4/11/08

Despite increasing consumer demand for less invasive procedures for facial rejuvenation, facelifts are making a comeback with female and male baby boomers, according to statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The statistics also show a 14% increase in facelifts for patients ages 40 and older, with 116,200 procedures performed in 2007. Facelifts, the sixth most popular surgical aesthetic procedure, have also increased 14% for women and 16% for men since 2006.

“Facelifts have been on the decline since 2000,” says Richard D’Amico, MD, ASPS president. “With the advent of injectables like Botox and fillers, such as Restylane and Juvederm, many baby boomers thought they would substitute for a facelift. However, our latest statistics show patients now know they get the best results when surgery and injectables are used together. Facelifts are critical to lift and reposition skin and underlying tissues, while injectables are vital for plumping and restoring volume.”

According to the report, increases in injectables for patients ages 40 and older, include botulinum toxin Type A (3.6 million procedures, a 13% increase); hyaluronic acid (912,000 procedures, a 33% increase); calcium hydroxylapatite (156,600 procedures, a 129% increase); and polylactic acid (63,220 procedures, a 37% increase).

“If you have jowls the size of Kansas, you can’t expect any injection on earth to move them back where they belong,” says. D’Amico. “The best approach is to have surgical repositioning and maintain it with fillers and injectables.”

[American Society of Plastic Surgeons, April 9, 2008]