Enthusiastic Australians

The trend is evident in what might be considered second-tier global markets too. The latest example of this was seen last month when the Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia (CPSA) returned its latest annual industry audit that showed a 15% increase in spending on non- and minimally-invasive treatments in 2011.

Some AUS$645 million was spent on cosmetic procedures in Australia last year, and 2011 was the fifth successive year in which the Australian market had grown. The CPSA only started auditing sales in 2008. That year, AUS$300 million was the market value of non-surgical cosmetic treatments locally.

The reasons for this more-than-doubling of sales, according to CPSA president Dr Gabrielle Caswell, are numerous. However, one of the primary factors is the availability of new products and procedures that are less invasive, more effective and less expensive, she says. ‘This makes them both more appealing and accessible to patients.’

Fractional lasers for skin resurfacing are a case in point. When compared with conventional ablative lasers, the new technology penetrates to deeper levels of the skin, while also allowing it to heal faster. Fractional lasers are thus delivering results that compare favourably with older-style lasers, ‘but with fewer potential side-effects, less pain and quicker recovery times’.

Just as wealth is no longer the only passport to anti-ageing medicine, so the age ‘barrier’, generally, is lowering. The fact that people are not delaying as long as they did, even as recently as 10 years ago, to embark on cosmetic medicine is testament to the wider acceptance of techniques and procedures generally — and not just to hang onto a youth that has all but disappeared.

‘Fifty is the new 40,’ says Dr Caswell. ‘Cosmetic medicine is becoming far more common. People are living longer and working longer,’ she says, adding that clients are not getting treatment merely to compete with the young. However, they do now feel that they are entitled to present themselves as well as they can — reflecting that they still feel young ‘on the inside’.

Environmental factors

Uptake of cosmetic surgery in Australia and non-invasive anti-ageing procedures is likely boosted by the high rate of sun damage (Australia has highest rate in the world), which is a primary cause of premature ageing and wrinkles. This has tended to mean that patients seek their first cosmetic procedures at a relatively early age (in their early-to-mid-30s).
Laser and intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments for hair removal and improving overall skin tone and texture are another common cosmetic treatment in this region.

Following the (changing) demand

It is not just the cosmetic medicine user profile that has changed in the last 40 years. The composition of the market is now more fluid. Now that the techniques and procedures are accepted in the liberal, free-market, choice-driven society of nowadays, changing demand creates new markets.

table1

One example is the male market in general. In common with the worldwide trend, Australia’s CPSA is seeing an increase in the number of men seeking cosmetic procedures. Men are as interested as women in grooming and presentation, and increasingly so in improving skin quality or adding volume. They also appear more driven by results, and are now more open to cosmetic medicine now that it can be medically demonstrated that the outcomes are effective.

And every so often, a new ‘trend’ arrives. For instance, currently, the chin implant is the fastest-growing cosmetic procedure among all demographics, according to the ASAPS. US chin augmentations increased by 71% in 2011, to 20,680 procedures, it says.

The reason for this development is unclear. But the association suggests that new communication technology tools frequently require users to be ‘on screen’, when he/she can see him/herself. The theory is that for some people, seeing themselves as others see them prompt them to seek to change their appearance. To present a more dynamic or youthful appearance, people are opting for chin augmentation.

This is a 45-minute procedure in which concave-shaped implants are inserted through a small incision under the chin and fitted over the end of the chin bone. The implant also pulls tight the skin on the neck, giving it a thinner look. The average cost of this procedure is $3500–7500, and is typically done under local anaesthesia/mild sedative, and allows patients to get back to work fairly rapidly.