WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderSagging Economy Doesn't Prevent Patients from Getting Plastic Surgery

Sagging Economy Doesn't Prevent Patients from Getting Plastic Surgery

By Samantha Ptashkin

ROCKFORD- Money is tight, but that's not stopping patients from visiting cosmetic surgeons to get some tightening of their own. Most cosmetic surgeries run in the thousands of dollars. A face lift is about $8,000 these days, but cosmetic surgery has always been based on psychological wishes. It's not something people need, so those who get surgeries are people who have that extra money to spend.

From breast implants, to Botox, to face lifts, patients want to get rid of their sagging body parts, despite the sagging economy.

Mary Lou, 64, works at a cosmetic surgery office. She's undergone both a facelift and a tummy tuck in the past eight years and says "I feel much better about myself."

That's why others undergoing cosmetic procedures continue seeing surgeons despite the costs. "People going to cosmetic surgery know that it's going to be more than most surgeries, but the results and the rewards are worth it," Mary Lou says.

Dr. Jerome Weiskopf has worked as a surgeon for 31 years. He says the number of patients coming in hasn't decreased because of the faltering economy. "The less jobs there are, the more people feel like they need to impress people with their physical appearance."

"Some people think it's selfish, but for people who have had surgery they just feel much better about themselves and their self worth goes up," Mary Lou says.

Another reason why the number of cosmetic patients hasn't declined is because a lot of the people that undergo surgeries like face lifts are older and financially stable.