Does he or doesn’t he? President Obama’s absence of frown lines is called ‘Botox Optimism’ by the press
Beauty didn’t used to be a topic in serious business magazines like Forbes or the Wall Street Journal. Over the decades, the notion that youth is inextricably linked to the skill set enabling a great leader to tackle an all-consuming job such as president has gripped popular culture. In some circles in the most recent presidential election, BOTOXTM became as much a discussion as rightwing and leftwing leanings. Realself.com asked its readership the bold question, “Will Obama be the top Botox salesman of the year?”
“President Obama’s youthfulness is largely due to his ethnicity,” says Jeffrey Raval, MD, FACS and American Board certified facial plastic surgeon in Denver, CO. Darker-skinned people have more subcutaneous fat in their skin which makes their skin stay plumper and more youthful looking much longer in life. “He’d look even younger if he’d quit smoking.”
Dr. Raval has witnessed an increase in the demand for Botox among his female and male patients over the last half year. As the appetite for Botox among Dr. Raval’s patient base has increased, it’s the Doctor’s theory that this trend is more about the economy than it is politics. “Patients are opting for more non-invasive treatments like Botox and fillers and putting off major surgeries like facelifts,” explains Dr. Raval who is also American Board certified ear-nose-throat physician.
When money is tight, even upscale patients are more likely to opt for less expensive treatments vs. foregoing beauty treatments altogether.
Time magazine reports that the number of men in the U.S. who paid to get a series of tiny injections in their face nearly tripled from 2001 to 2007-to 300,000, or about 7% of the total Botoxed population. And despite the recession, those numbers aren’t going down yet; one of the many things the laid-off cannot afford is to look their age.
The Boston Globe reports that the demand for the anti-wrinkle injection remains strong even as the current U.S. economic slowdown has hurt sales of other high-end items like designer handbags and fine jewelry.
Forbes magazine reports that Americans spent just over $13 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2007; $8.3 billion was for surgical procedures and $4.7 billion for nonsurgical procedures.
The Wall Street Journal reported that some older patients who are putting off or forgoing expensive facelifts are instead opting for less-costly injections and laser treatments.
Nearly three of four plastic surgeons who responded to a survey in Fall 2008 conducted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (a professional group representing 6,700 surgeons) reported that demand has increased or held steady for minimally invasive procedures, including Allergan Inc.’s Botox anti-wrinkle drug, dermal fillers used to plump up lips and smile lines, and skin-smoothing chemical peels. The survey also found a steep drop in demand for plastic surgeries ranging from breast augmentation to nose reshaping.