Dr. Jeffrey Rosenthal, director of Rosenthal Cosmetic Surgery and Skin Care Center in Fairfield, says the effects of cosmetic surgery become a self-fulfilling prophecy - increased self-confidence after surgery leads the world to treat the patient in a way that is consistent with their higher self-image.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

Cosmetic health care gains in popularity as stigmas fade

By DAVID TOTH

The graying of baby boomers coupled with the growing acceptance of medical intervention to improve physical appearance has contributed to the growth in the cosmetic health-care industry, local medical practitioners say.

"Baby boomers are reaching the magical (middle) age and they're physically healthier and economically more stable than their parents, and they want to maintain that healthy glow," said Dr. Jeffrey Rosenthal, director of Rosenthal Cosmetic Surgery and Skin-Care Center in Fairfield.

Longer-lasting health usually means a longer-lasting career. "There are a number of executives who tell me 'I'm looked at as slightly older and I have information to give out, but people are not listening or looking at me because I look older.'"

Figures released last year by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in the United States have increased by 44 percent in 2004 to nearly 11.9 million from the year before. Separate figures for Fairfield County were unavailable.

The most frequently performed procedure was Botox injection and the most popular surgical procedure was liposuction.

For the most part, the stigma has gone out of resorting to medical intervention to improve one's appearance, said Dr. Ben Schultz, owner of Brick Walk Esthetic Dentistry in Fairfield. "Cosmetic dentistry is a want, not a need. But nowadays, people don't have any problems doing what they want to do, not just what they need to do." Schultz cited shows such as "Extreme Makeover," where contestants undergo cosmetic surgery to improve their appearances with making these options more popular in the mainstream. Common cosmetic dental work includes veneers, crowns and bridges as well as tooth whitening.

Both Schultz and Rosenthal point to the crossover between cosmetic procedures. "The people who come to me usually do before or after they've done other types of surgery to improve their looks," Schultz said. It is common for a patient to have already undergone breast augmentation procedures or liposuction before she settles into Schultz's dental chair.

Rosenthal said some people who undergo Lasik surgery to correct their eyesight suddenly see the wrinkles after they are no longer hidden by glasses and decide to improve various parts of their bodies.

Schultz said most of his patients are in the 40-to-60-year-old category and that they span all income levels.

"It is a matter of prioritizing. You can buy a new car, but that might last you only a few years, as opposed to spending the money on your teeth, which may be a better long-term investment," he said.

Rosenthal said his patients cross the generation gap, although he added that most facelift candidates are women in their late 40s and early 50s.

Income levels of patients vary. "You don't have to be wealthy, or have an obsessive-compulsive nature to (undergo cosmetic surgery)," Rosenthal said.

He said the industry average income of a person undergoing cosmetic surgery is $50,000 a year.

Both Schultz and Rosenthal believe in the life-changing power of well-executed cosmetic procedures. Schultz cites a 58-year-old female patient who started dating shortly after she had her teeth revamped. Rosenthal spoke of a woman who was interviewing in vain for jobs. After receiving Botox treatment, she was finally hired. "Obviously there are other factors involved; however, tension brings out the wrinkles in someone's face and she believed she was being perceived as worried and intense," Rosenthal said.

In many ways, the effects of cosmetic surgery become a self-fulfilling prophecy as a person's self-confidence rises after looking and feeling better and the world begins to treat them in a way that is consistent with their self-image.