Wall Street Journal
Can't afford all-out plastic surgery? Try
a 'mini'
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For years, most doctors wouldn't have dreamed of
uttering "budget" and "plastic surgery"
in the same sentence.
But with growing demand from baby boomers for affordable
beauty, plastic and dermatologic surgeons are now
doing a record number of "mini" or "budget"
cosmetic procecures. Now, 76 percent of all cosmetic
procedures are performed in a doctor's office or
outpatient facility instead of a hospital, according
to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
The trend is being fueled by wider availability
of a host of cheap treatements, such as light and
laser therapies, as well as new combinations of
wrinkle-smoothing injections and fillers. It also
reflects a new attitude among patients that's often
described as defensive aging. Rather than splurging
on a facelift, patients get a nip or tuck here or
there....
In addition to being cheaper, budget procedures
can sometimes produce a more natural-looking result.
For patients who want more pronounced cheek bones,
for instance, New York plastic surgeon Darrick
Antell doesn't always recommend cheek-bone
implants. In patients with very round faces, he
suggests removing tiny fat pads in the center of
the cheek. To do so, he makes a small incision inside
the mouth that requires only a single suture to
close. The result: slightly more definition in the
cheek, the appearance of more prominent cheek bones
and no time off from work.
"Patients who get small procedures on a regular
basis may never have to get the complete overhaul
that their parents did," says Dr. Antell.
"Some people take the tack that aging is another
disease process like arthritis or kidney disease,
and it's something that should be fought with every
tool we have."
By
TARA PARKER-POPE
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
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