Plastic surgery in the wake of Sept. 11 Demand increasing;
'If not now, when?'

Amy Fletcher Business Journal Staff Reporter

While some shoppers have cut back on minks and jewelry since Sept. 11, many are still indulging in liposuction, face-lifts and tummy tucks.

But it's a mixed bag. Amid layoffs, cutbacks and a slumping stock market, fewer people have the money to spend on elective procedures. And in the weeks following the attacks, doctors say there was a sharp drop-off in demand because people felt guilty about indulging in frivolities while the nation was grieving.

Now some doctors have seen demand return to normal -- or even above normal. Feeling more uncertain about tomorrow, some patients don't want to put off procedures they have been thinking about for months -- sometimes years.

"The situation is in a great deal of flux. Obviously even before Sept. 11, every aspect of the economy was affected so it would have been naive to say plastic surgery wasn't," said Leida Snow, spokeswoman for the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The industry group will not have statistics until March.

On the other hand, Snow said, "people who had already made the commitment to plastic surgery went on with their lives. Some people had the reaction of: If not now, when? They want to do something for themselves ... Life is short."

Nationwide there was a 25 percent increase in the number of cosmetic procedures performed between 1999 and 2000; there was a 173 percent increase between 1997 and 2000, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Botox, an injection to help reduce lines and furrows in the skin, was the most popular procedure, with more than one million performed last year.

Patricia Starbuck, 58, of Thornton decided more than six months ago that she wanted to look younger. She had already postponed the procedure, which must be scheduled months in advance, once before, about a year ago. Sept. 11 did not keep her from going through with her face and eye lift.

"Everyone was devastated by the events," she said, "but I think everyone went on with what they were going to do. ... I'm certainly glad I did it."

Cosmetic surgery can be more sensitive to economic downturns because it is not covered by insurance. Individual procedures, which can cost up to $6,000 in doctor's fees alone, are paid for entirely out of a patient's pocket.

Dr. John Grossman, a plastic surgeon in Denver, says after the immediate shock of the terrorist attacks passed, business was back to normal, despite concerns about the economy.

"I haven't noticed any adverse effects either from Sept. 11 or from the economy overall, but my practice tends to be relatively immune to cycles in the economy just because I've been doing this for a long time, and I'm reasonably well known," he said. "I have younger colleagues; their business has fallen off appreciably."

U.S. plastic surgeons are considered the best in the world, Snow said, and the cutbacks in air travel kept some patients from reaching plastic surgeons' offices nationwide.

Some patients, however, have been pushed to get procedures done that they have been talking about for years.

"There is evidence of a kind of stimulatory effect by Sept. 11," Grossman said, "a stimulation to get things done that you have been thinking about and not put them off."

Dr. Robert Tuchler in Denver, however, has seen a significant drop in cosmetic surgeries and inquiries from prospective patients.

"New patient consultations were down at least 50 percent for the month or two following [the attacks]," he said, adding that an ongoing war and a slumping economy are hurting business. "I think things will slowly rebound over the next few months, but I don't think they will be back to pre-Sept. 11 until both those things start to correct themselves."

Dr. Stacey Folk, who performs a lot of breast surgeries, liposuction and tummy tucks, noticed "a huge drop" in new phone calls immediately following the attacks.

"I would say we are pretty much back to normal, and always I have felt that cosmetic surgery reflects the situation with the stock market," she said. "That's extra money. We are a luxury."

Noninvasive procedures, such as collagen and botox injections, result in less dramatic changes but cost significantly less than plastic surgery. The treatments, however, are ongoing and can cost customers about $200 a month.

Pamela Hill is president of Facial Aesthetics Inc., which has three locations in the Denver area. The company, which is on track to meet financial goals for this year, initially saw a downturn and then a progressive increase in business beginning about two weeks after the attacks.

"What we are hearing is that they really want to feel better, that when they turn on the TV, all they hear is the news and the war," she said. "This gives them an opportunity to indulge themselves a little bit and feel better about how they look."