Understanding the Advertising Hype in Plastic Surgery

The tremendous popularity and prevalence of plastic surgery in the past decade has led to widespread advertising and promotion, both locally and on the internet. Much of plastic surgery promotion today is geared towards the selling points of minimal downtime and faster recoveries after procedures. Emphasis has clearly been placed, intentionally or unintentionally, on the concept that much can be achieved with little 'effort' on the patient's behalf. But is this advertising angle valid or merely hype?

One plastic surgery technique that really lives up to its hype are the injectables. If it comes out of a needle, such as Botox and soft tissue fillers, it usually works very well often even better than what actual surgery can achieve. Surgery can not replicate the effect that Botox has on undesired facial expressions although its effects are only temporary. Botox really does work well and there is no recovery. Ditto can be said for all of the injectable fillers. Whether it be for lip enhancement or reduction of deep folds around the mouth and lip area, the sheer simplicity and immediate results that fillers create make it worth its temporary effects.

When it comes to laser therapies, however, this is where the hype often exceeds the actual results....or there is a mismatch in the understanding of the results vs. the recovery. People are under the mistaken impression that if it is done with a 'laser' it must be better, faster, and more effective. This is the 'Star Trek' or 'Star Wars' mentality. A laser is a high-energy, high heat device that can cause actual tissue damage. When it comes to facial skin resurfacing, for example, you are creating a burn. If the burn is very little, then not much recovery is needed...usually with minimal results. If a deep burn is done...a great result can be achieved at the expense of a big recovery. Laser hair removal is another example of hyped advertising. While laser hair removal can be very effective, it is not painless, is not fast, and a completely smooth permanent result is rarely achieved. While laser hair removal is clearly better long-term than waxing or electrolysis, it is not as ideal as that ad would suggest. Pulsed light (not laser) therapies are also over-promoted compared to what their results can actually deliver. I like pulsed light therapies for the elimination of brown spots and fine vascular lesions but its effectiveness at smoothing wrinkles and thickening or tightening skin is clearly fanciful.

When it comes to actual invasive surgery, less is less and more is more. The more limited the surgical procedure, the more limited the result that is achieved. A small operation cannot achieve a big result, plain and simple. A limited facelift (Lifestyle Lift, Quicklift, whatever name you like) will not get the same result as a full facelift, for example. What you trade-off for a quick recovery is less of an operation and less of a result. And there is nothing wrong with that...as long as you understand it. My basic rule is this...

Small operation, small recovery, small cost equals....small result. Big operation, big recovery, big cost equals.....big result. The line between these two is never crossed, despite the allure of how it is presented in an advertisement.