[May 09, 2008]

Plastic surgeons need a lift amid economic downturn

(Palm Beach Post, The (FL) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 9--How's this for an economic indicator?

Dr. Donato Viggiano used to perform at least two or three breast augmentations every month. Now, the Port St. Lucie plastic surgeon averages one every three months.

He used to do four face-lifts a month. But he hasn't done even one within the past three months. Same story with liposuctions.

"I've been in the business for 27 years, and this is the worst I've seen it by a long shot," said Viggiano, who estimates his business is down 60 percent from last year. He has dipped into savings to help pay staff and operating costs.

Cosmetic procedures are rarely covered by insurance. Given the home loan crisis, the real estate bust and soaring gas prices, no one is terribly surprised that consumers are putting off spending $5,000 or more for breast lifts, tummy tucks or liposuctions.

"When they can't buy gasoline, they are not doing cosmetic surgery," said Dr. Alan Pillersdorf, a Lake Worth plastic surgeon, who said about 40 percent of his practice is cosmetic surgery.

Nationally, spending on cosmetic surgery dropped 3 percent between 2000 and 2007, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a national trade group. While there are no local figures, several doctors say they noticed a slowdown last fall that has continued through the winter and spring.

Not all plastic surgeons say their practices are being dramatically affected. Dr. Douglas Dedo of West Palm Beach said things are still better than after the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005.

"After the hurricane, my phone did not ring for months," he said.

But Dedo said fewer people who come in for a free consultation are following through with surgery.

Dr. Jana Rasmussen, a West Palm plastic surgeon who has been in business for 20 years, estimates her business is down nearly 50 percent. Her husband is a real estate attorney, so both incomes have taken a hit.

"We're not eating out as often," she said. "We're staying in and eating macaroni and cheese." Brian and Andrea Hass, a husband-wife plastic surgery practice in Palm Beach Gardens, said surgeries are down about 10 percent compared to a year ago. Brian Hass used to be booked two to three months in advance and sometimes worked on his days off to meet demand. Now, he's booked only three to four weeks out.

"It's a psychological thing," Hass said. "I think people feel uneasy. They do not know what will happen, and they are holding off on discretionary spending." Pillersdorf, the Lake Worth plastic surgeon, points out that younger patients who typically get their nose reshaped or breasts lifted have more difficulty affording it in a tougher economy. Another negative factor affecting the local health industry is that fewer snowbirds are wintering in Palm Beach County, a trend since 2006.

The Hasses are not overly worried. People who are delaying procedures will eventually get them when the economy picks up, Andrea Hass said. "There will be a pent-up demand." Another reason local plastic surgeons remain hopeful: Minimally invasive procedures such as Botox injections may be recession-proof. "People aren't ready to give these up," Andrea Hass said.

Nationally, the overall number of less-expensive procedures such as Botox injections increased by 7 percent, according to the plastic surgeons' trade group.

But Rasmussen noted that even those seeking Botox and other injectables are coming in every six months instead of every three. When two office workers left her office recently, she decided to fill only one of the jobs. She's also trying some low-end marketing and focusing on non-surgical procedures.

In Port St. Lucie, Viggiano is contemplating advertising for the first time in his career. In the past, he could rely on word-of-mouth referrals.

"I will get through this," he said. "Hopefully, things will settle down. The money is out there, but people are really scared."

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