Facing up . . . Irish turn their backs on plastic surgery
Tuesday November 29 2005
Kennedy
IRISH people are starting to turn their backs on plastic surgery in favour of 'facial medicine' in order to improve their looks.
Since 2001 there has been an annual 68pc increase in the numbers undergoing minor procedures such as Botox or derma-fillers.
During the same period the numbers having major operations which require general anesthetic and a long period of recovery have dropped by 6pc.
The same trend is being seen in the US where people are opting to have treatments which don't require an overnight stay.
Dr Patrick Treacy, director of the Ailesbury Clinic in Dublin, said that people are opting for minor procedures at a younger age.
"More people are opting for procedures which means they don't have to hide away, something they could even get done on their lunchbreak," he said. "It's maintenance they're after."
Procedures such as Botox, derma fillers and isolagen injections are all popular as they improve the appearance of facial skin.
The clinic, which won Best Medical Practice at the recent Irish Healthcare Pharmaceutical Awards, has seen an increase in the number of women in their 20s coming for Botox.
"Getting it done in your twenties has a preventative effect as well as an enhancing effect," Dr Treacy added.
He said that the number of men coming to the clinic for facial procedures remains static at around 10pc of their customer base.
Meanwhile, a plastic surgeon in the US is offering to make customers look a million dollars - literally.
Dr Stephen Greenberg, who is based in New York, is offering to carry out a head-to-toe "remake" which costs the equivalent of ?850,000.
Open to customers around the world, recipients will need three spare months but Mr Greenberg pointed out that the price includes 24-hour nursing, an on-call chef and nutritionist and a chauffeur. He has also thrown in a wardrobe of outfits to set off the new look.
"It is the ultimate package," he said. "We will remake you from head to toe and you will recover in style."
He has devised a Christmas list that starts with a breast lift at ?4,000, tummy tucks at ?4,900 and facelifts at ?6,800.
That is followed by cosmetic and foot surgery at ?11,900 and hair restoration at ?12,500 before combination prices rise steeply to the million-dollar package.
But he warned: "We cannot change somebody's life if they are not psychologically ready."
