New York : Americans appear to be finally falling out of love with cosmetic surgery after a new report revealed that the number of operations dropped by 18 per cent last year.
The new reluctance to have a facelift, a tummy tuck or a breast enlargement marks a dramatic turn away from procedures that a few years ago seemed almost commonplace.
Figures collated by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that 1.9 million operations took place last year, down from 2.1 million in 2005. One big factor cited by many plastic surgeons is the recession. The biggest downturn since the Great Depression has hit many high-end consumer industries.
"I believe one can credit the downturn of the economy for the decline in surgical procedures that obviously are more costly than non-surgical procedures," said Dr Elliot Jacobs, a leading New York plastic surgeon whose private surgery is on Park Avenue.
