Plastic Surgery Goes Mainstream

Plastic surgery has historically been viewed as an exclusive and costly service only the rich and famous could afford to pursue. Not anymore.

With even the most dramatic and promising cosmetic surgery procedures becoming safer, more common and far less complicated than ever as well as a growing inventory of options now available for financing, plastic surgery of all forms is becoming an increasingly popular life-enhancement choice for the middle class.

As a plastic surgeon in California I can say that our plastic surgery center in Beverly Hills is a good case in point. People in the entertainment industry seeking enhancement surgeries and other cosmetic reconstruction now share seats in our waiting room with mothers from the suburbs, college coeds and a growing number of men from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. At our center, we may have many clients from the entertainment industry, but we treat everybody like a celebrity.

There is a distinct demographic shift taking place today. Plastic surgery is becoming a growing phenomenon among the middle class because the perception that it is exclusively an option for rich white women is waning. We are seeing people from all walks of life seeking cosmetic surgery ? people from a wide variety of age groups, ethnicities, family situations, and economic stations.

Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery also offers our patients customized financing packages to cover individual procedures, such the "Rodeo Drive Mommy Makeover" a popular choice for large numbers of Latino women in their 20''s and 30''s. The mommy makeover includes a tummy tuck, breast lift and frequently a breast augmentation with a small breast implant. The procedure helps the moms get their body back to the way it was before they began having babies.

Financing surgery is becoming a popular option for those who do not have cash set aside. Others are socking money away for a variety of procedures, much as they would for any luxury item or family vacation. A lot of people save up for the surgery, and others chose to do financing. They are shifting their views on the expenses involved and see surgery as an important investment and first step toward an enhancement plan for the rest of their lives.

Part of the change comes because today''s plastic surgery is performed using improved technology. This results in less expensive and safer procedures with less down time. So now people with responsibilities both at work and at home can take time out for procedures, removing plastic surgery from the exclusive provenance of the leisure class.

We also are doing most cosmetic surgery procedures in outpatient surgery centers which greatly improves the ease and convenience of procedures when compared to those done in the hospital setting.

Lloyd M. Krieger, MD is a plastic surgeon in California and medical director of Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, which specializes in breast augmentation.