BOTOX Boom: 8% Increase in 2012 Fuels Overall Growth

CHESTERFIELD, MO, April 04, 2013 (Press-News.org) An increase in non-surgical treatments helped bolster overall growth of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures, despite a slight downturn in surgical procedures. St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery in Chesterfield, Missouri, has seen an increased demand in Missouri and Illinois for BOTOX and other minimally invasive procedures.

Several of the usually top-performing surgical procedures (such as breast augmentation and liposuction) experienced a small reduction in the number of procedures performed. However, the rise in minimally invasive procedures, which include botulinum toxin type A (BOTOX , Dysport , XEOMIN ), soft tissue fillers such as JUVEDERM and RADIESSE , laser hair removal and microdermabrasion, saw significant growth, this according to statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

"Most everyone wants to look his or her best," says Dr. Bruce White, one of the four board-certified plastic surgeons at St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery and founder of the St. Louis-area practice that sees Missouri and Illinois plastic surgery patients. "Part of that involves a desire to retain one's youthful appearance. But not everyone is initially comfortable with surgery to stay looking young."

"Minimally invasive options such as BOTOX, Sculptra, and photorejuvenation treatments, allow people to improve their appearance without surgery and with minimal recovery," says Dr. William H. Huffaker, who merged his practice with Dr. White's in 1997.

According to 2011 statistics from the ASPS, surgical procedures experienced somewhat of a reversal in trends. For example, breast augmentation procedures, which rose 4 percent from 2010 to 2011, saw a decline of 7 percent between 2011 and 2012. Conversely, 2010 to 2011 saw eyelid surgery drop by 6 percent whereas it rose 4 percent from 2011 to 2012. Facelift procedures continued to increase (up 5 percent in 2011 and 6 percent in 2012). Some procedures remained relatively unchanged, such as rhinoplasty and liposuction. "In Illinois and Missouri, these are perennial favorites. There really is no substitute for surgery for certain concerns," says Dr. Christian A. Prada, who joined the practice in 2006.

In the realm of non-surgical enhancements, botulinum toxin type A procedures still reign with 5.7 million procedures performed in 2011 and 6.1 million in 2012. Out of the top 5 performers - botulinum toxin type A, soft tissue fillers, chemical peel, laser hair removal and microdermabrasion - 4 increased from 2010 to 2012. Only chemical peel treatments saw a decline (3 percent) from 2010 to 2011, but rose 2 percent from 2011 to 2012.

"A lot of people, after experiencing minimally invasive treatments, become comfortable with the idea of cosmetic enhancement," says Dr. Herluf G. Lund, Jr., another surgeon at St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery. "They continue with non-surgical procedures, sticking with the ones they like or trying new ones. Or they like the results and want more permanent solutions, opting to have cosmetic surgery."

St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery has 4 board-certified plastic surgeons with more than 85 years of combined experience. Each surgeon continues to develop his skills and expand his knowledge about the most advanced cosmetic procedures available. Patients receive personal attention from the knowledgeable staff and can expect the highest level of care through every step of the treatment process. The extensive training and highly developed skills of the surgeons and staff add up to outstanding, natural looking results achieved through a wide range of surgical and nonsurgical procedures.