeff Russell
The International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPAM) has surveyed its membership, its medical advisory board, and has consulted with numerous experts in aesthetic medicine, to report on the top five aesthetic medicine treatments or trends physicians and patients are seeing in 2010. Ultimately, botox training, brilliant smiles, and embracing new technologies will spell success.
Consumers want to invest in their appearance again. The evidence can be found in surveys, like the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ (ASPS’s) 2010 Report of the 2009 Statistics. The ASPS reports that, even in an economic downturn, “minimally-invasive procedures increased 1 percent, to nearly 11 million procedures in 2009, and minimally-invasive procedures are up 99 percent since 2000. The largest contributor to the increase in procedures over the past decade has been the advent of injectable wrinkle fighters and other minimally-invasive procedures."
“Skin is in," says Michael McGuire, MD, ASPS president. “Chemical peels and soft tissue fillers like hyaluronic acid are up 9 percent, microdermabrasion is up 8 percent- these are the procedures that patients are opting for despite the economy." McGuire continues, “cosmetic surgical procedures decreased 9 percent, with more than 1.5 million procedures in 2009."
Moreover, there have been encouraging reports from companies like Botox manufacturer, Allergan. Allergan Inc.’s first-quarter earnings soared on climbing sales for Botox and other aesthetic products, reinforcing the message that people are ready to reach into their pockets to look better in this recovering economy.
Coupled with this market surge, physicians are finding that the recent U.S. healthcare reform bill has created huge interest in non-insurance covered medical procedures like medically supervised weight loss and minimally invasive aesthetic procedures. Doctors looking to grow their healthcare businesses are wise to consider the addition of cosmetic services, not covered by Medicare or Medicaid. Such offerings might include aesthetic medicine treatments as well as medical weight management.
Therefore, aesthetic procedures from Botox to ultrasound fat reduction will continue to out perform surgical options in 2010. Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Payman Simoni, MD, agrees. “With no light at the end of the tunnel for our troubled economy, the year 2010 features a very clear shift toward noninvasive procedures, because these procedures are lower cost, and the recovery time is much less. People will be concerned about taking too much time off of work in an economy that isn't synonymous with job security," emphasizes Simoni. Therefore, by focusing on growth treatment areas, employing proven business marketing techniques and engaging in continuing education, doctors can look forward to growing their healthcare businesses in 2010 and beyond.
