Even health alerts can't slow $14 billion spent last year on anti-aging

10/02/2002

By Sherry Jacobson / The Dallas Morning News

Americans' search for a fountain of youth may be as elusive as Ponce de Leon's, but that doesn't stop them from spending billions of dollars in determined pursuit.

They ingest mountains of vitamins, slather on tons of creams, and undergo thousands of face-lifts every year. Some people may question the risks and expense of this endless quest for youth, but not even government warnings have been able to slow it down.

Americans spent an estimated $14 billion last year on products and procedures that purport to keep them looking younger. It is a booming market, according to experts on aging, because it targets people who are increasingly self-conscious about their wrinkles and are earning enough money to do something about them. Insurance seldom covers the cost.

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Sales keep surging

Last year, Americans paid plastic surgeons almost $7 billion for various cosmetic procedures, largely in an effort to turn back the clock, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (That amount does not include money spent on face-lifts and other wrinkle-reducing procedures performed by other types of doctors.)

Sales of herbal and dietary supplements, some purporting to fight the effects of aging, reached $5.8 billion in 2000, according to the U.S. General Accounting Office, which issued a warning last year about serious physical harm that can come from ingesting certain anti-aging products.

"Many older Americans use these supplements to maintain overall health, increase energy, improve memory ... as well as to slow the aging process," concluded the GAO study. "Some dietary supplements can have potentially serious health consequences for seniors."

Americans also spent $1.7 billion in 2001 on beauty products that promised to make them look younger, according to industry analysts. Consumers are tackling their wrinkles with special face creams, sought the glow of youth with anti-aging moisturizers and tried to sprout hair on balding heads with various concoctions.

"When everybody has all kinds of disposable income, eternal youth is sought at any cost," observed Dr. Larry Millikan, dermatology professor at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.

New class for products

The sales have been so good in recent years that manufacturers created a new category for these over-the-counter products to set them apart from pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The term cosmeceutical was coined to suggest a scientific grounding for skin care and hair growth products that are meant to reduce the effects of aging.

By 2006, U.S. sales of cosmeceuticals are expected to reach $3.7 billion, analysts say, mainly thanks to the country's aging population and a never-ending lineup of new products that promise physical rejuvenation.

'Very blurry' process

CryoDerm is an example of the sort of product in this new category. Noel Aguilar, who helped create the topical skin treatment for DNA Health Institute in Camarillo Estates, Calif., said it is derived from bovine stem cells.

Asked to explain scientifically how the product transforms aging skin, he said, "It's very blurry as to what is doing what."

Dr. Aguilar was in Dallas recently, touting his product for its transforming effect on skin, but added that his company wants to do further research to understand how exactly it works.

"We understand it has an immediate effect on the skin," he said of the preparation, which is sold frozen and applied to skin for $50 to $150 per treatment, depending on whether a trained aesthetician or a doctor does it.

Medical experts frown on such claims, particularly when there is no published scientific research to back them up. Experts who work with stem cells say the research has not reached the level where it can be applied to skin treatments.

13 million procedures

While some doctors may be critical of unproven claims, others have taken a major role in the growth of the anti-aging industry, particularly plastic surgeons. Last year, they performed 13 million nonsurgical cosmetic procedures, including Botox and collagen injections, nearly twice as many as they did surgical procedures (7 million), including the removal of tumors, which accounts for more than half of the surgeries.

"Some patients are looking for a quick fix – body contouring and liposuction. But to do it well and make it permanent, you have to integrate diet, exercise and a changed lifestyle," said Dr. Rod Rohrich, chairman of plastic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

'Long-lasting results'

Still, Dr. Rohrich said he has more and more patients in their 40s who want face-lifts as a way to manage early signs of aging. He complies with such requests because, he says, "when you do it early, you get better and even more long-lasting results."

Dr. Millikan at Tulane says the majority of his dermatology students are willing to help their patients in this quest for a youthful appearance rather than just stick with traditional medical practices.

"When you go full bore into cosmetics, there's a big down payment," he warns them, starting with the $500,000 cost of laser equipment used for popular facial resurfacing.

Still, the lure of cash-paying patients is hard for doctors to ignore, he said. "Cosmetics is a good way for doctors to get a good cash flow."

With billions of dollars already in the anti-aging pipeline, the future for willing doctors appears to be glowing.

Article courtesy of the Dallas Morning News