At an international conference of plastic surgeons in Hobart it was revealed that non-surgical procedures like laser and botox treatments are gaining popularity. Australians are now spending about $1 billion a year on cosmetic surgery and treatments, and the industry is still growing rapidly.
According to president of the Australian College of Cosmetic Surgeons, Dr Russell Knudsen, the demand is being driven by baby boomers who want to reverse the ageing process. “They're affluent, they're educated and they're living longer than ever.” Experts said breast augmentation and liposuction are still the most common procedures, but non-surgical treatments that can be performed in a lunch hour are on the rise too. Men over 35 were the fastest growing segment.
Seeking to look younger, 15,000 men and women have had liposuction, while 16,000 young women had breast augmentation in the past year, Dr Knudsen said. Australians shell out for nearly a quarter of a million wrinkle reduction procedures annually at a cost of $225 million, he said. “People are time poor. Non-surgical procedures are becoming more popular and more accepted,” he said.
About 700 cosmetic and plastic surgeons are in Hobart for the conference and expo, which runs until Sunday.
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