September 2004

11% of Americans elect noninvasive cosmetic treatments

Eleven percent of American adults report having had some type of noninvasive cosmetic treatment, according to the results of a new Harris Interactive poll of 2,719 U.S. adults, conducted online for the Wall Street Journal Online’s Health Industry Edition.

Five percent of polled adults admit to having had some type of invasive cosmetic treatment, such as lasik surgery for eyes, cosmetic surgery of any type, bariatric surgery and liposuction.

Noninvasive cosmetic treatments appear to be more popular, with 9 percent having teeth whitening, bonding or other cosmetic dental work and smaller numbers (1 percent) having facial skin resurfacing treatments, laser treatments for veins, hair removal and similar treatments.

“While Americans seem increasingly concerned about the costs of healthcare, there is also a sector of the public that is willing to pay for a variety of elective cosmetic procedures,” says Katherine Binns, senior vice president of healthcare at Harris Interactive.

The survey also showed that although allopathic physicians provide much of the noninvasive cosmetic treatments, other medical professionals provide a substantial portion of them. For example, 26 percent of laser treatments for veins, hair removal and similar procedures are done by other medical professionals and 44 percent of facial skin resurfacing treatments are done by other medical professionals.

Survey results are published in the Wall Street Journal Online, www.wsj.com/health.

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