The study, which polled people considering plastic surgery within the next two years, found almost 30% reported average household incomes of less than $30,000. Forty-one percent had annual incomes of $31,000-60,000, and 16%, $61,000-90,000. Only 13% claimed salaries of more than $90,000 per year.
You may be noticing more wrinkles in the faces of the people you see. Though worries over the bad economy may be to blame for some of them, there could be another reason. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the number of Americans opting to undergo cosmetic plastic surgery fell to 6.6 million in 2002, down 12 percent from the year before.
Procedures that require people to go under the knife seem to have weathered the recession better than have the nonsurgical ones. In 2002, 1.6 million people opted to have a surgical procedure in the name of beauty, up 1 percent from the year before. Surgery is less likely to be an "impulse buy" than cosmetic procedures like chemical peels and therefore aren't as affected by recession-based decreases in impulse spending.
As plastic surgery has become a common cultural phenomenon, its critics have grown increasingly vocal. Some view it as radical conformity to artificial standards of beauty perpetuated by mass media, and its most strident opponents are particularly concerned that women have aesthetic operations more often than men and that even adolescent girls sometimes elect surgery. Nonetheless, each year more cosmetic procedures are performed than ever before, and many plastic surgery patients attest to the psychological benefits of feeling younger, thinner, and more attractive. Perhaps the most notable, if ambiguous, commentary on cosmetic surgery has been offered by the French performance artist Orlan, who explores standards of beauty by undergoing repeated plastic surgery.
Most surgeons will agree that healthy skin makes a better canvas for their 'artistry'. So it makes sense to look after your skin especially in the weeks leading up to facial cosmetic surgery.
However, certain products may contain ingredients that hinder rather than help the skin.
Here are some tips on prepping the skin prior to surgery, gleaned from the experts in the field - the surgeons themselves.
1. Tell your surgeon what products you have been using. Certain additives such as Retinol-A can cause skin to be more reactive to laser treatment, for example.
2. Quit smoking - here's a great incentive to those of you who've been meaning to give up smoking for a long time. Smoking causes vascular constriction which means the blood flow to the skin is restricted, slowing down healing considerably. Even if you can't quit for good, two weeks smoke-free either side of surgery is a good idea.
3. Treat severe acne medically if possible before going under the knife. The bacteria associated with acne may increase the risk of infection at the site of surgery.
4. Be sun-smart - keep out of strong sun and wear a total sunblock in the pre-surgery weeks. The skin cells can get so busy fighting off sun-radiation that they can't get to the healing process from the operation. Intensive moisturizers for skin that is often tanned is also advisable.
5. Exfoliation can make for better results as the dead cells will be sloughed off preparing a smooth surface for certain procedures such as chemical peels.
6. Avoid the following medications and supplements before surgery, as they may increase the risk of excessive bleeding: Aspirin, vitamin E, ginkgo biloba.
7. The following natural ingredients can assist the healing process: B vitamins, plant derived calcium, ginger, vitamin K, burdock root. These may improve the skin's defense while reducing skin stress.
8. Avoid strict weight-loss regimes and follow a healthy balanced diet to ensure that your body has no vitamin deficiency before surgery. Drink plenty of water and eat fresh fruit and vegetables regularly.
9. Alternative therapies such as manual lymphatic drainage before and after surgery can reduce fluid retention, thereby decreasing swelling and enhancing the healing process.
While there is no hard evidence that any of these tips will lead to optimum results, anecdotal evidence suggests that many patients feel they are contributing to their health and well-being, while certain surgeons recommend them strongly.
Both Jonas Fiber & Nicolet are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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