Rest and relaxation seem like impossible feats to most Americans trying to balance the demands of family and career. This balancing act could account for the continued growth in minimally-invasive cosmetic plastic surgery procedures with 8.4 million performed in 2005.
According to the statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), minimally-invasive procedures increased 13 percent from the previous year and 53 percent since 2000.
Minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures are mostly performed in an outpatient setting, do not call for general anesthesia, require little to no downtime and usually cost less than the more invasive cosmetic surgeries. The top five minimally-invasive procedures this year and since 2000 are Botox. (3.8 million), chemical peel (1 million), microdermabrasion (840,000), laser hair removal (780,000), and sclerotherapy - elimination of spider veins (590,000).
"For facial rejuvenation especially, we have seen a shift from surgical treatments to a more subtle approach," said ASPS President Bruce Cunningham, MD. "As patients choose to address signs of aging with less invasive procedures, plastic surgeons also have more tools at their disposal to care for these patients. For instance, plastic surgeons may use more than one type of product or procedure to treat different areas of a patient's face."