WTVG-- May 15, 2006 -- Less invasive procedures are available that provide tauter, fresher looking skin for less money than traditional surgeries such as facelifts

The search for the fountain of youth often leads to the plastic surgeon. As baby boomers age, they want to find something to help them look as young on the outside as they feel on the insdie. More and more of them are picking the needle over the knife and that's true in Toledo.

Since 2000, the number of facelifts has gone down by nearly 20%, but Botox injections increased 388%. In fact, virtually all kinds of non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures outpaced traditional plastic surgeries. It's a shift to a more subtle approach and one that's cheaper too.

Lynn is in her mid 50s. She wants to smooth out some of the fine lines on her face. Debbie is in her mid 40's. She'd like to slow down the natural aging process. And Theresa, who's in her mid 30's, doesn't like the flabby underside of her upper arms. These women are part of an explosion in cosmetic surgery. They're among the more than 8 million people in this country who last year opted for minimally invasive or non-invasive procedures to reverse time and halt gravity with subtle results.

Local doctors say non-invasive and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures are so popular because of virtually no downtime, and they're relatively painless, both physically and financially. Plastic surgeon Dr. John Zavell said, "I think they want to get back to work as soon as they can and these techniques afford them the opportunity to do that." And they're more affordable. They range from a few hundred for botox to a few thousand for some of the new technology. But way less than the eight to ten thousand dollars for a facelift, which requires weeks of recovery.

One of the newer technologies is called thermage, which Debbie is getting. Registered nurse Cathy Glanz has been doing thermage for two years under the direction of board-certified plastic surgeons in this practice. She says this is not for someone who expects the results of a face lift. The results are very subtle. No one will come up to you and say 'What did you have done?' They'll say, 'My goodness you're in a good mood today'."

Thermage is basically radio frequency to tighten skin and increase collagen. You can see the results on Debbie immediately after Cathy does her left side. And Cathy says the results become more noticable in four to six months when new collagen grows. The treatment stings: Debbie describes it as a hot needle or bee sting. It takes about two hours and can cost around $2,000 but Debbie was fine that afternoon. In fact she put on her makeup and went back to work.

While thermage is new, a tried and true procedure that's hotter than ever is the chemical peel. Lynn opted for a TCA peel which is an acid that essentially burns the top layer of skin then, in about a week, peels off, leaving smoother softer skin behind It's way more potent than an over-the-counter drug store peel.

Lynn just gets a Tylenol, no sedative, and it does burn. And while the procedure only lasts about a half hour, the recovery tme is longer. Dr. Zavell said, "She can wear makeup once she finishes peeling and the peels are typically completed in five to seven days." Chemical peels are incredibly popular, more than a million done in the U.S. last year.

That's right up there with liposuction and that includes a new kind of minimally invasive liposuction called "vaser liposelection." Dr. Zavell says it's "a form of liposuction that involves ultrasound waves that heat up the skin and tighten and contract the area." That's what Theresa is having. This does require mild sedation, not general anesthesia.

In the small incision in Theresa's arm, the doctor inserts the vaser. Dr. Zavell says, "Off the tip of this probe, ultrasound waves go into the fat to break it up." It actually liquefies it. After the doctor does that with the vaser, he sucks out the melted fat, so in less than an hour "the heat from the vaser, combined with her natural healing will help shrink this." A few days later, Theresa had some tenderness and bruising, but says she feels great.

These newer procedures are remarkably popular and remarkably profitable. Americans spent $9.4 billion on cosmetic surgery in 2005. This worries Sylvania plastic surgeon Bethanne Snodgrass, who's written a book that'll be published in the fall called "The Makeover Myth." She says, "Patients are really consumers now and some people providing cosmetic medical services are basically retailers and there are a lot of risks involved and a lot of opportunity for deception and ways of taking people's money for very little if any benefit."

She's not talking about doctors like John Zavell and his colleagues who are all board certified plastic surgeons and operate an accredited facility. But she hopes her book will help consumers wade through all the information and make smart choices about the procedures and the people who do them.. "There is a lot of money to be made. This is an extremely lucrative business and there are plenty of doctors offering very good services and there are plenty of people taking advantage of this consumer interest. So the old axiom applies: buyer beware."

Dr. Zavell couldn't agree more. "Surprisingly, you don't have to be a surgeon to say that you do cosmetic procedures. You can graduate from medical school and set up a shingle saying 'I'm doing cosmetic surgery' when, in fact, you've never held a scalpel. " He says also make sure they offer patient testimonials and before and after pictures of the work they've done. And once you make your choice, you too can burn, zap or melt the years away.

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