With the growing popularity of inexpensive procedures, such as Restylane, prospective patients are learning that their appearance issues can be addressed in smaller, more financially and psychologically managable pieces.

Take Chicago area patient Laura Garcia. Over 10 years ago, her young cousin, sitting in her lap took a healthy tug on her earring, leaving her with a stretched earlobe that sagged progressively more and more over the next ten years.

Rather than let it continue or take steps to have a lengthy and involving invassive surgical procedure, she opted for going the route advocated by a growing number of plastic surgeons: restylane injections.

For years, plastic surgery has been synonymous with face lifts, nose jobs and breast enhancement. However, as trends change, plastic surgeons are focusing on smaller appearance issues and less invassive and expensive procedures, as was the case with Ms. Garcia.

In spite of the questionable economy, the plastic surgery industry reported moderate growth in the U.S. last year and the procedures that grew most were facial fillers, injectables and other non-invassive procedures. Surgeons are anticipating their patients’ needs and responding with cheaper and in many cases, safer alternatives to traditional, invassive procedures.

…And now, the Restylane video…

Traditional plastic surgery procedures can still have certain connotations attached to them; that they’re sought after by the financially well off and somewhat older cross-section of society. However, the inverse of that idea is that physical appearance can drastically influence success or failure in people’s personal and proffessional lives at just about any age.

Especially for people in highly competitive industries, where youthful exuberance and energy are equated with professional success, facial fillers like Restylane are giving people an alternative to plastic surgery that’s convenient, relatively inexpensive and in many cases, safer than the traditional invasive procedures.

This begs the question “Is plastic surgery always about vanity?” If medical insurance can (at least partially) cover costs for having procedures such as Restlyane injections for certain types of jobs like T.V. news anchors and fashion models, the short answer the aforementioned question would be “no”.

This doesn’t mean, however, that the same kind of research and understanding by potential patients shouldn’t be exercised as it would for traditional cosmetic surgery. Not all medical professionals are cosmetic surgery experts and just because someone holds a degree in medicine, this is no guarantee that they posses any kind of specialty skills in cosmetic surgery and ill-informed patients end up paying the price.

It is imperative as a potential patient to do your research, by finding a well-qualified (board certified?) physician, with experience and the appropriate training to administer any kind of cosmetic enhancement, regardless of how involving or invasive the procedure is.