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April 20th, 2013 
Australians spent more than $773 million on ‘non-invasive” cosmetic procedures last year, an almost 20 per cent increase on 2011. File image
Source: Supplied
OUR love affair with looking younger without surgery has seen a boom in treatments and a bill that will hit a billion dollars by 2015.
Figures from The Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia– which represents doctors in all states as well as Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore – show Australians spent more than $773 million on “non-invasive” cosmetic procedures last year, an almost 20 per cent increase on 2011.
And the big ticket items are anti-wrinkle treaments and dermal fillers ie: treatments that smooth out wrinkles and puff up lips.
Of the people who underwent non-surgical cosmetic treatments in 2012:
- 96.7% were women
- Most were aged 36-40
- More than half spent between $1000 and $5000
- For people in their 20s, the most popular treatment was Microdermabrasion (62%) and laser hair removal (51%)
- For people over 30, most popular treatment was muscle relaxants and dermal fillers (55%) followed by microdermabrasion (53.5%)
- The most important factors for having a treatment were to “feel better about themselves” (57.7%) and “increase their confidence” (44.3%).
CPSA President Dr Gabrielle Caswell said while plastic surgery such as breast augmentations and facelifts have declined in popularity, spending on non-surgical procedures like laser hair removal and microdermabrasion has grown by about 20 per cent every year since 2008.
Dermal fillers – injections which add volume to the face to sculpt and reshape it – are the most popular, up 25 per cent on 2011, while spending on anti-wrinkle treatments like Botox and Dysport injections grew by 15 per cent.
“I think you can put it down to increased safety, better technology, more educated patients and it’s also about affordability,” Dr Caswell said.
“Previously you might undergo a surgical procedure that might cost $10,000 to $15,000 and you’d have to take a month’s down time and be under general anaesthetic. Now you can have something done at a fraction of the cost with just seven days’ down time.”
Dr Caswell, who runs clinics across New South Wales and Queensland, said the “social phenomenon” of looking younger in middle age was also a contributor.
“We have a lot of women in their late 40s and mid 50s who are in the media now who never used to be, they’re a lot more visible now, so looking good in middle age is something I believe is a social phenomenon,” she said.
Marketing professional Heather Anschau, 25, regularly has Botox treatments as a ‘preventative measure” against wrinkles in older age. Picture: John Fotiadis
“There’s a whole social shift that’s got a lot to do with changing social attitudes.”
Social analyst David Chalke puts says Australia’s ageing population and growing affluent middle classes are driving the increased spend on cosmetic procedures.
“You’ve now got a growing number of women being confronted with the effects of ageing and they’re attempting to stem or reverse that, which is why you’ll also find an explosion in the market for anti ageing creams,” he said.
“The cult of beauty continues to grow worldwide, particularly in countries where there is a growing middle class and certainly amongst the wealthy in China and India.
“Whereas having a nip and tuck and a boob job is very much for the stars, non-surgical treatments are like the equivalent of going to the dentist for a bit of a cleanup, that anyone can do.”
Sydney public relations manager Heather Anschau, 25, has been getting Botox injections since she was 21 as a “preventative measure” against wrinkles in older age.
“I was noticing frown lines between my two eyebrows, which is ironic because I hardly ever frown,” she said.
“I decided to get Botox because I didn’t want to have wrinkles when I was older. I’ve also played around with dermal fillers in my lips, and that was OK, but I found it wasn’t really necessary.”
Dr Christina Tan, of Melbourne Cosmetic Medicine in Carlton, said more people were opting for non-surgical procedures as the concept becomes more socially acceptable.
Janie Green, 52, regularly undergoes cosmetic procedures and thinks they are great. Picture: Calum Robertson
“Things like Botox and dermal fillers are definitely becoming more popular, because they’re becoming more acceptable from a mainstream perspective. There’s less stigma associated with the procedure,” she said.
Adelaide legal assistant Janie Green got her first Botox treatment several years ago when she turned 50, and now spends an average of $1500 a year on cosmetic procedures.
“I have Botox every six months, fillers once a year, there’s something called ‘Omnilux’ which is a light therapy which is supposed to stimulate collagen growth, dermabrasion, and I also like having a Hollywood eye lift, which is like an electric shock on your eyelid that stimulates the eye muscles, it lifts sagging eyelids,” she said.
“I would never do surgery, you don’t need to when you’ve got all these treatments. You get immediate results, it doesn’t hurt, there’s no downtime, it’s not overly expensive and immediately you look much younger.
“It’d be very hard to give it up now. You know when it’s time to get some more.”
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