2006 showed some interesting trends in the cosmetic procedures.

With approximately 11.5 million cosmetic procedures (both surgical and non-surgical) performed in the U.S. – a small increase of 1% from 2005 – more people than ever are choosing to manage the signs of aging or just look and feel their best.

One of the more interesting points that came out of this report is that while surgical procedures actually showed a decline, more people than ever are realizing the benefits of non-surgical procedures which account for 83% of the total cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S.

Recently, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery released their 2006 statistics for cosmetic procedures, which showed:

• Surgical procedures decreased by about 9%
• Non-surgical procedures increased 3%
• Women had 92% of all procedures – an increase of 1% from 2005
• Men had 8% of all procedures
• African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and other non-caucasian groups accounted for 21.7% of all procedures – a significant growth over 2005

The top five surgical procedures were Liposuction - 403,684, Breast Augmentation - 383,886, Eyelid Surgery 209,999, Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) - 172,457, and Female Breast Reduction - 169,314.

The top non-surgical procedures were Botox Treatments, with 3,181,592 treatments, it was by far the most common cosmetic procedure, Restylane and Hylaform combined to account for 1,593,554 procedures, Laser Hair Removal - 1,475,296, Microdermabrasion - 993,071, and Laser Skin Resurfacing rounded out the list with 556,172 procedures.

Dr. Bill Adams and Dr. Brooke Seckel are holding a free seminar to discuss the latest trends in both surgical and non-surgical procedures to help you look and feel your best.

The seminars will be held in our Boston offices on March 28th at 18 Newbury Street. There will be two seatings, and you may attend either one:

Product samples and promotional coupons will be available, and refreshments will be served.

Please R.S.V.P. To Michele at 617-262-2208. Seating is limited.

Q: I have had Botox injected successfully twice. This time I went to someone else and the Botox didn’t take. What could cause this?

A: There are many reasons this could have happened. It’s possible that outdated Botox was used. After dilution Botox is good for 2 weeks only. Some doctors dilute Botox too much to try and treat more patients with one bottle. It’s also possible that the doctor missed the muscle and placed the Botox too deep, or that not enough was used.

Q: I’m a mother of 2 children, and I breast fed them each for 2 years. As a result, I have stretch marks, and sagging, and I hate it! My dream is to get them back to where they were before children. What’s my best option?

A: Either breast implants, a breast lift, or in some cases both may end up as “the best solution.” Every patient is different, so it’s best to see us for a consultation to examine you and discuss the issues you face.

Q: I am a 31 year old woman interested in liposuction. I fit into a size 4 perfectly everywhere, but my hips hang out over my pants. This is a problem I’ve had since I was a teenager.

A: The hips can be a problem area for many, many people! If you’ve tried diet and exercise first, and achieved limited or no results, a liposuction procedure may be a good tool to use in sculpting this area of your body.

Dr. Seckel was a keynote presenter on March 5th at the Medical Spa Expo and Conference on Advanced Wrinkle Reduction at the Los Angles Convention Center.

His well attended program was created to dispel some of the myths about effective removal of facial wrinkles. Dr. Seckel is a long-time advocate of non- surgical anti-aging treatments, and believes that “many people who have facial surgeries may be able to achieve similar results with a non-surgical treatment.”

Dr. Seckel’s book Save Your Face is a great general reference on a variety of non-surgical treatments, diet, aging in general and more.

Check out our Non-Surgical Services section for information on specific procedures.