CHICAGO, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- The sagging U.S. economy means more people are holding off on cosmetic surgery, consumer and plastic surgeon polls indicate.
The two polls are being released in conjunction with the annual scientific meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which begins Friday.
In March, and again in October, the doctors group conducted identical economic surveys of women considering cosmetic plastic surgery within the next two years.
They found:
-- 59 percent of respondents say the economy has had an impact on their plans for cosmetic plastic surgery -- up 9 percent from six months ago.
-- 48 percent are less likely to schedule a consultation appointment now compared to 30 percent six months ago.
-- 27 percent of the survey participants indicated they were considering less expensive options, compared with 20 percent six months ago.
Society members also were polled and asked to compare the first six months of 2008 to the first six months of 2007.
Sixty-two percent reported a decrease in cosmetic procedures, 62 percent a decrease in breast augmentation, 64 percent a decrease in liposuction, 49 percent a decrease eye-lid surgery and 44 percent a decrease in nose reshaping.
The margin of error is plus/minus 4.8 percentage points.
