Emerging Medspas Change the Face of Babyboomers
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Not even a generation ago, face-lifts were done in the shadows. Women "went on vacation" or spent the summer away in order to recuperate in private. Similarly, plastic surgeons who did cosmetic surgery were in discrete offices, often difficult to find. You could even say that face-lift was a dirty word. Now, the "Extreme Makeover" generation has changed all that. And doctors and entrepreneurs are helping to bring the quest for youth and beauty literally down to street level by opening medical spas, or "medspas" in retail locations.
The evolving medspas offer spa services such as massage or facials, as well as nonsurgical cosmetic and anti-aging treatments that require a physician's supervision. Some of these include advanced techniques like Thermage, IPL Photofacials, and LippoDissolve. The standards such as Botox, chemical skin peels and laser hair removal are also offered. These medspas don't generally offer plastic surgery, but they are usually well connected to these services and provide referrals to doctors who do.
When they were first coming on scene, medspas were concentrated in very exclusive, high-income areas. But the desire of an aging generation to retain youthful appearances has propelled this industry into an explosion. Indeed, American's spent almost $20 billion last year on plastic surgery, medspa and day spa treatments.
And nonsurgical cosmetic procedures rose 51 percent from 2003 to 2004, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Women, and men, used to have to live with the slow deterioration of their external beauty, but now there are alternatives, and many are taking them.
Many business owners, doctors, chiropractors, and even dentists are banking on this trend to continue it's surge and expansion. Solana Medspas, a Laguna Beach company, plans to open 1,000 locations nationwide in the next seven years through their franchising.
The drive behind this trend is most obviously coming from the images in our magazines, and on our TV screens. The celebrities who seem ageless share their secrets, and a flood of patrons appear at the doors of medspas and doctors. And with adults living longer due to medical advances and attention to diet and health, the baby boomers who have grown up with unprecedented affluence, ease, and entitlement have found their fountain of youth. This generation just refuses to accept graceful aging as their reality.
Medspas fit into their patron's fast-paced life, which makes it even more appealing. A simple Botox treatment can be done in an afternoon appointment, and can help postpone the need for a more time-intensive procedure such as a face-lift for a long while. In fact, many patients are only interested in the less invasive techniques to save themselves the downtime.
Among the men, which equate to about 10 percent of the industry's clientele, laser hair removal is particularly popular. Even teenage boys are seeking the hairless look, trying to emulate the images on the covers of fitness magazines.
There are an estimated 700 medspas in the US now, but the prediction is that there will be nearly 10,000 within the next 10 years. The supply, meeting demand, will be fueled by the extreme profitability and a generation willing to spend their money to feel good about the way they look.
Medspa clients will spend an average of $700 on a trip to a medspa where they would only spend $150 for a visit to a traditional day spa. And for owners the high markup and low overhead can yield 30 to 40 percent profit. Because medspas offer some treatments that require medical supervision, the do have to have aestheticians and nurses with special training, and require government regulating. Still, their appeal is widening and so will their availability. In the not-too-distant future, there may be one in your neighborhood strip mall.
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