Plastic surgeons lick lips at SSIA payouts
Thursday February 09 2006
Kennedy
WOMEN are already filling the waiting rooms of plastic surgeons as they plan to spend their SSIA payouts on improving their appearance.
Forget about new cars, home improvements or extended holidays. When the spending splurge begins, for some it will be all about the coveted nip and tuck.
Estate agents have reported that the property market is hot because of the SSIA feelgood factor. And yesterday, two clinics specialising in cosmetic treatment said they noticed a surge in interest as the cash-in date nears.
A spokeswoman for Advanced Cosmetic Surgery in Dublin said the number of women booking consultations has been steadily increasing in recent weeks.
"Women are coming in to us now to go through the initial consultation with the surgeon," said Debbie Ashdown-Sheils of ACT.
"They are checking that they are suitable for surgery and are making appointments for an operation to be carried out in May when their SSIAs begin to mature."
Lip enhancement and other non-surgical procedures at the surgery have risen by 16pc since last year, with breast augmentation up 20pc.
Valentine's Day may also be having an impact, as the surgery noted that a growing number of people are receiving vouchers for the surgery from their partners.
Lip enhancement is hugely popular amongst young and old women. At a cost of ?320 twice a year, younger women are having the procedure to get a more pronounced pout.
Thinning
Older women simply want to plump their upper lip, which naturally grows thinner with age. "People are pretty open about things like this nowadays," said Ms Ashdown-Sheils.
"Guys come down and tell us that they know their girlfriend comes in for treatment and they want to get her a voucher as a present."
More men are also booking in for procedures, with operations to remove male chest fat or male 'boobs' the most popular, followed by rhinoplasty to adjust the size and shape of the nose.
Warning
But Dr Patrick Treacy, from the Ailsbury Clinic in Dublin, specialising in non-surgical procedures, warned that people should think twice about giving their loved one a gift voucher.
"Most medical procedures should be between the doctor and client so I'd caution against giving vouchers as there is no consent involved," he said.
He agreed that demand for surgery is huge, with requests for botox and derma fillers doubling last year.
The clinic is also expecting more clients as the SSIAs begin to mature. The cosmetic surgery sector here is estimated to be worth over ?20m a year.
