Executives + Plastic Surgery

From the Heartland, we hear that plastic surgery is a growing phenomenon among business people in their 40s who want to appear youthful. Read the article below from the Kansas City Business Journal.

What are the implications of this story for you and your practice?

If more employed men and women from the ages of 35 to 50 are feeling that a “freshening“ is what will keep competitive, then what are you doing to make yourself attractive to this market?

If your marketing materials from the Yellow Pages to the Web site still feature 20-Something ingénues, it tells the business executive, “I'm not looking in the right place.“ If there are no pictures of men on your website or something that “speaks“ to them, you’ll lose them. If your marketing images are swans and flowers, forget the guys, and, frankly, the sophisticated female executive is not likely to find this “cutesy“ stuff appealing either.

This is a totally separate niche and a plastic surgeon with a big aug practice may not want to serve the professionals market segment. It’s really important you decide what you like to do procedurally and focus on that. Diffused messages of “We do it all!“ are rarely appealing and even less so to people who know the value of expertise based on their business experience.

If your office hours are from 9 to 5pm, it's going to be tough for most employed people to fit that consult and treatment into their schedule. Like you, they are b-u-s-y. You need to consider having office hours until 6:30pm at least twice a month. Many NYC plastic surgeons routinely see patients and end at 8pm. Go ahead and say, “Not me.“ One of your competitors will move in and fill the niche.

Remember, that many people with “big jobs“ have the economic where with all to choose a plastic surgeon and their procedures, not based on price alone. They will be able to make decisions based on a value proposition: Great reputation, terrific phone staff, convenient hours, being seen on time, quick recovery, wonderful results and they are yours.

The plastic surgeons that can offer an artful combination of surgical and injectibles options will have an edge over those who only offer one or the other.

IN DEPTH: EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLES
From the August 27, 2004 print edition

Business people try to stay on top by going under the knife for surgery
Michele McInerney
Contributing Writer

From the glare of “reality“ makeover television shows to the intimacy of a private doctor's office, looking better and looking younger have turned into something of a national pastime.

Millions of Americans — and an increasing number of Kansas City executives — are chasing the dream of renewed beauty, vitality and youth in the form of shots, suctions and surgery. Once reserved for the wealthy, who could take weeks and go into seclusion to recover, cosmetic surgery now is taken advantage of by men and women of various incomes who can get back to the boardroom within days of surgery.

“I am seeing more men, from all professions, than I have seen in a long time,“ Dr. O. Allen Guinn III said.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), nearly 1 million men had cosmetic plastic surgery in 2002. The top five procedures were nose reshaping, liposuction, eyelid surgery, hair transplantation and ear surgery. For women, liposuction, nose and eyelid surgery were in the top five, followed by breast augmentation and face-lifts, which replaced hair transplants and ear surgeries.

“In the last five years, I've seen an increase in cosmetic surgery by about 25 percent,“ Dr. Thomas Geraghty said. “Everyone says they want to look better to be more competitive. They don't want clients looking at them and seeing them as 'older.' They want to look refreshed and perky.“

Keeping up with the competition was a significant motivating factor for Kelly, a businesswoman having plastic surgery who asked to be identified by her first name only. She said she decided her job security depended not only on talent and personality, but looks as well.

“Let's face it, people think youth equals energy and innovation,“ she said. “Looking better and younger has given me a higher confidence level, and in the world of business, you need that edge.“

At close to 40, Kelly is not alone.

Men and women age 35 to 50 make up the largest group of cosmetic plastic surgery patients, according to 2002 ASPS statistics.

“I'm seeing more of everyone, more housewives, office managers, CEOs,“ Geraghty said. “Everyone seems to be doing something.“

As technology and availability have changed, so has acceptance of surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures. A tight economy inside an appearance-driven society, some said, has made things more competitive than ever.

“The thing I often hear is men in their 40s and 50s who feel they are losing their jobs to younger 'face' people who are hired to be the up-front people,“ Guinn said.

Guinn said he has even seen this in his industry, recounting a plastic surgery conference where several young salespeople were in booths staged upfront to show off the newest innovations in the field.

“But as soon as I asked a semi-complicated question, they had to go find 'Joe,' the balding, middle-aged guy they had hidden out in the back, who actually had some experience and knew what was going on,“ Guinn said.

Both doctors, however, cautioned against being too eager and suggested doing some homework before making any final surgery decisions. They also said people should have realistic expectations.

“I try to tell people surgery alone is not going to make them happy if it's a person who is, for whatever reason, fundamentally unhappy with themselves,“ Geraghty said. “I am very upfront about what they can expect and what the results are going to look like. Some people want miracles; I try to make sure they stay realistic.“

Michele McInerney is a free-lance writer in the Kansas City area.
© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.