- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Plastic surgery spared from recession's grasp in UK
- Date: 16th August 2009
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT) (REUTERS) STREET / DOOR NUMBER 111 SIGN READING: "HARLEY STREET" VARIOUS OF PLASTIC SURGEON DR YANNIS ALEXANDRIDES WORKING AT COMPUTER ALEXANDRIDES SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) PLASTIC SURGEON DR YANNIS ALEXANDRIDES, SAYING: "Well, I think still people want to feel good about themselves. Actually they take this period of downturn to maybe improve themselves or turn around. They still want to do things that improve their appearance, so we've seen is an increase in non-surgical treatments in plastic surgery, for example Botox injections and fillers have all been up this year." HANDS OF ALEXANDRIDES MOVING AS HE SPEAKS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PLASTIC SURGEON DR YANNIS ALEXANDRIDES, SAYING: "People are competing for less jobs. They feel the pressure. This is what I call the "Tie Index". Sales of ties go up when there is an economic downturn because people want to go to more interviews and want to look good, so it's a similar affect when they are getting plastic surgery as well." REGULAR BOTOX PATIENT / CITY WORKER GEORGINA READING MAGAZINE IN WAITING AREA (SOUNDBITE) (English) REGULAR BOTOX PATIENT / CITY WORKER GEORGINA, SAYING: "I guess again the non-surgeical stuff is more affordable. You're paying smaller amounts of money -- maybe more frequently, and economically it's perhaps a little bit more viable than having to save thousands and thousands of pounds for quite major treatment." GEORGINA HAVING CONSULTATION WITH ALEXANDRIDES PRIOR TO TREATMENT. VARIOUS OF ALEXANDRIDES CARRYING OUT BOTOX TREATMENT
- Embargoed: 31st August 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Health,Lifestyle
- Reuters ID: LVAB94RYD3QN1VA8GYJQPXC7WMDS
- Story Text: Despite the recession in the UK, the popularity of non-surgical procedures carried out by London doctors is on the up.
Despite the threat of job losses and the country's first downturn since the early 1990s, Brits continue to spend on beauty treatments.
More and more women are receiving non-invasive cosmetic procedures, as they feel it enhances their professional marketability and builds their confidence in a tight job market, research at London's Harley street clinics show.
Botox -- which is used to treat moderate to severe frown lines -- tops the menu of non-surgical procedures at London's 111 Harley street clinic, Plastic Surgeon Yannis Alexandrides told Reuters.
This is closely followed by wrinkle fillers, laser treatments and sculptra -- injections that can restore facial contours.
"I think still people want to feel good about themselves. Actually they take this period of downturn to maybe improve themselves or turn around. They still want to do things that improve their appearance, so we've seen is an increase in non-surgical treatments in plastic surgery, for example Botox injections and fillers have all been up this year," said Alexandrides.
The surgeon, who has been operating at Harley street since 2000, explained that new enrolments and enquiries for non-surgical treatments are up buy 20% because people are now thinking of small improvements to look refreshed and revived as opposed to big changes by surgical treatments.
"People are competing for less jobs. They feel the pressure. This is what I call the "Tie Index". Sales of ties go up when there is an economic downturn because people want to go to more interviews and want to look good, so it's a similar affect when they are getting plastic surgery as well," he said.
Alexandrides added that new technologies such as Thermage and Fraxel are long term investments in the skin, whereby women are now able to put off the knife for longer.
A 29-year-old investment banker, and regular botox user Georgina, admitted that many patients who seek out plastic surgery are not feeling the pinch of the economy as much as others. But she added that despite their monetary situation, those who believe that having a procedure is important, manage find a way to fit it into their budget.
"I guess again the non-surgeical stuff is more affordable. You're paying smaller amounts of money -- maybe more frequently, and economically it's perhaps a little bit more viable than having to save thousands and thousands of pounds for quite major treatment," said Georgina prior to receiving her botox.
The poll fits in with what economists often call the "lipstick factor," referring to the historic rise in sales of beauty products and basic procedures as consumers spend on small luxuries to offset their overall belt-tightening. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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