'Facebook Generation' Fastest Growing Segment in Vanity Procedures

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- In its annual survey of patients seeking laser hair removal on HairRemovalJournal.org, The Patient's Guide® has found the share of young adults (18-29 yr olds) looking to have the procedure performed at its highest levels on record. Of the 1,541 responses in the survey, 61% were in the 18-29 age demographic, up from 43% in 2009. The share of 30-40 year olds has dropped significantly, from 36% to 24%. (see full results: http://www.hairremovaljournal.org/coststatistics.aspx)

"We've been surprised to see such steady interest from younger patients given the economy," says Patient's Guide Chairman and laser expert Eric F. Bernstein, M.D. "It appears that people in the 30-40 year old segment are the ones really doing some belt tightening these days. People are looking for lower cost beauty alternatives, and are spending more time researching what they really want, and the best place to get it."

In a similar study conducted by The Patient's Guide on Stretchmarks.org, the percentage of 18-29 year olds seeking treatment for stretch marks increased by 37% from 2009 to 2010. "This segment has greater interest in the lower-cost, non-invasive treatments such as hair removal and laser rejuvenation. They're not candidates for expensive procedures like face lifts which cater to older demographics anyway," said Dr. Bernstein. "The economy has been particularly hard for higher cost procedures which typically target older demographics. Our expectation is that as lower cost options become more popular among younger patients, this trend will expand in the older demographics as well."

About The Patient's Guide

The Patient's Guide's mission is to provide the most accurate medical information to enable consumers to make educated decisions about aesthetic treatments.  The Patient's Guide team includes leading physicians in the fields of laser and dermatology. These experts are the innovators in skin care and cosmetic dermatology technology breakthroughs, including hair removal, skin rejuvenation, fat reduction and cellulite treatment.

Each month over one million visitors go to The Patient's Guide, a family of 25 web publications, each dedicated to a specific condition or treatment. Visitors rely on the information The Patient's Guide provides because the information is written by leading experts. For more information please visit www.patientsguide.com

Contact: Jasson Gilmore, +1-949-756-2400

SOURCE The Patient's Guide