Although this New York Daily News article talks about physicians in the Big Apple, it is a trend story that applies to all regions of the US (and beyond).
The article props up what we've suspected for months: Plastic surgeons are doing their most to keep heads above financial tides, as they take on more injectables-related business to combat the shrinking economy and to counteract the well-reported drop in the number of patients booking costly surgical procedures.
But wait, it's not only plastic surgeons who are out for a piece of the action.
Eager to plump up revenues, growing ranks of doctors and even dentists are offering services that have nothing to do with aches and pains.
Cosmetic procedures such as Botox and laser treatments, rarely covered by insurance, can mean quick cash for physicians as they battle lower health plan reimbursements, higher insurance premiums and rising overhead.
Americans spent around $12 billion on cosmetic procedures last year, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Nearly half was on nonsurgical treatments like injectable wrinkle fillers and laser hair removal, which appeal to doctors for their high profit margins and relatively low risk.
"At our workshops, we've had OB-GYNs, family doctors – I think we even had a neurologist. That shows you how many people want to do it," said Juva Skin & Laser Center Director Bruce Katz, an East Side dermatologist who trains doctors on cosmetic procedures. "They want to get out of the insurance loop."
Read the whole story here.