Almost five years ago, Kris Keller, owner of The Design Source, an architectural interior design business based in Ballwin, wanted to punch Father Time in the nose.
Looking her best for a business based on creating good looks signals good vibes to clients, she said. But more importantly, it helps the person in her mirror.
So she eats properly, goes to the gym every day and gets cosmetic facial treatments from plastic surgeon Dr. Brock Ridenour four times a year. She has gotten facials, Botox, injections of fillers ? anything that increases a youthful look without time-consuming weeks of recovery. They work, she said, and she'll keep going back for more.
Keller, 57, represents a trend among people who opt for cosmetic treatments that are quick, painless and less expensive than surgery. Reasons for the trend range from people wanting effective treatments that don't require time away from work, to people having less money to spend but still wanting to look good.
According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of cosmetic plastic surgeries dropped 16.7 percent between 2008 and 2009. That reversed a net increase of 65 percent from 1996 to 2009.
Cost is a factor say local doctors:
? The national average price for Botox injections is about $400.
? Injectable fillers cost $500 to $1,200.
? Skin resurfacing costs $130 to $2,500.
For surgical procedures:
? Face-lifts, forehead lifts and breast augmentations run about $7,000 for the doctor. Add surgical fees ? anesthesia, surgery facilities, overnight stays, prescriptions and tests ? and the cost jumps to about $20,000.
"As a baby boomer, I never thought I'd get older; sort of a Peter Pan thing," she said. "I believe in fitness in every area of our lives, whether it's financial fitness, physical fitness, mental fitness ... ."
Afraid to miss work
"You have a lot of people who would like very much to have an operation, but for job security reasons, they don't want to be away from work for a few weeks," said Dr. David Caplin, who practices plastic and reconstructive surgery in west St. Louis County.
"In the past, that wasn't part of the equation," Caplin said. "People were more than happy to take off from work.
"A lot of times, it's not just the dollar amount, it's the time to take for recovery."
The economic downturn and job climate also seem to be playing a role.
"People are looking for less invasive procedures with less down time," said Dr. Dee Anna Glaser,a cosmetic dermatologist with SLUcare and a professor of dermatology at St. Louis University School of Medicine.
"I have people coming in for treatment who want to look their best; they're a little bit afraid ...," Glaser said. "They want to be the person who looks the most refreshed, vivacious, vital; to look their best so their boss or supervisors don't look at them and see they're tired and their head should be the first on the chopping block."
Also, "I've had people come in and say, 'I'm looking for a job and the job market is tight, and I'm competing with a lot of people and I want to look my best,' " Glaser said.
But the reasons are even broader. Lynn Malloy, 47, a stay-at-home mom from Clayton, says she has considered facial cosmetic surgery.
On a day when she was getting a Botox treatment from Caplin, she said she wouldn't do an expensive surgical procedure in this economy because of the message it would send to her children.
"Botox, fillers, a couple of hundred dollars. But thousands of dollars? There's better things we could do with that money," she said. Her family donates to charities, for example.
Malloy said she gets the lower-priced facial treatments, "Because it makes me feel better," she said.
Better businessman
Ridenour, whose practice specializes in facial cosmetic plastic surgery, said the drop in surgeries has reawakened him to becoming a better businessman, not just a cosmetic surgeon.
Fewer companies offer consumer loans to for cosmetic surge and fewer people qualify, he said.
"There's less money available to people who don't have premium credit, he said.
"A lot of the popularity (of cosmetic surgery) has been driven by the availability of credit."
So, he said, he has "... learned to adapt," which meant some strategic changes, for example, more less expensive cosmetic treatments and fewer expensive surgeries.
But no economy takes away the real bottom line, Ridenour said.
"We live in a youth-oriented culture with an age bias, and there's little denial of that," he said.
"People can tie their appearance to employment. If you look at sociological studies, for two equally qualified people, the taller, better looking one will have more income."
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