Miami Plastic Surgery and the Pocketbook

The economy may be down, but that's not deterring people from getting plastic surgery in Miami.

Some doctors say patients are coming in because they want to look younger to compete for jobs. Some of them are even dipping into their retirement funds to finance their surgery. Patients ages 35 to 55 most often request face lifts, liposuction or neck lifts, while younger patients get liposuction, breast augmentation or routine skin care. Some people still want to look good, but spend less, so they're opting for less invasive procedures -such as Botox, Restylane or Juvederm -that are both cost effective and don't require a lot of downtime.

Some patients, unwilling to compromise, seek out promotions such as the one CG Cosmetic surgery is currently offering on the Brazilian butt lift with fat transfer. And, regardless of the economy, plastic surgery tends to be cyclical. For example, breast augmentations tend to spike in the Spring, right before swimsuit season.

Stats at a Glance (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery):

• In 2009, Americans spent about $10.5 billion on cosmetic work.
• Patients ranging in age from 35 to 50 had the most work done, nearly 4.5 million and 44% of the total.
• The top procedures chosen by women were breast augmentation, liposuction, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty and breast reduction.
• Women underwent more than 9 million cosmetic procedures, more than 90% of the total.
• There were nearly 10 million surgical and non-surgical procedures performed in the U.S. last year. Surgical procedures made up 15% of the total, while non-surgical work accounted for 85% of the total.