Plastic Surgeons Feel the Slump

Submitted by Meg Wilson on April 28, 2008 - 05:17.

The best summary we've come across about how plastic surgery clinics are beginning to feel a slump in demand due to the looming recession is yesterday's article in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Plastic surgery appointments are down significantly at many clinics. Those experiencing the greatest slowdown are clinics who rely on a younger, less wealthy clientele who seek breast enlargement surgery and liposuction. For such less established clinics who depend more on advertising than on client referrals, the economic pinch is more severe.

It would be interesting to know if plastic surgeons are advertising more instead of less to counteract this decline in their business. Many clinics still don't know they can do some very cheap, effective and (targeted only to their cities) online advertising.

Surgeons relying on a high percentage of nonsurgical cosmetic services or reconstructive plastic surgery are seeing the least decrease in demand.

See the full story with some eye-opening stats at Less Nip and Tuck.

Photo of San Diego.


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( categories: Cosmetic Surgery )
Decline in Plastic Surgery
Submitted by Angela Segal (not verified) on April 28, 2008 - 06:43.

As an independent plastic surgery consultant, I have spoken of this slump that is finally in the news almost eight months ago. It was inevitable in light of the US economy. What people outside of the industry do not understand is that from a business perspective replacing surgery dollars with injectables (which are costly to the surgeon) and lasers (which require the purchase of expensive machinery )is not a viable solution to a profitable business. The example I use is the equivalent of a job at McDonalds replacing an engineer’s job and being counted as no job lost in the US economy because we lost one and gained one. You have to consider that a $10 per hour job replacing an $80,000 per year job does not help our economy. In the same way replacing injectables and laser income for surgery dollars does not help the board certified plastic surgeon. They trained many years to do surgery. The surgeons who have maintained their standard and do excellent surgery (not chase the money) will be fine. The slicers and dicers will be gone (hopefully). I'm looking forward to the end of this slump when the surgeons that were unwilling to compromise and value the patient referral will be the surgeons that we have to choose from. I help patients who desire plastic surgery to find a way. www.AngelaSegal.com

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