5/31/06

According to 2005 statistics released by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 34% of plastic surgeons who focus on the face, head, and neck, reported that more people are getting plastic surgery with a companion.

Lauren-Beth Kassinger, 31, from Little Silver, NJ, says that if she bought a pair of shoes that looked good on her, her mom would “go out and get the same thing.” So it wasn’t such a stretch, after Kassinger decided to get plastic surgery, that her mom decided to do it, too.

“My mother and I are very close, and we look a lot alike,” says Kassinger. “I must have triggered something in her that made her feel like she wanted to have (her nose) done, too.”

Statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons show that 42% more women and 44% more men had aesthetic surgery in 2005 than in 2000. Physicians say new techniques and technology have reduced scarring and recovery time, making the prospect of surgery more attractive.

[www.freep.com, May 28, 2006]