Non-Surgical Facial Procedures: Hot Market for Plastic Surgeons Also Heats-Up Professional Competition

By Stewart Gandolf, Chief Executive Officer

closeup of a woman leaning her chin in her hands against white background To the surprise of hardly anyone, the number of non-surgical facial procedures spiked dramatically last year. The data, according to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), says that 75 percent of the procedures performed by Academy surgeons in 2010 were non-surgical. Moreover, the number of nonsurgical procedures has grown by 16 percent. The most common non-surgical procedures last year were Botox and hyaluronic acid injections.

From a medical marketing point of view, the factors that propelled this growth spurt are what's interesting. For one thing, the AAFPRS report this month points to the trend that more people are choosing nonsurgical procedures in order to delay more invasive surgical procedures. Plus, the Academy mentions that a majority of surgical procedures increased in cost from 2009. It’s another face of the financially sensitive “New Normal” in society that we’ve written about previously.

If the upswing in non-surgical procedures represents an area of business growth for AAFPRS members, we would add that the competition is also heating-up—in part for the same reasons. People looking for non-surgical and less expensive alternatives are finding them in other professions and healthcare settings.

As we work in market areas around the nation we find that non-surgical options are now available to the public from an expanding list of professional providers. These include medispas, primary care offices, dermatologists, Ob/Gyns and even podiatry practices. (Plus the number of retail consumer cosmetic products for both women and for men has grown.)

Although the Academy reminds the public to seek qualified, trained and experienced surgeons, the competitive landscape in cosmetic and plastic surgery can seem noisy to the prospective patient. There’s more information about the AAFPRS report here. Plus you’ll find more about plastic surgery medical marketing and plastic surgery SEO on the HSS website.