August Crains
Makeover NY Style
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Dr. Darrick Antell is so proud of the subtle
effects of his work that his anesthesiologist had
a bumper sticker made for the Manhattan-based plastic
surgeon.
"You can't tell when it's done by Dr. Antell,"
it reads.
While he hasn't actually put the bumper sticker
on his car yet, it's a perspective that finds favor
among the steadily growing and increasingly diverse
group of New Yorkers seeking cosmetic surgery these
days.
Despite a plethora of plastic surgery makeover
shows and the visibility of celebrities who have
clearly had many cosmetic procedures, most New York
patients don't want to look "done" and
are likely to seek out smaller, less invasive procedures
that leave them looking like well-rested versions
of themselves.
"New Yorkers want to look more patrician than
plastic," says Dr. Antell. "Good
plastic surgery should whisper, not scream."
As in the rest of the country, plastic surgery
procedures are on the rise here in part because
of the general public's increased exposure to shows
such as Extreme Makeover, Nip/Tuck, The Swan and
Dr. 90210. The number of face-lifts increased by
46% between 2002 and 2003, while the use of more
noninvasive techniques, such as Botox injections,
jumped by 133% in patients under 40 in the same
period, according to recently released statistics
by American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery, or AAFPRS. Locally, cosmetic plastic surgeons
report that their own practices have grown 30% to
40% over the past few years.
New York City, where socialites, celebrities and
fashionistas converge with some of the top names
in medicine, has long been an epicenter for plastic
surgery. But a flood of aging baby boomers, combined
with improved techniques and greater awareness of
new cosmetic procedures among consumers, is fueling
the boom in face-lifts, breast augmentation, liposuction,
laser treatments, Botox and filler injections, and
eye and nose jobs. The less invasive techniques
appeal to an expanding demographic of younger and
middle-income patients.
The growth comes despite the deaths of two plastic
surgery patients in Manhattan earlier this year,
including novelist Olivia Goldsmith. The high price
tag - the cost of a face-lift ranges from $15,000
to $30,000 in the New York metro area - is also
not deterring patients.
"We've never been busier," says Dr. Richard
D'Amico, assistant clinical professor of plastic
surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital and a board of director
of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. It's
the 35-year olds seeking a little maintenance, he
notes, who are adding to his patient volume.
Doctors say that the spike in patients became more
noticeable after Sept. 11, when traumatized New
Yorkers decided that life was too short not to make
a few improvements. The stock market crash and a
protracted recession also prompted more women and
men to freshen up their faces as well as their resumes
in the wake of greater competition for jobs and
capital.
Schoolbooks and Surgery
Even college students are going under the knife
during summer vacation, in part because they want
to improve their looks before they embark on their
careers, according to Dr. Stephen Greenberg, a New
York City - and Long Island-based plastic surgeon.
Dr. Greenberg reports a 40% increase in college-age
patients over the past five years.
But the surge in procedures isn't' likely to be
as apparent on the streets of Manhattan as in Beverly
Hills, where inflated breasts and lips to match
are the norm. Dr. Antell and other top New York
surgeons were approached by producers of the recent
spate of plastic surgery shows, but they declined
to participate, for fear of alienating their more
conservative patients.
"I am considered anti-extreme," says
Dr. Antell.
The older generation of plastic surgery patients,
easily identifiable on Madison Avenue by that "face
caught in the wind tunnel" look, doesn't represent
the majority. These overdone society matrons are
walking advertisements against having cosmetic procedures,
he says.
Sandy Vizzone is typical of the new wave of New
York patients.
The 45-year-old housewife, whose husband works
in the fashion industry in Manhattan, felt that
her face was aging faster than her body. She wanted
to look good for herself and the many parties she
attends, but she didn't want to shock her children
or be judged by neighbors in the New Jersey suburb
where she lives. So after consulting five doctors
and researching several procedures, she chose Dr.
Antell to perform a mid-line face-lift to tighten
up her jowls.
Ms. Vizzone was dismayed at first that nobody noticed
how much better she looked. "But then I realized
that was a good thing," she says.
While most New Yorkers seek similarly low-key effects,
their reasons for seeking plastic surgery are becoming
more diverse.
Looking energetic
A recent patient of Dr. Antell's chose to have
a blepharoplasty, or an eye-lift, because he was
about to take his company public. The executive,
who was in his late 50s, feared that if he looked
tired he could negatively affect stock prices and
leave investors wondering whether he was energetic
enough to lead the business.
About 25% of men say they want facial cosmetic
surgery for work-related reasons, compared with
10% of women. In 2003, men flocked to specialists,
seeking procedures to soften frown lines and fill
out wrinkles. During that year, surgeons reported
a 66% increase in facial and neck liposuction, a
45% increase in microdermabrasion and a 30% increase
in laser resurfacing, according to another AAFPRS
survey. Men now make up 30% of the patients at Dr.
Steven Pearlman's Park Avenue practice, compared
with 20% to 25% about five years ago.
"That old bulldog look doesn't cut it in the
boardroom anymore," say Dr. Pearlman. "Besides
they have to keep up with their younger-looking
wives."
by Samantha Marshall
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