Sales in Botox and breast implants are accelerating in Europe despite the continent’s economic crisis, according to the chief executive of US pharmaceutical company Allergan. Despite high rates of unemployment and widespread austerity measures, it seems that southern Europeans in particular place cosmetic enhancement high on their priority lists. Recent statistics released by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery indicate that Greece and Italy take the second and third spots worldwide in terms of percentage of population receiving cosmetic procedures.
The Financial Times reports that Allergan has company generated double-digit growth in its sales of breast implants in Europe over the past year, while Botox sales have also been performing well. “In southern Europe,” says Allergan chief exec David Pyott, “people spend a higher proportion of their income on appearance and lifestyle. They are happy to live in a modest apartment and look good facially and body-wise when they go out.”
This report comes amidst ISAPS survey results, which indicate that only South Koreans pursue plastic surgery in greater percentages than Greeks or Italians. In Greece, breast augmentation surgery is the most popular cosmetic surgery, while Botox and liposuction reign supreme in Italy.
During the first three months of this year, Allergan’s revenues rose nearly 10 per cent, compared to the same period in 2011. Botox sales continue to grow worldwide, particularly as the popular injectable, is being used for non-cosmetic purposes, such as migraine headache relief.
As for breast implants, much of Allergan’s success can likely be attributed to the recent Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) breast implant scandal. After it was would revealed that the French manufacturer had used industrial grade silicone in its breast implants, more European plastic surgeons began using Allergan’s breast implants. The US, with its stringent standards for breast implants, was insulated from the scandal.