It’s always fun taking a look into the future and predicting what you think the next year or two years will bring. For me, of course, that means trying to predict what the world of plastic surgery holds in store in the near future. Here, then, is my forecast for the next five years in the area of plastic / cosmetic surgery.
1) I expect that as new products continue to be developed and as new players enter the market, cosmetic fillers such as Juvederm, Evolence, Restylane and similar products will continue to grow in popularity.
2)The dangers of obesity are gradually being realized by the general population. As this trend continues, more people will lose drastic amounts of weight, and as they do so, they will seek plastic surgery operations for body contouring, such as lower body lifts,abdominoplasties, upper arm lifts, etc.
3) It’s almost certain that there will be a growing number of clinical trials testing techniques for non-invasive methods of fat removal (such as the current methods of UltraShape and SonoSculpt).
4) For decades, women have had almost exclusive domain in the world of aesthetic surgery (i.e.,making themselves look pretty through cosmetic surgery). During the next five years, I believe the male segment of this market will grow substantially. I come to this conclusion largely because of a 2008 survey commissioned by ASAPS.The survey revealed that a record-high 57 percent of men now approve of plastic surgery for aesthetic purposes, with 20 percent saying they would consider having a procedure done on themselves.
5) I predict that very soon, probably in the next year or two, Reloxin, which is an injectable type of Botulinum Toxin “Type-A,” will receive approval from the FDA and will start entering pre-market clinical trials, earning a popularity right beside BOTOX’s.
6) More patients will look here at home, in the U.S., for their plastic surgery operations rather than traveling abroad. This is because consumers are becoming more educated and are understanding the health risks associated with traveling outside the States for a procedure, and are understanding the benefit of having plastic surgery done in an accredited facility by an accredited surgeon.
7) And the one negative, unfortunately I expect people to continue to look for bargain plastic surgery and to become the next plastic surgery horror story reported in the media.
For the most part, the next few years should be a good time for those practicing in the field of plastic surgery and for those receiving the procedure. But as always, we should work together for the health of the patient. And you don’t need a psychic to realize that.
