Teenaged Cosmetic Surgery is NOT on the rise!

The media enjoys telling us that teen plastic surgery is on the rise and, as a surgeon, I admit seeing my fair share of teenagers at my East Coast Plastic Surgery office here in Delaware. However, contrary to this popular belief, surveys conducted by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery report otherwise. 

The surveys actually show that the number of cosmetic procedures on patients 18 and younger has declined from nearly 300,000 a decade ago to125,000 last year.

Even with the massive decline, parents may be wondering what procedures teenagers are actually having. The ASAPS also reported that the most common procedures are:

• ·      Laser hair removal (51,000 procedures last year)
• ·      Skin treatments (including 16,200 chemical peels and 10,400 microdermabrasion treatments)
• ·      Ear surgery (10,700 procedures)
• ·      Nose jobs (9,100 procedures)

These top procedures, at least in my opinion, seem to coincide with more than just cosmetic reasons. Plenty of teens suffer from excess amounts of hair, acne, and deviated septums, which seems to show in which cosmetic procedures they are undergoing. It seems that perhaps teens aren’t as worried about their looks as we think they are.

To your health & beauty,

Dr. Joe Danyo

Cosmetic Surgery is No Cure for Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has been getting a lot of attention in the media recently.  The condition, which drives people to constantly alter their appearance in a desire to be perfect, is oftentimes linked to plastic surgery. But do BDD sufferers actually benefit emotionally by undergoing plastic surgery? A new study’s says ‘no’. Despite these findings, there are surgeons who still provide requested surgeries to BDD sufferers.

The study, which was recently published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery, was spearheaded by Katharine A. Phillips, MD, is the director of the body image program at Rhode Island Hospital. Phillips defines BDD as “a psychiatric disorder characterized by preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect in appearance which causes clinically significant distress or functional impairment. A majority of these individuals believe they have an actual deformity that can be corrected by cosmetic treatments to fix these perceived defects rather than seeking psychiatric intervention."

Phillips co-authored the study with Canice Crerand, PhD, of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The researchers reported that previous studies showed BDD to be relatively common among individuals who underwent plastic surgery, accounting for roughly 7-8% American plastic surgery patients. The duo retrospectively studied 200 individuals with BDD. Of the group, 31% sought and 21% received surgical or minimally invasive treatments to remedy their BDD symptoms.

The study found that almost all of the individuals still experienced BDD symptoms, while some even developed new appearance fixations. The researchers also surveyed 265 cosmetic surgeons, of which 65% reported treating patients with BDD symptoms. Only one percent of the reported cases that were treated resulted in symptom improvement.

The most common surgical procedures among the patients were rhinoplasty and breast augmentation, while the most popular non-invasive treatments were dermal fillers and microdermabrasion. Three-quarters of all the desired procedures involved the face, and more than a third of the patients studied underwent numerous different treatments.

In the long-term, only 25% of patients with BDD showed a more positive appraisal of their treated body parts. Not only that, only two percent of treated patients saw a lasting improvement of their overall BDD symptoms.   

Of the patients who sough treatment, 20% did not receive a procedure. Surprisingly, patients with BDD were turned down more often due inability to pay for a procedure than they were for their symptoms. Thirty percent of patients could not undergo their procedure due to financing, while 26% were refused treatment by a doctor. The researchers also found that surgeons were significantly less likely to refuse a cosmetic treatment than other procedures, such as dermatological, dental or otherwise.

"This suggests that many surgeons were not aware of the patient's BDD or do not consider BDD a contraindication to treatment,” says Phillips.  “In a survey of 265 cosmetic surgeons, only 30 percent believed that BDD was always a contraindication to surgery."

While some cases of body dysmorphic disorder are easy to recognize, other cases are not so clear-cut. This study is an indicator that there should be more training and sensitivity in the aesthetic plastic surgery industry to the symptoms of BDD.  While most patients have a healthy desire to simply enhance their features, the crippling symptoms of BDD could be the motive for patients to undergo cosmetic surgery.

2009 International Aesthetic Trends Now Available

For the first time ever, accurate aesthetic plastic surgery statistics are available to the public. The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) issued the "ISAPS Biennial Global Survey™" to surgeons in order to gauge aesthetic trends in the top 25 countries and regions for plastic surgery. The Survey represented 75% of all procedures performed in 2009.

Although the ISAPS Biennial Global Survey™ confirmed that the United States remains the country with the most procedures performed annually, there are some countries that are emerging as major centers that may be surprising. Making the top ten list are a few other countries that are not always associated with plastic surgery:
1.    United States
2.    China
3.    Brazil
4.    India
5.    Mexico
6.    Japan
7.    South Korea
8.    Germany
9.    Turkey
10.    Spain

The Survey also revealed that, contrary to popular belief, breast augmentation is not the most popular invasive procedure performed internationally. The top 5 invasive aesthetic procedures are as follows:
1.    Liposuction-18.8%
2.    Breast Augmentation-17%
3.    Blepharoplasty-13.5%
4.    Rhinoplasty-9.4%
5.    Abdominoplasty or Tummy Tuck-7.3%

As for as non-surgical procedures go, neuromodulators like Botox® top the list in popularity. Not only that, the overall number of non-surgical cosmetic treatments performed surpassed the number of surgical procedures. The top 5 non-invasive aesthetic treatments for 2009 were:
1.    Neuromodulators such as Botox® and Dysport®-32.7%
2.    Hyaluronic acid injections such as Juvederm and Radiesse-20.1%
3.    Laser hair removal-13.1%
4.    Fat grafting-5.9%
5.    IPL treatments-4.4%

Amongst other things, the Survey established that there are approximately 30,817 board certified (or national equivalent) plastic surgeons currently practicing. The number of surgical procedures performed globally in 2009 was 8,536,379, while the number of non-invasive treatments was 8,759,187.

The ISAPS Biennial Global Survey™ was created and proctored by Industry Insights, Inc., an independent research firm from Columbus, OH.  Scott Hackworth, a CPA who, along with the firm, has 15 years of experience in researching trends in aesthetic plastic surgery, led the Survey. The two-page, English-based questionnaire was administered to different international plastic surgery societies and focused on the aesthetic procedures performed in 2009.

A Nose Job Without Surgery?

If you spend any time out in public, you’re bound to run across someone who has had a nose job here in Delaware (rhinoplasty by its proper name). Although most rhinoplasty procedures are done in the operating room, depending upon the reason to have one, a rhinoplasty can sometimes be accomplished through injectable fillers and Botox. This procedure is often called "the 15-minute nose job."

For those individuals with a severely deviated septum, a huge hump, a broken nose or a nose that is too large for their facial features, the 15-minute nose job isn’t appropriate, as it simply won’t provide enough correction. The 15-minute nose job is best for those who have the following concerns:

• A nose that is uneven;
• A bump that can be improved by filling out the nearby tissues;
• A drooping nasal tip;
• Nasal dents, depressions or grooves;
• A flat bridge of the nose
• A saddle nose or a scooped nose.

OK, it’s not exactly 15 minutes—maybe 20—but it is fast, vastly less expensive, much less risky, and the results are immediate with little down time. The 15-minute nose job requires no general anesthesia, no packing and no sutures. Plus, you’ll leave the office with the finished product, in most cases. You might wish to take the rest of the day off but, depending on the amount of filler needed and any temporary swelling you might experience, it’s possible you’ll just return to your work or social schedule immediately!

If you’ve been thinking about a nose job and want to investigate the potential of having either a rhinoplasty or the non-surgical version, schedule a visit with me. The 15-minute nose job doesn’t work for every nose, but it is appropriate for many of them. And if that’s not the rhinoplasty that works for you, I’ll show you my before/after rhinoplasty photos!