The next time your plastic surgeon gives you a concerned look he may not be thinking about you: he may be worried about paying his bills. New Jersey is a large state that is populated with a lot of plastic surgeons and it right next door to New York City, the home of Wall Street and center of the economic crisis, so it’s no surprise that this economic downturn is hitting most NJ plastic surgeons especially hard.

In the United States the bulk of the plastic and cosmetic surgeries performed are elective surgeries such as breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, tummy tucks and other cosmetic changes that aren’t necessarily vital to one’s physical health or well-being.  These surgical procedures are obviously expensive, though the cost of most plastic surgery procedures in New Jersey is relatively inline with the rest of the United States.

These elective surgeries are considered to be somewhat of a luxury, and even a sort of status symbol, just in the way expensive cars, watches and clothing can be.  In some social and economic circles undergoing extensive plastic surgery is actually seen as a badge of honor and symbol that you have excess wealth to spend on a plastic surgeon. If people are no longer willing to pay the prices they once did for plastic surgery then obviously the salary of most plastic surgeons is going to suffer.

With the financial troubles of the United States hitting Wall Street hard it is no surprise that people are cutting back on the luxuries they purchase for themselves, including electicive plastic surgery.  With many NJ plastic surgeon clients working in New York and on Wall Street it means that plastic surgeons in New Jersey are now being affected with less clients coming to see them or more people putting off the surgeries they had planned.

There is some good news, however. With a large number of people from Wall Street looking for jobs, some New York City and New Jersey cosmetic surgeons have actually reported an increase in business because many of those job seekers are striving to look a little younger and more attractive in hope of getting a job. It’s been proven that attractive people are hired more and make more money. Given the almost macho attitude about money found in many Wall Street firms, it isn’t a surprise that just as many job-seeking men are considering plastic surgery as women.

Some plastic surgeons are still doing well and it isn’t as though there are surgeons out on the streets of Newark begging for change.  But many surgeons in New Jersey have seen a decline in business and some are worried that if the economic troubles of New York and other parts of the country continue that it could be a real source of financial stress. New Jersey plastic surgeons also have to contend with the country’s only legal medical service tax in the United States, but if business drops then it might be a catalyst to spur NJ lawmakers to repeal the tax.

Some plastic surgeons offer financing out of their offices, but those offers have become less frequent now that banks are not as willing to loan money. There are still some methods consumers can use to get a plastic surgery loan, though with the credit markets tight some methods might be better than others.  If you need money for a plastic surgery you can often bypass the banks and get a better rate through Lending Club.

Overall most NJ plastic surgeons are still doing well, but the economic instability of the last several weeks and months is beginning to make itself known in unexpected places (such are in a plastic surgeon’s office) and is not just affecting the housing and credit markets.