Discreet Downtime
The ability to recover in private has been the most common explanation for patients turning to procedures at AVA MD, a California clinic with locations in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. One of the nurse practitioners there is KarriAnn Khalil, who focuses on such non-surgical procedures as Fraxel laser resurfacing and the Plasma Pen. Khalil says the Plasma Pen has become particularly popular of late. The procedure, often used to erase smoker’s lines around the mouth by creating controlled injuries, results in scabbing that last for 10 days or so. Amid widespread mask-wearing, the scabs need never be seen.
Khalil’s recent patients have included a female chief executive officer, whose lip-plumping can be camouflaged much the same way, and what she calls an “A-list, onscreen celebrity” who had laser treatments, including laser resurfacing, across her face, neck, chest, shoulders, arms, and back. “Studios had to shut down and filming was halted, so we finally had the time to do that without fear of the paparazzi or seeing it on camera.”
Saving Up for Surgery
Not every pandemic-era plastic surgery patient is a putative Oscar winner. Kelly (again, not her real name) is a 42-year-old receptionist from Rockland County, N.Y., who asked to go by a pseudonym in the wake of her divorce. She underwent multiple procedures as soon as clinics opened, including a tummy tuck, skin removal, liposuction, and breast augmentation.
“I did save during the pandemic, because there was no place to go—but mostly, collecting unemployment and the stimulus check is what helped me afford the procedures,” she tells Bloomberg Pursuits, “I had lost 150 pounds, and no amount of exercise would get rid of all my extra skin.” Those surgeries were performed by Dr. Steve Fallek, who has two Beauty Fix Med Spa locations in New York City and intends soon to open one in Westchester, N.Y., to cater to his newly expanded client base near their homes.
Fallek has seen several new patients who were ready to use the reopening after lockdown to reboot their lives. He says he’s even noticed an uptick in bookings from fellow medical professionals, often those on the front lines of the pandemic, who wish to get a nip and tuck tonic. “I had one lab professional who’d been doing Covid testing in one of the New York hospitals, and it was a little wearing, so she needed a boost—something to make herself feel better.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.