In an age-conscious society that has eagerly embraced the notion that 50 is the new 40 (or that 70 is the new 60), it’s no wonder that many adults are fixated on their outward appearance.
While an obsession with maintaining a youthful image has long supported the popularity of plastic surgery, a recent trend toward less invasive cosmetic procedures has millions of new clients forking over cash in hopes of turning back the clock.
As Business Report notes in a feature from its Trends in Health Care issue, data from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that U.S. patients spent more than $12 billion on surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in 2013, with “minimally invasive” treatments rising 13% from the previous year. About 40% of the total dollars spent on cosmetic procedures paid for 10 million non-surgical services.
Technological advances have not only made cosmetic procedures more palatable for scalpel-averse patients, but are also changing the face of a booming industry. Whereas cosmetic clinics once simply wore the names of the plastic surgeons or dermatologists who operated them, today’s centers carry labels with such terms as “anti-aging,” “aesthetic medicine” or “medical spa,” and they are staffed by a wide range of practitioners.
“We strive to help individuals feel and look their best from the inside out, and it’s not just about their skin,” says Todd Howell, a general surgeon and emergency room physician who co-founded The Aesthetic Medicine and Anti-Aging Clinics of Louisiana about five years ago.
Along with a menu of cosmetic services that includes Botox, injectable wrinkle fillers, light therapies and chemical peels, the clinics offer hormone replacement therapy, weight loss programs, liposuction and nonsurgical body contouring.
Howell and business partner Kirk Kepper opened the Baton Rouge clinic in 2009, and Howell says the business has grown by more than 20% annually since then. The company recently opened a second location in Lafayette and has begun work on a new clinic in Destin, Fla., slated to open next year.
Howell attributes the clinics’ growth to the rising popularity of minimally invasive surgery and outpatient procedures with short recovery periods.
“People want immediate results without a lot of down time,” he says. “They don’t want to take three weeks off to recover from a tummy tuck.”
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