打完疫苗，该打美容针了？
随着新冠肺炎疫苗在美国各地继续推广，哪怕不太可能在更大的范围内实现群体免疫，人们也已经开始为今年夏天回归线下会议（私人会议和专业会议都是如此）做准备。
“人们似乎都急于在重返办公室之前做个医美手术。”曼哈顿第五大道Shafer诊所的创始人、美国整形外科医生协会的成员戴维·谢弗医生说，“因为现在，要是周一做了隆胸手术，周二就可以返回Zoom办公，没有同事会知道。”
美国医美行业的年增速为3.1%，2020年的市值预计将达到170亿美元，全球将超过500亿美元，预计到2026年，全球医美行业的规模将达到670亿美元。
皮肤美容明星专家保罗·贾罗德·弗兰克医生称：“包括我自己在内的大多数整形医生都正处在职业生涯中最繁忙的时刻，主要是因为人们在重返正常生活前，对医美具有巨大需求。”他著有《延缓衰老手册》（The Pro-Aging Playbook）一书，也是《延缓衰老》播客（The Pro-Aging Podcast）的创始人。
“由于我们是服务行业，只能够依靠自己的双手，因此在面对巨大的需求量时，我们可以提供的服务却是有限的。”
然而特别值得一提的是，微创或非侵入性的身体塑形疗法，例如SmartLipo、BodyTite和Coolsculpting等，正在逐渐受到顾客的追捧。这些项目使用激光、射频和电磁波来消除脂肪，不需要手术。在治疗过程中能够使用局部麻醉剂减轻不适，患者恢复速度更快，第二天就可以正常活动。
哈佛医学院的整形外科副教授、整形外科医生塞缪尔·林说：“随着天气变暖，人们从衣橱里拿出了夏装。和往年相比，过去几周内，塑形术成为了最受欢迎的医美手术之一。”
林医生说，选择塑形的大部分顾客都希望能够收紧皮肤，获得更“健美”的身材。
“那些在疫情期间保持积极生活方式的人，也可以通过塑形项目，去除顽固性脂肪沉积和因为减肥而产生的多余皮肤。”
美国整形外科医生协会最近进行了一项调查，以了解美国人在疫情开始一年多以后对医美手术的看法，包括他们最感兴趣的疗程、他们预订医美治疗的可能性等。
“结果显示，人们现在最关注的是身体整形，其中腹部塑形位居榜首，其次是抽脂术。”该协会的前主席艾伦·马塔拉索医生说，“女性受访者表示，隔离期间的体重变化是她们选择这些项目的最主要原因。疫情之前，因为时间和费用问题，这些项目被一推再推。但现在，因为减少了在餐厅、旅游和其他休闲活动中的支出，她们攒了一年多的钱足够为这些项目买单。”
在弗兰克医生的曼哈顿诊所，最受欢迎的服务发生了一些变化。
“由于现在人们仍然有空闲时间，他们想做一些侵入性更强的手术，这些手术在疫情前做的话，他们是没有时间来恢复的。”他解释说，“因此，最近做肿胀吸脂的人很多，因为人们想看到大变化，也能够接受更长的恢复时间。此外，新疗法美修斯也非常受欢迎，它可以溶解脂肪，紧致腹部、臀部和大腿的皮肤，不需要任何恢复时间。建议疗程是每周一次，每次30分钟，持续四周，共计四次治疗。”
位于纽约市的朱瓦皮肤和激光中心创始人、皮肤科医生布鲁斯·卡茨博士说，市场需求达到了历史最高——比往年至少高出25%至30%。他说，目前他最受欢迎的项目是减少脂肪团、减脂、紧致皮肤和增肌。其中包括QWO，首款用于治疗臀部中度到重度脂肪团的注射疗法，以及塑形疗程美修斯（每次30分钟，每疗程持续几周或几个月)，通过使用射频和高强度电磁场来减脂增肌。
“人们对塑形的需求非常大；显然我的客户已经准备走出家门，希望到时能够看起来很完美，可以拥有不错的心情。”卡茨医生说，“疫情期间人们坐着的时间更长了，但因为预想到要出门旅行，要在户外花更多的时间，所以希望在夏天到来前让身体为海滩做好准备。”
威廉·拉哈尔医生是在比佛利山庄执业的一名整形外科医生，他把这种被压抑的需求描述为“反思、忽视和实现”。
“在隔离期间，人们被迫待在家里，这给了他们自我反思的时间。”拉哈尔博士说。“人们意识到，一直以来都忽视了自己，忽视了‘自我时间’和自我关爱。目前疫苗接种正在持续推进，人们感受到了更大的安全感，终于准备好面对那一部分自己，做自己一直想做但一直在推迟的事情。”
如今——在夏天真正开始之前——不仅是接受门诊治疗的好时机，也是进行需要更多恢复时间的整形手术的好时机，这通常至少一到两周。
“我们的大多数患者仍然在家工作，所以只要请几天假就够了。当然，这也取决于手术的情况。”拉哈尔博士说，“旅行和餐饮仍然受到很大限制，所以恢复期不得不待在家里的‘失意’感完全不存在了。”
拉哈尔博士指出，Renuvion皮肤紧致术目前的需求也非常高。“对那些想做微创手术、恢复时间很短的患者来说，这是腹部整形术的绝佳替代之选。该项目将射频能量和氦等离子体相结合，能够最大限度地收紧皮肤组织，塑造绷紧和结实的外表。这是非常流行的一种产后手术，因为它可以消除疤痕。”
永久的影响
虽然夏季前医美高峰的主要驱动因素是未来几个月举办更多面对面会议，但通过Zoom和FaceTime进行视频会议的影响也可能是永久的。
“我确实认为这种影响会持续。”拉哈尔博士在谈及Zoom效应时说，“过去一年，我们花了比以往更多的时间和自己相处。我们已经从‘步履不停’的心态中放慢了脚步，有更多的时间和能力去思考。无论是因为在Zoom上看到自己，从镜子里看到自己，还是因为自我反思，很多人都决定要把对自己的关爱放在首位，要尽可能地关爱自己。”
卡茨医生指出，在疫情封锁期间，医美行业没有预想中的那么低迷，因为远程医疗已经成为常态。他的诊所打算继续为患者提供远程医疗预约服务，此外还将继续遵守其他安全措施，比如要求工作人员戴口罩等。
“即使办公室重新开放，人们仍然要频繁使用Zoom召开虚拟会议，每天要继续盯着屏幕上自己的脸。对那些想在镜头前和人群中展现自己最好形象的客户来说，肉毒杆菌和填充仍然非常受欢迎。”卡茨医生说，“还有一些病人来进行‘微调’，选择一些方便、高效、简单又不需要恢复时间的项目，例如注射肉毒杆菌，因为他们已经预料到要重回办公室，重返那种互动性、社交性更强的生活。”
在疫情期间，大多数医美诊所没过多久就恢复营业了，因为针对零售业和办公楼制定的卫生措施，在医疗部门中早就是标配了。
“在私人整形诊所里，不用做特殊安排就能够确保社交距离，因为我们要维护病人的隐私。”谢弗医生说，“幸运的是，当初我们在设计办公室时，就为每个手术室安装了独立的通风系统，所以不存在跨房间的房间流通。”
此外，随着医学技术的进步，整容手术越来越便宜，也越来越安全。因此，医疗专业人士预测，整形手术的市场需求将在未来几年继续上升。
“因为人们要在线学习、在家工作，长时间坐在摄像头前已经成为一种常态。”林医生说，“在疫情期间，注射填充和肉毒杆菌一直是需求最高的项目。面部拉皮、颈部拉皮、眼睑整形和鼻部整形等面部整形手术也越来越受欢迎。因为可以居家办公，病人能够有更长的手术恢复期，而这些手术在疫情前不请假是做不了的。”
考虑到夏天马上到来，在此始终要强调一点——每个人都应该养成的最重要的习惯是涂抹防晒霜。对进行了面部医美项目的顾客而言，林医生建议应该待在背阴处，戴宽边帽子。
“疫情全面改变了我们的生活文化。”拉哈尔博士说，“很多改变都是永久的，我们的目标是确保员工安全，确保客户在每一次体验过程中都舒适自在。”（财富中文网）
译者：Agatha
随着新冠肺炎疫苗在美国各地继续推广，哪怕不太可能在更大的范围内实现群体免疫，人们也已经开始为今年夏天回归线下会议（私人会议和专业会议都是如此）做准备。
“人们似乎都急于在重返办公室之前做个医美手术。”曼哈顿第五大道Shafer诊所的创始人、美国整形外科医生协会的成员戴维·谢弗医生说，“因为现在，要是周一做了隆胸手术，周二就可以返回Zoom办公，没有同事会知道。”
美国医美行业的年增速为3.1%，2020年的市值预计将达到170亿美元，全球将超过500亿美元，预计到2026年，全球医美行业的规模将达到670亿美元。
皮肤美容明星专家保罗·贾罗德·弗兰克医生称：“包括我自己在内的大多数整形医生都正处在职业生涯中最繁忙的时刻，主要是因为人们在重返正常生活前，对医美具有巨大需求。”他著有《延缓衰老手册》（The Pro-Aging Playbook）一书，也是《延缓衰老》播客（The Pro-Aging Podcast）的创始人。
“由于我们是服务行业，只能够依靠自己的双手，因此在面对巨大的需求量时，我们可以提供的服务却是有限的。”
然而特别值得一提的是，微创或非侵入性的身体塑形疗法，例如SmartLipo、BodyTite和Coolsculpting等，正在逐渐受到顾客的追捧。这些项目使用激光、射频和电磁波来消除脂肪，不需要手术。在治疗过程中能够使用局部麻醉剂减轻不适，患者恢复速度更快，第二天就可以正常活动。
哈佛医学院的整形外科副教授、整形外科医生塞缪尔·林说：“随着天气变暖，人们从衣橱里拿出了夏装。和往年相比，过去几周内，塑形术成为了最受欢迎的医美手术之一。”
林医生说，选择塑形的大部分顾客都希望能够收紧皮肤，获得更“健美”的身材。
“那些在疫情期间保持积极生活方式的人，也可以通过塑形项目，去除顽固性脂肪沉积和因为减肥而产生的多余皮肤。”
美国整形外科医生协会最近进行了一项调查，以了解美国人在疫情开始一年多以后对医美手术的看法，包括他们最感兴趣的疗程、他们预订医美治疗的可能性等。
“结果显示，人们现在最关注的是身体整形，其中腹部塑形位居榜首，其次是抽脂术。”该协会的前主席艾伦·马塔拉索医生说，“女性受访者表示，隔离期间的体重变化是她们选择这些项目的最主要原因。疫情之前，因为时间和费用问题，这些项目被一推再推。但现在，因为减少了在餐厅、旅游和其他休闲活动中的支出，她们攒了一年多的钱足够为这些项目买单。”
在弗兰克医生的曼哈顿诊所，最受欢迎的服务发生了一些变化。
“由于现在人们仍然有空闲时间，他们想做一些侵入性更强的手术，这些手术在疫情前做的话，他们是没有时间来恢复的。”他解释说，“因此，最近做肿胀吸脂的人很多，因为人们想看到大变化，也能够接受更长的恢复时间。此外，新疗法美修斯也非常受欢迎，它可以溶解脂肪，紧致腹部、臀部和大腿的皮肤，不需要任何恢复时间。建议疗程是每周一次，每次30分钟，持续四周，共计四次治疗。”
位于纽约市的朱瓦皮肤和激光中心创始人、皮肤科医生布鲁斯·卡茨博士说，市场需求达到了历史最高——比往年至少高出25%至30%。他说，目前他最受欢迎的项目是减少脂肪团、减脂、紧致皮肤和增肌。其中包括QWO，首款用于治疗臀部中度到重度脂肪团的注射疗法，以及塑形疗程美修斯（每次30分钟，每疗程持续几周或几个月)，通过使用射频和高强度电磁场来减脂增肌。
“人们对塑形的需求非常大；显然我的客户已经准备走出家门，希望到时能够看起来很完美，可以拥有不错的心情。”卡茨医生说，“疫情期间人们坐着的时间更长了，但因为预想到要出门旅行，要在户外花更多的时间，所以希望在夏天到来前让身体为海滩做好准备。”
威廉·拉哈尔医生是在比佛利山庄执业的一名整形外科医生，他把这种被压抑的需求描述为“反思、忽视和实现”。
“在隔离期间，人们被迫待在家里，这给了他们自我反思的时间。”拉哈尔博士说。“人们意识到，一直以来都忽视了自己，忽视了‘自我时间’和自我关爱。目前疫苗接种正在持续推进，人们感受到了更大的安全感，终于准备好面对那一部分自己，做自己一直想做但一直在推迟的事情。”
如今——在夏天真正开始之前——不仅是接受门诊治疗的好时机，也是进行需要更多恢复时间的整形手术的好时机，这通常至少一到两周。
“我们的大多数患者仍然在家工作，所以只要请几天假就够了。当然，这也取决于手术的情况。”拉哈尔博士说，“旅行和餐饮仍然受到很大限制，所以恢复期不得不待在家里的‘失意’感完全不存在了。”
拉哈尔博士指出，Renuvion皮肤紧致术目前的需求也非常高。“对那些想做微创手术、恢复时间很短的患者来说，这是腹部整形术的绝佳替代之选。该项目将射频能量和氦等离子体相结合，能够最大限度地收紧皮肤组织，塑造绷紧和结实的外表。这是非常流行的一种产后手术，因为它可以消除疤痕。”
永久的影响
虽然夏季前医美高峰的主要驱动因素是未来几个月举办更多面对面会议，但通过Zoom和FaceTime进行视频会议的影响也可能是永久的。
“我确实认为这种影响会持续。”拉哈尔博士在谈及Zoom效应时说，“过去一年，我们花了比以往更多的时间和自己相处。我们已经从‘步履不停’的心态中放慢了脚步，有更多的时间和能力去思考。无论是因为在Zoom上看到自己，从镜子里看到自己，还是因为自我反思，很多人都决定要把对自己的关爱放在首位，要尽可能地关爱自己。”
卡茨医生指出，在疫情封锁期间，医美行业没有预想中的那么低迷，因为远程医疗已经成为常态。他的诊所打算继续为患者提供远程医疗预约服务，此外还将继续遵守其他安全措施，比如要求工作人员戴口罩等。
“即使办公室重新开放，人们仍然要频繁使用Zoom召开虚拟会议，每天要继续盯着屏幕上自己的脸。对那些想在镜头前和人群中展现自己最好形象的客户来说，肉毒杆菌和填充仍然非常受欢迎。”卡茨医生说，“还有一些病人来进行‘微调’，选择一些方便、高效、简单又不需要恢复时间的项目，例如注射肉毒杆菌，因为他们已经预料到要重回办公室，重返那种互动性、社交性更强的生活。”
在疫情期间，大多数医美诊所没过多久就恢复营业了，因为针对零售业和办公楼制定的卫生措施，在医疗部门中早就是标配了。
“在私人整形诊所里，不用做特殊安排就能够确保社交距离，因为我们要维护病人的隐私。”谢弗医生说，“幸运的是，当初我们在设计办公室时，就为每个手术室安装了独立的通风系统，所以不存在跨房间的房间流通。”
此外，随着医学技术的进步，整容手术越来越便宜，也越来越安全。因此，医疗专业人士预测，整形手术的市场需求将在未来几年继续上升。
“因为人们要在线学习、在家工作，长时间坐在摄像头前已经成为一种常态。”林医生说，“在疫情期间，注射填充和肉毒杆菌一直是需求最高的项目。面部拉皮、颈部拉皮、眼睑整形和鼻部整形等面部整形手术也越来越受欢迎。因为可以居家办公，病人能够有更长的手术恢复期，而这些手术在疫情前不请假是做不了的。”
考虑到夏天马上到来，在此始终要强调一点——每个人都应该养成的最重要的习惯是涂抹防晒霜。对进行了面部医美项目的顾客而言，林医生建议应该待在背阴处，戴宽边帽子。
“疫情全面改变了我们的生活文化。”拉哈尔博士说，“很多改变都是永久的，我们的目标是确保员工安全，确保客户在每一次体验过程中都舒适自在。”（财富中文网）
译者：Agatha
Clinics offering cosmetic services such as injectable facial fillers and body sculpting are already bracing for a rush on appointments this spring and summer. And this time, compared with the recent uptick in requests for treatments like Botox and Juvéderm, it’s not because of the so-called Zoom effect.
Rather, customers are preparing for the return of face-to-face meetings—both personal and professional—this summer as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout across the United States continues, even if achieving herd immunity across the greater population is unlikely.
“There seems to be a rush to have procedures before employers require people to start returning to work,” says Dr. David Shafer, founder of Manhattan-based practice Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). “As it is now, patients can come in for a breast augmentation on Monday and be back on Zoom on Tuesday, and no one at work would know.”
Growing at a rate of 3.1% annually, the domestic plastic surgery industry was estimated to be worth $17 billion in 2020, and more than $50 billion internationally, with a projected global valuation of $67 billion by 2026.
"Most cosmetic physicians, including myself, are at the busiest points of our careers right now mostly because of the huge demand for people to get back to life," says Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, a celebrity cosmetic dermatologist, author of The Pro-Aging Playbook, and creator of The Pro-Aging Podcast. "Since we are a service industry and only have our own hands, there is a huge demand and limited supply for how we work."
In particular, minimally or non-invasive body sculpting procedures—such as SmartLipo, BodyTite, and CoolSculpting—have been trending among prospective patients. These procedures use lasers, radio frequency, and electromagnetic waves to eliminate fat without having to undergo surgery. A topical numbing agent may be often applied to lessen discomfort, and patients heal faster and can return to daily activity the next day.
“With warmer weather, summer clothes are getting taken out of the wardrobe, and body contouring procedures have become one of the most sought-after cosmetic procedures in the past few weeks compared to normal years,” says Dr. Samuel Lin, a plastic surgeon and associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.
A typical patient, Dr. Lin says, is someone who is looking to tighten their skin and achieve a more “fit” body. “Those who maintained an active lifestyle throughout the pandemic can also benefit from body contouring procedures to eliminate stubborn fat deposits and excess skin from weight loss.”
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recently conducted a survey to get a sense of Americans’ perceptions of plastic surgery more than a year into the pandemic, including what treatments they are most interested in and how likely they were to book them. “Results show that body procedures are now the focus, with tummy tucks at the top of the list, followed by liposuction,” says Dr. Alan Matarasso, past president of the ASPS. “Women cited weight fluctuation during quarantine as the main driver for these choices. These are also treatments long put off due to time and cost pre-COVID. But now, with money saved for over a year due to limited access to spend on restaurants, travel, and other leisure expenditures, they have the money for these treatments.”
At Dr. Frank's clinics in Manhattan, the most popular services have shifted a bit, he says. "Since people still have downtime available they are looking to do the more invasive procedures more now than during pre-COVID life when they didn't have the time to recover," he expains. "Tumescent lipo is very common right now for that reason because people want to make big changes and will accept a bit of downtime. Additionally, the Emsculpt Neo, which is a new treatment that melts fat and tightens skin on the abs, butt, and thighs without any downtime, is very popular right now. It is recommended that you do one treatment for 30 minutes per week for four weeks for a total of four treatments."
Dr. Bruce Katz, a dermatologist and founder of the Juva Skin and Laser Center in New York City, says he has never seen demand this high before—at least 25% to 30% higher than in previous years. He notes that his most popular services at the moment are treatments that reduce cellulite, reduce or remove fat, tighten skin, and build muscle. These include QWO, the first injectable used to treat moderate to severe cellulite in the buttocks, and Emsculpt Neo, an in-office body shaping procedure (conducted in 30-minute sessions over the course of weeks and months) that uses radio frequency and high-intensity electromagnetic energies to both reduce fat and build muscle.
“The demand for body contouring treatments is huge; it’s very clear that my patients are ready to leave their homes and want to look and feel their best when they do,” Dr. Katz says. “Due to the pandemic, men and women are sitting more, [but] anticipating travel as well as spending increased time outdoors, so are looking to get their bodies beach ready before the summer.”
Dr. William Rahal, a plastic surgeon based in Beverly Hills, describes the pent-up demand as “reflection, neglection, and realization.”
“While in quarantine, people were forced to stay at home, and it gave them time to self-reflect,” Dr. Rahal says. “What people have been realizing is that they have been neglecting themselves, their ‘me time,’ and their self-care regimen. Now that the vaccine rollout is underway, people have a greater sense of security and are finally ready to engage with that part of themselves and do the things they’ve always wanted to do but had been pushing off.”
Right now—before summer really kicks off—is a great time to undergo not only outpatient treatments but also plastic surgeries that require more recovery time, usually at least one to two weeks. “A majority of our patients are still working from home, so they can get away with only taking a few days off, depending on the surgery, of course,” Dr. Rahal says. “Travel and dining are also still very limited, so that sense of ‘missing out’ from having to stay at home during recovery has been completely eliminated.”
Renuvion skin tightening is also in very high demand right now, Dr. Rahal notes. “It’s a great alternative to a tummy tuck for those patients looking for a less invasive procedure with minimal downtime. The procedure delivers a combination of radio frequency energy and helium plasma, which allows for maximum tissue contraction, resulting in a tightened and toned look. It’s a very popular procedure with women postpartum as it also helps with scarring.”
Permanent side effects
But even if the pre-summer rush hinges mostly on the plan (or at least hope) to have more meetings in real life in the next few months, the influence of videoconferencing over Zoom and FaceTime could be permanent.
“I do see this continuing,” Dr. Rahal says of the Zoom effect. “In the past year, we’ve spent more time with ourselves than ever before. We have slowed down from the ‘always on the go’ mentality and have had more time and capacity to think. Whether it be looking at ourselves on Zoom, in the mirror, or just self-reflecting in general, many people have decided that they want to prioritize self-care to the extent they’ve always wanted to.”
Dr. Katz notes that there wasn’t as much of a downturn as might have been expected during the lockdown because telemedicine was normalized. His clinic plans to continue to offer patients telemedicine appointments, among other safety protocols such as requiring staff members to wear face masks.
“Even with offices starting to reopen, people are still using Zoom frequently as they are taking virtual meetings and continuing to look at their faces staring back at them every day. Botox and fillers are still very popular treatments for our patients who want to look their best on camera and in person,” Dr. Katz says. “I am also seeing patients come in for ‘tweakments,’ quick, fast, and easy procedures like Botox with no downtime, as they are already anticipating having to go back to the office and lead a more public and more social life.”
Most cosmetic and plastic surgery clinics also didn’t take long to rebound because advanced safety and hygiene protocols that became commonplace during the pandemic in retail and office buildings are already commonplace in medical facilities. “In a private plastic surgery office, social distancing is almost automatic as we strive to maintain patients’ privacy,” Dr. Shafer says. “Fortunately, when we built the office, we installed separate ventilation systems for each exam room, so there is no exchange of air between the rooms.”
Additionally, cosmetic procedures are gradually becoming more affordable and continue to become safer with technological advances in medicine. For these reasons, medical professionals predict demand for plastic surgery procedures will continue to trend upwards in the coming years. “A shift towards online learning and working from home has resulted in sitting in front of a video camera as the norm,” Dr. Lin says. “Injectable fillers and Botox have been the most highly requested procedures throughout the pandemic. Cosmetic surgical facial procedures such as face lifts, neck lifts, blepharoplasties [eye lifts], and rhinoplasties have also increased in popularity. The advent of working from home has provided patients prolonged periods of downtime to recover from surgical procedures that otherwise could not have been done during pre-pandemic times without taking time off from work.”
And with summer in mind, it should always be stressed that the first habit everyone should practice is applying sunscreen. For facial procedures, Dr. Lin recommends staying in the shade and using wide-brimmed hats.
“The pandemic has overall changed the culture of how we live our lives,” Dr. Rahal says. “A lot of these changes will be made permanent, and our goal is to make sure our staff feels safe and our clients feel comfortable during each part of their experience.”
