Cosmetic surgery spending back on the upswing

Karen Russi was tired. She was tired of looking at herself in the mirror and seeing "an old prune" staring back. She was tired of looking tired. Tired of feeling tired.

"I needed to be rejuvenated," said the 64-year-old special education teacher.

After contemplating a brow lift and CO2 treatment to erase the wrinkles from her face, Russi, who believes her job -- and her salary -- are "pretty safe and secure" in the current economy, took the plunge in the spring. The treatments cost $6,000.

That might seem surprising, given the recent surge of news reports on Americans who are increasing their savings and cutting back on spending. Indeed, the $12 billion to $20 billion cosmetic surgery industry had been tracking with the economy, taking a major hit last fall. Procedures in California declined even more than the national average -- they were off 30% to 40% between June and December 2008, compared with the previous year.

But the industry started making a comeback in the spring, spurred by doctors' reduced rates and a sense that the economy's death spiral may be slowing. And although they are not the only generation that has embraced cosmetic procedures, baby boomers -- who comprise that infamous demographic bulge in the population -- are helping to spur the trend.

"A lot of the economy moves with the baby boom," said Mark Berman, an L.A. cosmetic surgeon who is president-elect of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. "What I've been telling a lot of my colleagues who are somewhat disappointed and fearful of this down economy is: Sit tight." The boomers, Berman said, are aging and "getting ugly."

And aging is great for business.

Cosmetic surgery is a plastic surgery specialization designed to enhance the body's appearance toward some aesthetic ideal. It covers scores of procedures, and demand for them is expected to grow 8.4% annually through 2012, with less invasive procedures such as Botox growing the most quickly, according to a September 2008 study from the Freedonia Group, an international research firm.

Getting a chemical peel or laser skin resurfacing requires less recovery time, less scarring and less money than so-called invasive procedures, such as a tummy tuck or breast augmentation. Many of those less expensive, less invasive undertakings -- including Botox and hyaluronic fillers (Restylane, Juvederm) -- are performed with a syringe or sponge instead of a knife.