Cosmetic Surgery for Career Advancement
Going Under the Knife For Your Career
by Melanie Joy Douglas, Monster.ca
Recent polls of Monster Canada users have shown that a significant amount of people feel that not only is ageism a factor in hiring decisions but also that having some work done on their appearance will improve their career potential.
Is it any wonder that Canadians are demanding more cosmetic procedures at an increasing rate?
While Statistics Canada doesn’t track the stats on cosmetic surgery, according to a 2004 survey by Medicard (the most recent of its kind), cosmetic enhancement procedures in Canada rose by 24.6% in just one year, with surgical facelifts growing by 52%. Remarkably, between 2003 and 2004, non-surgical facelifts increased by more than 300%.
Medicard, a Canadian credit agency for cosmetic surgery, reported that 87% of all cosmetic surgery-seeking patients are between the ages of 35 and 50. Interestingly, Ontario leads the country with 42% of all cosmetic procedures performed in the province, followed by BC at 26%, Alberta at 11%, and the rest of Canada with a combined 20%. To put it into perspective, in 2003, Ontarians alone spent 180 million dollars on cosmetic surgery - nearly half of what was spent across the entire country. And that was four years ago.
Injectable collagen fillers, Botox, and laser treatments are becoming so popular, cosmetic surgeons can’t keep up.
Why the increase?
Attitudes toward aging have begun to change. According to an ACNielsen Global Omnibus survey “Canadian Consumer Attitudes Toward Aging,” conducted November 2006, most Canadian respondents agreed that ‘the 40’s were the new 30s’ and more than half were also sure that ‘the 60’s were the new middle age’. Similar to international respondents, Canadians expressed a strong interest in maintaining youthful attitudes in older age brackets and 20% would consider cosmetic surgery when they’re older.
With mandatory retirement gone and baby boomers still clinging to their jobs, there’s certainly motivation for this generation in particular to keep up a more stylish and youthful image. According to Medicard’s report, the acceptance of non-surgical treatments makes for an “easier transition to the next step for ageing baby boomers.” Over the past decade the market has undergone dramatic change – “technology improved and opened the doors to the growth in cosmetic enhancement treatments. What was once considered unacceptable has become an expectation for the ageing population and the demand for cosmetic and corrective treatments for a new set of patients is evidence of this,” says the report.
Colleen Clarke, Monster’s career specialist, thinks that baby boomers are much more vain than any of the decades that came before them. “We grew up with designer clothing, gyms, and a divorce rate of 50% which has half the [baby boomer] population still trying to ‘be attractive’ to snag another partner,” she explains. Noting that things were different for her parent’s generation, Clarke says, “We turn fifty and go, wow, that tan we’ve had for the last fifty years has now turned into a face full of wrinkles, but we still feel young. Some of us are in great shape, still running marathons… and we certainly still want to be noticed,” she asserts. “It follows perfectly that people are starting to go and get their turkey necks and saggy eyelids fixed. It is a logical next step.”
According to Clarke, unlike the generation before them, baby boomers have a higher disposable income and they’re willing to sink five thousand dollars into laser surgery, for example, instead of putting the money into a practical fund of some sort.
In response to Monster’s latest poll which asked “Do you feel that ageism exists in your workplace?” a strong 62% of respondents reported that “age was obviously a factor when considering candidates,” while another 17% thought age mattered “a bit” – it seemed their companies preferred candidates in a certain age bracket. Only 19% said that people of all ages were considered for positions at their company.
Dr. John Dmytryshyn, who has been practising cosmetic facial surgery for thirty years, agrees that minimally invasive procedures have taken over the plastic surgery landscape. “27% of plastic surgery is spent on actual surgery and the rest is spent on cosmetic enhancement treatments like Botox, filler solutions, and laser treatments,” he said from his office in Vancouver.
“Twenty-five years ago we didn’t have Botox or fillers or anything like that… we were just doing straight surgery. Now fillers and Botox make up an integral part of our practice and some cosmetic surgeons don’t do surgery at all. They have hugely successful practices just through these cosmetic procedures - improving skin, softening wrinkles, filling out areas devoid of fat. That’s a huge, huge area now.”
Featured Report Index:
Part One: Going Under the Knife For Your Career
According to Monster polls, workers think cosmetic surgery could advance their careers.
Part Two: Attractiveness at Work
Do you realize how big a role 'attractiveness' plays in your work and life?
Part Three: Putting Your Best Face Forward
What cosmetic surgery could do for you career
Part Four: Only One Piece of the Puzzle
Words of wisdom from a cosmetic surgeon and a career specialist