American women are cutting back on breast enhancements, according to Allergan and Mentor, the country’s two breast-implant companies.

The downturn was especially noticeable in the second quarter of 2008, said plastic surgeon Dr. Foad Nahai of Atlanta, who chairs the breast surgery committee of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

The drop in breast implants is part of a downturn in cosmetic surgeries overall, he said.

Surgeries for Mentor implants were down in the fiscal quarter that ended June 27, the Santa Barbara-based company reported Thursday, July 31.

Irvine-based Allergan reported similar news on Wednesday, July 30. “In the U.S., it is pretty clear that the number of augmentation procedures has declined year-over-year,” Chairman David Pyott said about Allergan’s implant sales.

The companies’ financial statements confirmed reports last spring that the slowing economy was affecting plastic surgeons.

“It’s a matter of money,” said plastic surgeon Dr. Sanjay Grover (left) of Newport Beach, president of the Orange County Society of Plastic Surgeons. “People definitely remain interested, especially in breast augmentation and non-surgical procedures. But they are shopping around more.”

He made that comment in April after an informal survey of society members revealed that business was slowing for several plastic surgeons.

Breast augmentations were the most popular type of cosmetic surgery for women last year, with an estimated 399,440 operations performed, according to the national surgeons’ society. Nahai (right) said:

At least up to the end of 2007 there was a steady increase in breast augmentation with breast implants.

However, in 2008 and especially the second quarter, there is no question that there has been a noticeable downturn involving all cosmetic surgical procedures and not just breast augmentation. I would therefore confirm that given the economic situation there has been a slight down turn. In our area, the Southeast, this has not been dramatic and we are optimistic that it will be a temporary slowdown.

Signs of the slowdown were mixed in Orange County.

Plastic surgeon Dr. John Di Saia of San Clemente, for example, said the pace of new breast augmentations is down, but there’s been less of a drop in the numbers of women who come in to redo former breast procedures and for breast lifts.

Plastic surgeon Dr. Milind K. Ambe of Newport Beach said that, year to date, breast procedures at his practice were up 11 percent compared to 2007, including both new implants and revisions. Overall his practice has been particularly busy in recent months, he said, despite declining sales of breast implants industrywide:

I have spoken to the breast implant sales reps, who say that, in general, sales are definitely down for most surgeons (which is presumably due to the economy), but fortunately, up until this point, we have not seen this trend in my practice. For May, June, and July of 2008, the total number of surgical procedures in my practice (compared to 2007 for
these same three months) is up 17 percent.

Beyond Orange County, the picture also is mixed. Plastic surgeon Dr. Tony Youn of Michigan said the continued popularity of silicone gel breast implants, which were banned until late 2006, keeps him busy. But his patients are less likely to get liposuction these days:

I’ve not experienced a decline in breast augmentations. I think the carry over of the gel implant availability continues, at least in my practice. I am still seeing numbers increase, although my liposuction numbers have definitely gone down.

For both Allergan and Mentor, the financial impact of the drop in implant operations was offset by women’s increasing adoption of silicone implants, which cost more than saline implants.

Grover said silicone implants remain popular despite their higher cost:

We read about a slowdown in the economy everyday, but we are still seeing many patients interested in cosmetic surgery procedures especially breast augmentation. We had thought that we might see more patients opting for saline implants instead of silicone implants as they are significantly cheaper, but that has not been the case.

Most of our patients are opting for silicone implants as long as they are 22 years of age or older as those under 22 can only opt for saline implants according to FDA regulations.

Neither Allergan nor Mentor reported specific numbers for domestic sales of implants.

In each case, the company’s international sales increased, so overall revenues from breast implants were up for both Mentor and Allergan.

Mentor said its implant revenues totaled $93.9 million in the latest quarter, up 11 percent from a year ago.

Allergan sold $88.5 million worth of breast implants, up 12.2 percent from a year ago. Allergan said the gain included of a 7.1 percent rise in implants sold and a 5.1 percent increase due to the falling value of the dollar.

Related links:

• Slumping economy hits medspas
• Pros and cons of breast implants
• Breast implants are like cell phones – much loved, but a problem
• Botox, fillers more popular despite slow economy (July 2008)
• Amid slowing economy, Solana medspa chain goes bankrupt
• Demand for plastic surgery drops; O.C. stereotype remains strong
• Some doctors have cut Botox prices to ease economic pain
• Breast implant popularity keeps growing despite economy, Mentor says (May 20080
• Economy nips at O.C. plastic surgery

For more on cosmetic medicine, click on links at the right side of this blog.

Posted in: Allergan • OC • Allergan • Breast implants and breast lifts • Economics/finance • Mentor |

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