October 23, 2009
Plastic Surgery Can Often Gauge The Economy, Says Dr. Nikolov
Plastic surgery is on a huge surge in
American culture where more than $10
billion was expended on it in 2008, a figure
expected to quadruple by 2015.
The old saying “youth is wasted on
the young” rings with a high shrill these
days. The advent of modern technology
and the Internet has gone the fastest period
of modernization ever to the business
environment. Looking savvy and vibrant
often means the difference between
becoming employed or staying employed.
One must have experience and a youthful
fresh appearance to stay competitive
whether in the executive suite or in the
general workforce.
During these challenging times, plastic
surgery-what was once considered a
luxury of the rich and famous-has
become a necessity. That is the prime reason
that plastic surgeons are seeing a
resurgence of patient activity.
Since Beverly Hills is the acknowledged
“world leader” in plastic surgery,
we asked Bedford Drive practitioner Dr.
Nicholas Nikolov, who performs leadingedge
aesthetic and reconstructive procedures
on a broad spectrum of people of all
ages, for his observations on today’s
trends.
• More patients are having facelifts at
a much younger age and are not letting
themselves go to the point where the
transformation is greater and more noticeably
dramatic; therefore, keeping the surgery
more inconspicuous.
• They are turning to less invasive procedures
such as endoscopic or shorter scar
techniques to freshen the face and keep a
more continuous youthful look.
• Moderate sized breasts are more popular
now for breast augmentations and
reductions, because they do not look “over
done,” allowing the patient to appear slimmer
and more elegant in clothing and
bathing suits. (Dr. Nikolov also notices that
when the economy is buoyant, breast
implant choices tend to be larger. When the
economy is deflated the breast implant
choices are for smaller breasts as did the
popularity of shorter and longer length
skirts which signaled the economic swings
of the country.)
• Liposuction techniques have
improved greatly in the last several years,
allowing plastic surgeons to remove fat
more effectively while also limiting the
amount of skin laxity afterward. Newer
technologies give far more “sculpting and
contouring” options to the patient to enable
faster healing while providing better
detailed results overall.
• Many patients opt for the “Nick-
Tuck” which is a stay-awake facelift procedure.
(It was perfected by Dr. Nikolov for
patients who won’t or should not go under
general anesthesia for personal or medical
reasons without compromising the outcome.)
Dr. Nikolov is a diplomat of the
American Board of Plastic Surgery and the
American Board of Surgery. He is currently
on staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, St.
John’s Health Center and Olympia Medical
Center. His website is: www.drnikolov. com.
