By Del Jones, USA TODAY
Cosmetic surgeons say they are starting to see a new brand of customer come through the door: CEOs and other high-ranking corporate executives.
Executives have always been able to afford surgery for vanity's sake, and they have had logical reasons to get it because they "feel pressure or are challenged by younger people who may have more advanced skills in computers and technology," says Dr. Bruce Cunningham, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Recovery times of six weeks had been a deal breaker for most executives. But recent advances have cut that to a few days, which leaves the industry optimistic that the long-anticipated parade of wealthy executives is about to commence, although the data have yet to demonstrate that optimism.
Still, there is anecdotal evidence such as Monroe Gang, 59, a company principal and co-founder who got a $15,000 face-lift this month for several reasons:
Executives have always been able to afford surgery for vanity's sake, and they have had logical reasons to get it because they "feel pressure or are challenged by younger people who may have more advanced skills in computers and technology," says Dr. Bruce Cunningham, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Recovery times of six weeks had been a deal breaker for most executives. But recent advances have cut that to a few days, which leaves the industry optimistic that the long-anticipated parade of wealthy executives is about to commence, although the data have yet to demonstrate that optimism.
Still, there is anecdotal evidence such as Monroe Gang, 59, a company principal and co-founder who got a $15,000 face-lift this month for several reasons:
He's a golfer, skier and motorcyclist who takes pride in keeping up with younger men, not to mention an engagement to a 40-year-old woman. He says he never wants to be mistaken as her father, older brother or "sugar daddy."
His 150-employee Long Island, N.Y., tech company Resource Search is in a business where clients, employees and the executives of competitors are mostly younger than 40, a compelling business reason for him to look vibrant.
Finally, like many business executives, Gang could not afford a long vacation to recuperate. But he was back to work on the Monday after having a 21/2-hour surgery on Thursday. "The swelling is down 80%," he said the morning after. "I could sit in a restaurant, and nobody would say anything."
A trend that's just beginning
Surgeons say the CEO trend is in its infancy because such advances are so new, and men, who dominate the CEO ranks, had been growing increasingly reluctant to go under the knife. Indeed, 2005 statistics released Thursday by ASPS show that 16% of the 1.8 million cosmetic surgeries performed by board-certified members were on men, down 28% since 2000. The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, which measures surgeries performed by doctors of all disciplines, says just 8.6% of the 9.3 million surgical and non-surgical procedures performed in 2005 were on men, and that's down 23% from 2000.
His 150-employee Long Island, N.Y., tech company Resource Search is in a business where clients, employees and the executives of competitors are mostly younger than 40, a compelling business reason for him to look vibrant.
Finally, like many business executives, Gang could not afford a long vacation to recuperate. But he was back to work on the Monday after having a 21/2-hour surgery on Thursday. "The swelling is down 80%," he said the morning after. "I could sit in a restaurant, and nobody would say anything."
A trend that's just beginning
Surgeons say the CEO trend is in its infancy because such advances are so new, and men, who dominate the CEO ranks, had been growing increasingly reluctant to go under the knife. Indeed, 2005 statistics released Thursday by ASPS show that 16% of the 1.8 million cosmetic surgeries performed by board-certified members were on men, down 28% since 2000. The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, which measures surgeries performed by doctors of all disciplines, says just 8.6% of the 9.3 million surgical and non-surgical procedures performed in 2005 were on men, and that's down 23% from 2000.
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But a consumer attitude survey by the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found 52% of men approve of cosmetic surgery, double what it was a few years ago and almost even with the 55% of women who approve.
That means men could be on the brink, and Zachary Gerut, a plastic surgeon in Hewlett, N.Y., says he has developed a face-lift procedure borrowed from liposuction where he numbs the face and performs surgery without general anesthesia or sedation. That reduces side effects such as blood pressure fluctuations, water retention and coughing that bruises the face and causes recovery times of six weeks.
Gerut says he has performed fewer than 100 face-lifts using the procedure but says he has yet to have a complication. Several have been on CEOs who fly in specifically for the surgery, he says.
That means men could be on the brink, and Zachary Gerut, a plastic surgeon in Hewlett, N.Y., says he has developed a face-lift procedure borrowed from liposuction where he numbs the face and performs surgery without general anesthesia or sedation. That reduces side effects such as blood pressure fluctuations, water retention and coughing that bruises the face and causes recovery times of six weeks.
Gerut says he has performed fewer than 100 face-lifts using the procedure but says he has yet to have a complication. Several have been on CEOs who fly in specifically for the surgery, he says.
Gang has made no attempt to hide his face-lift and says many of his associates are watching him closely and will likely get their own face-lifts if they judge his operation to be a success.
Starting with Botox
Even before the new Gerut Lift, there had been advances in herbal remedies aimed at reducing bruises. And there was always very little downtime after Botox injections, which temporarily removes wrinkles. Cunningham says most men start with Botox to temporarily get rid of frown lines and from 1997 to 2005, there was a 5,668% rise in Botox injections for men vs. a 4,893% rise for women, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
More complicated procedures follow as comfort levels rise. From 1997 to 2005, there was a 130% increase in buttock-lifts and a 307% increase in thigh-lifts for women. For men, the jump was 737% for buttock-lifts and 1,854% for thigh-lifts (though from a lower base).
Dr. Anthony Griffin of the Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgery Institute who appears on the ABC program Extreme Makeover, predicts CEOs will lead a surge in male surgery. For instance, he says, executives on trial for corporate scandals would improve their chances for acquittal with a makeover just before trial.
Other executives' motivation is more straightforward. "My business is the beauty business, and you have to keep up," says Aldo D'Alessio, 62, who owns the 45-employee Frasada Salon & Day Spa in Oceanside, N.Y., and had a $15,000 face-lift a month ago. He had always dismissed the idea as too time consuming but says he was back to work within a week.
Starting with Botox
Even before the new Gerut Lift, there had been advances in herbal remedies aimed at reducing bruises. And there was always very little downtime after Botox injections, which temporarily removes wrinkles. Cunningham says most men start with Botox to temporarily get rid of frown lines and from 1997 to 2005, there was a 5,668% rise in Botox injections for men vs. a 4,893% rise for women, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
More complicated procedures follow as comfort levels rise. From 1997 to 2005, there was a 130% increase in buttock-lifts and a 307% increase in thigh-lifts for women. For men, the jump was 737% for buttock-lifts and 1,854% for thigh-lifts (though from a lower base).
Dr. Anthony Griffin of the Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgery Institute who appears on the ABC program Extreme Makeover, predicts CEOs will lead a surge in male surgery. For instance, he says, executives on trial for corporate scandals would improve their chances for acquittal with a makeover just before trial.
Other executives' motivation is more straightforward. "My business is the beauty business, and you have to keep up," says Aldo D'Alessio, 62, who owns the 45-employee Frasada Salon & Day Spa in Oceanside, N.Y., and had a $15,000 face-lift a month ago. He had always dismissed the idea as too time consuming but says he was back to work within a week.
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While men are just now beginning to spend on staying young (or younger-looking), women have carried this multibillion-dollar industry since its inception. (How can we afford it?) While surgical costs are decreasing in price, experts such as Dr. Perricone are raising the bar for routine skincare costs. How much do you spend?
Gerut even sees broad economic benefits of the new shorter recovery time. If the average face-lift patient earns $45,000 a year, a three-week recovery would cost $2,596 in lost wages. That's $389 million in unnecessarily lost wages from 150,000 face-lifts done last year.
© Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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© Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Find More: Personal Finance Advice
