Cosmetic surgeons who can lift breasts and firm thighs admit they are powerless over a sagging economy, according to the New York Times.
But there were signs of an economic turnaround at the annual convention of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas this week, according to the Times.
Hope is rising — along with the Dow — that the first competitor to Botox (approved last month) and revolutionary treatments like stem cell injections might reinvigorate the industry left flat by the falling economy.
The Hidden Administrative Tasks Draining Small Practices
Small practices play a critical role in healthcare delivery, but they cannot continue to absorb ever-increasing administrative demands without consequences.
The number of cosmetic procedures in the United States fell 12.3 percent last year from 2007 to just over 10.2 million, the plastic surgery society said. That represents a setback for an industry that grown steadily from 2 million procedures in 1997.
The biggest growth area for the industry has been in non-surgical procedures, such as injections of Botox — a botulinum toxin that works by numbing and relaxing facial muscles that cause wrinkles, the Times said.
More stories worth a read:
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- U.S. halts pilot program in New York to detect biological attacks (Washington Post)
- Cell Therapeutics reports 76% decrease in first quarter 2009 net loss attributable to common shareholders; completion of Pixantrone NDA submission on track for second quarter 2009Â (PRNewswire)
- Kendle profits down in 1Q, plans cost cuts (Business Courier of Cincinnati)
- Huntington has $1 billion for Ohio business (Columbus Dispatch)
- Mental-health cuts carry hefty price, advocates warn (Columbus Dispatch)Â
- New Medtronic heart device uses NASA ‘super plastic’ (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
- Grassley, sticking around at Finance, talks health with Obama (Wall Street Journal Health blog)
- Busted IPO market presents opportunity for some VCs (Wall Street Journal Health blog)
- CMS proposed $390 million in Medicare nursing home cuts(HealthLeaders Media)