The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has interviewed leading surgeons around the nation, and created its forecast for the year.
Here's what they see in tgheir crystal ball.
* Increase in diversity of the patients. Over the past 10 years, more and more minority patients have sought cosmetic treatments, and this trend is expected to grow stronger than ever. Plastic surgeons expect to further tailor their approaches to this changing population.
* The growth in popularity of cosmetic fillers (Evolence, Juvederm, Restylane, etc.) will continue as new products enter the market.
* Botox will get a competitor. Reloxin (an injectable form of Botulinum Toxin Type A) will gain FDA approval. Other similar products may begin to enter pre-market clinical trials.
* As our population increasingly realizes the dangers and health consequences of obesity, the number of patients seeking plastic surgery procedures (www.surgery.org) for body contouring after dramatic weight loss (abdominoplasty, lower body lift, upper arm lift, etc.) will rise in 2009.
* Experimental techniques for non-invasive fat removal (SonoSculpt, UltraShape) as a future alternative or adjunct to liposuction (lipoplasty) surgery, will continue be tested in clinical trials.
* Consumers looking for a bargain on cosmetic procedures will unfortunately lead to an increase in horror stories about "discount injectables" bought offshore and cosmetic medicine and cosmetic surgical procedures performed by untrained or poorly trained practitioners.
* Men will continue to be a growing segment of the aesthetic surgery market. According to a February 2008 consumer survey commissioned by ASAPS, 57 percent of men approve of cosmetic surgery, and 20 percent would consider having it.
* As the popularity of non surgical and minimally invasive procedures continues to grow; surgeons and manufacturers will develop new techniques and products that advance the science, produce even better results and lessen recovery time.
