One Hollywood Plastic Surgeon Did 30 Percent More Facelifts During Strikes

For a certain population of Hollywood, the now resolved WGA and ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes have offered a silver lining: Downtime for personal refreshing.

“Some of my patients expected a resolution would come within a month or two, so they didn’t really feel financially strapped to be conservative with their spending,” says Beverly Hills- and San Diego-based dermatologist Dr. Tess Mauricio, who saw an increase in bookings for her Time Machine Procedure.

A combination of advanced energy-based skin resurfacing, this $2,500 treatment, which requires up to five days of downtime, utilizes laser and radiofrequency, growth factors via platelet rich plasma and collagen induction therapy with micro-needling. “This can address all signs of skin aging including wrinkles, sagging skin, eye bags, droopy eyelids and large pores,” she adds.

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Actress Tracie Thoms experienced her first in-office treatment with Dr. Tess during the SAG-AFTRA strike.

“I have always gotten facials because I don’t usually have the downtime for these procedures, so I’m new to this,” the 9-1-1 star tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I was swollen and couldn’t wear makeup for a few days, and it takes time to look like yourself again. The Time Machine procedure helped refresh my skin and this was the time to do it.”

With strikes looming, many who were eager for more substantial surgical rejuvenation even planned ahead. “A couple of months before the strikes officially began, we were hearing from a lot of our clients requesting consults for my AuraLyft facelift,” says plastic surgeon Dr. Ben Talei. Talei saw a 30 percent uptick in these facelifts during the strikes and was frequently in his operating room during weekends to meet demand. The procedure has a a hefty starting fee of $75,000, plus three weeks of downtime and three months before being able to get back in front of a camera.

Dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban saw a surge in demand for her more invasive procedures including ablative lasers which require more downtime. Her non-invasive EmTone and EmSculpt body toning treatments also elicited a flurry of bookings. “Packages were flying for patients who normally can’t commit to the time required for a series, usually six to eight sessions,” she says. “The machines were cranking all day.”

While she already has many patients on her skin-foundation building regimen, facial plastic surgeon Dr. Kay Durairaj has seen an increase in those looking to focus on their facial framework during the strikes.

“There’s been an over-reliance on fillers, so I’ve been teaching my patients about the importance of regenerative treatments that trigger collagen growth such as Sculptra and my off-label hyper-diluted Radiesse technique to strengthen and improve skin texture and tone over time,” she says. “Given these foundational treatments are highly effective but don’t offer immediate results, this has been the perfect time to cultivate the seeds of collagen production, which is abundant in young skin, so they can bloom in the spring with continual improvement from there.”

The Beverly Hills Sculptress Shea Denmark’s business has remained steady since the strikes began. “I haven’t noticed a major swing either way,” says the physician’s associate. “People still like to look and feel their best, even in trying times.”

Many actors and professionals have taken an immense financial hit, and cut back on expenditures. “As much as I love a little Botox and laser, I haven’t been to my derm since the strikes began,” says one actress who spoke on anonymity. “I’ve been really conservative with my spending, but I’m heading right to my doctor as soon as we get back to work.”

Talei reports that clients who visit the spa side of his business for Botox and filler were holding off on appointments. Dr. Tess saw a change with a portion of her industry clients as well.

“As the strikes went on, we saw more patients pushing off,” she adds.  Dr. Ava also saw a decrease with some of her patients who were usually committed to treatments every few weeks and heretofore were not concerned with pricing. “They were understandably hesitant with the uncertainties to keep up the pace on their maintenance schedules,” she says.

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