How to Get Your Money's Worth When Times are Tough

Now that the economy appears to be in recession, it is more important than ever to get your money's worth when spending for cosmetic procedures. While it is certainly an option not to have anything done, for many people that may not be the best choice. There are many studies that show that your appearance significantly affects how people react to you. This is always important, but it may be even more so now, when people are feeling stressed. If you appear more relaxed, others around you will likely feel more relaxed as well.

There is also good evidence that people who feel they look good, are happier and less likely to feel depressed. The goals are clear. The question is what is the most cost efficient way to achieve them.
We have seen patients who have spent $15,000 to $20,000 at a time on cosmetic surgery. Some of them were happy, some were not. Below is a list of some procedures that are, in my view, cost effective:
Botox: For a relatively modest sum, Botox can make you appear, and probably feel, more relaxed. There are two key elements here. First, don't scrimp on the amount of Botox used in an area. It is better to treat only one area, such as the frown lines (glabella). than to use suboptimal doses on more than one area. If you don't use enough Botox, the result will be poor and transient.
Also, it's important to keep up with your Botox. If you do, the muscles will atrophy and the Botox will last longer. Being able to spread out the Botox treatments from 3 to 4, 5 or even 6 months, without loss of effect, will give you significant savings.
Under eye fillers: This is a much more cost effective, and physiologic way of reducing lower lid bags, than the old lower lid blepharoplasty surgery. It is now recognized that many, if not most, of the individuals who had this surgery in the past, did not need it. Lower lid blepharoplasty is a procedure in decline. Filler is, for many people, the best and most cost effective procedure for eliminating the tired, aging look produced by lower lid bags.
Have Good Looking Skin: Studies have shown that the quality of the skin can add or subtract 20 years from an individual's appearance. Long term, the use of sunscreens Retin A and retrinol containing products can make a big difference at low cost. Unfortunately, they will not do much to undo pre-existing damage. Much faster results can be obtained with combination products, such as the Obagi system. Even more impressive and more rapid and long lasting results can be obtained with laser peels and the intense pulsed light (IPL). These treatments can make people look dramatically younger at a cost that is a fraction of that of a facelift or even a MACS-lift.

Gerald N. Bock MD
California Skin & Laser Center
Stockton & Lodi, CA