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The amount of women who decide to get Botox injections, collagen injections, and other similar procedures has risen fifteen percent over last year’s figures, meaning that for the first time over a million women are undergoing these types of procedures. There is no shortage of information available about some of the risks of Botox injections. They can have unwanted results, including resulting in a face lacking in emotional flexibility. Regardless of this, Botox is now being viewed by many as a normal part of women’s lives as they grow older.

Men are not immune to these changes either. Research conducted by Mintel predicts that as many as nineteen million women and men would undergo such procedures if they could afford the bill. Of the cosmetic options that do not require surgery, Botox is by far the most desired option. Botox is used to paralyze the movement of muscles in the face, which causes wrinkles to be smoothed out. And despite some of the high profile mistakes made on people who receive collagen injections and other lip enhancing procedures, there is a very large market for them as well. As an example, the actress Lesley Ash was left with a disfigured face when a lip enhancement procedure failed.

Another growing industry is the market for face lift procedures that do not require surgery. These dubiously called “organic face lifts” have become popular enough that the Duchess of Cornwall was recently discovered to have been receiving them. The specifics of the procedure are not known at this point, but it involves using bee venom as a replacement for Botox. According to the research conducted by Mintel, “With high profile celebrities – and now even royalty – choosing to help nature with fillers and lifts, non-surgical procedures have never been so popular, as numbers have passed the one million barrier for the first time in 2009.”

In addition to the non surgical options, plastic surgery itself grew by nine percent from 2008 to 2010. The most popular of these options is breast enhancement, a procedure in which saline bags are placed inside women’s breasts. Eyebag removal came in second, followed by surgery to the neck and face, the stomach, liposuction, nose jobs, and eyebrow lifts.

As a whole, the cosmetic treatment industry grew by seventeen percent over the past two years, reaching two point three billion pounds. The non surgical segment of the market has seen especially high growth. The main factor is thought to be the increased accessibility of such treatments. Mintel also discovered that only a third of the population feels like they don’t need plastic surgery.

As dermatological technology advances, simple cosmetic treatments such as facial fillers and Botox are no longer primarily targeted for women. Men are increasingly taking advantage of cosmetic enhancements as well, to help fight signs of age and to increase professional marketability. Men looking for an affordable alternative to invasive cosmetic surgery are turning to facial fillers, Botox, and other non-invasive cosmetic treatments in lieu of opting for costly traditional cosmetic surgery.

Non surgical treatments such as facial fillers and Botox, compared to going under the knife via face lifts and other invasive cosmetic procedures, are affordable, quick, and require minimal recovery time. However, non surgical treatments offer very similar results to surgery, by filling out the temple area, smoothing wrinkles, and eliminating sun spots from an aging face. Even nose jobs can be achieved with non surgical cosmetic treatments, by using an injectable wrinkle filler to straighten noses and smooth bumps.

Results from non surgical cosmetic treatments are instantaneous, making these cosmetic options increasingly attractive to men as well as women. In particular, the popularity of skin peels has exceeded that of facelifts among British women.

A struggling global economy has seen job seekers looking for innovative ways to increase their odds of landing a job. The job market is brutal, and competition for jobs is fierce. A younger and more energetic appearance may help job candidates look more desirable in the eyes of a hiring manager.

The global recession may have had some impact on the increasing popularity of non surgical cosmetic procedures for other reasons, as well. The simple explanation is that the procedures are much less costly than traditional cosmetic surgery. This may explain the increased popularity of skin peels among women. Also, due to the decreased recovery time, patients find they are able to return to work right away. Patients without paid leave are more likely to invest in cosmetic treatments when they are not required to miss work in order to do so.

For these reasons, non invasive cosmetic treatments have increased by five per cent in the last year. The bottom line is that non surgical cosmetic treatments offer many of the same results that traditional cosmetic surgery offered, at a fraction of the cost and recovery. With such easy ways to enhance the appearance of an aging face, it’s no wonder that these treatments have increased in popularity among men and women alike.