Boob-job biz sagging

Breast augmentations fell from nearly 400,000 in 2007 to 355,671 last year.

Boob-job biz sagging: Economic meltdown is causing many to delay cosmetic surgery, survey says

BY Bill Hutchinson
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, March 17th 2009, 9:02 AM
Breast augmentations fell from nearly 400,000 in 2007 to 355,671 last year. McWilliam/AP

Breast augmentations fell from nearly 400,000 in 2007 to 355,671 last year.

Manhattan cosmetic surgeon Lawrence Milgrim doesn't need to read the latest analysis of his industry to know he's getting nipped and tucked by the economy.

"We've had a dropoff just because of the economic environment," said Milgrim. "Some of the larger procedures have dropped off more than some of the smaller procedures."

"I think today the gestalt is, 'Don't change me, just make me look better than I am now.'"

A study released Monday shows Milgrim isn't the only plastic surgeon hurting.

Cosmetic surgical procedures have plummeted 15% in the past year, and nonsurgical procedures are down 12%, according to the survey by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Nationwide, breast augmentations, which cost up to $4,000, fell from nearly 400,000 in 2007 to 355,671 last year. Tummy tucks, which run $5,400, were down by 37,943 cases, while the number of $2,800 eyelid surgeries was off by 45,659.

Even $443 Botox injections dropped from 2.7 million in 2007 to 2.4 million last year.

Overall, the number of cosmetic surgeries in the U.S. has fallen from a high of 11.8 million in 2004 to 10.2 million last year.

The study showed that while patients are postponing surgical procedures that require weeks to heal, they are opting for quick fixes.

Laser skin resurfacings, which range from $1,100 to $2,000, jumped 12%. Milgrim said the resurfacing procedures have helped him offset his losses.

"You can actually have recovery within three to seven days after the procedure," said Milgrim, explaining that improvements in lasers and the training of surgeons have also made resurfacing procedures more popular.

Economic doldrums or not, younger people are more willing to undergo cosmetic surgery than ever before, the survey shows.

"Two-thirds of 18-to-24-year-olds approve of cosmetic surgery, despite the economy taking such a huge chunk out of actual buyers," authors of the study noted.

The survey determined that "25-to-34-year-olds are rated as most likely to consider cosmetic surgery."

Despite being down in the past year, breast augmentation is the No. 1 surgical cosmetic procedure, surpassing liposuction.