USA: Botox storefront sees walk-in patients

Botox-seekers can now turn their frown lines upside down in no time and with no doctor's appointment, at a new Botox-boutique opened just off of New York City's Park Avenue. Smoothmed was born when plastic surgeon, Andrew Elkwood along with his partner Dr. Michael Rose realized that their appointments would often run over time, leaving patients who only want a quick injection waiting for up to 45 minutes. Elkwood says he thinks Smoothmed sets a new standard in luxury services: it's safe, quick and easy. Patients medical histories are reviewed, and all women are given a pregnancy test to ensure it is safe for trained doctors to perform the procedure. "What we wanted to do was make it very accessible, take it very seriously but give, administer it in a comfortable atmosphere. A salon-like atmosphere. We do all the worrying on the back end." After Carla Burkhardt, a patient at Smoothmed had her Botox treatment, she says, "To see a plastic surgeon you have to wait hours. So it's very nice to be able come here and get it done within a half hour." Smoothmed serves about 40 customers a day; 60 percent are women and 40 percent are men. Patients range in age from 20 - 80 years old, and are in varying socio-economic brackets. Getting rid of pesky horizontal forehead lines can cost between 130-300 U.S. dollars and making crows feet invisible costs about 130 dollars (USD) per side. The injections last approximately 4 months. As for making Botox accessible to the masses -- Elkwood says: "in a lot of respects the taboo of cosmetic surgery is leaving society, especially the injectables. People don't see it quite as medical as maybe some other surgeries and those kind of things."

ITN Source | July 19, 2007

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