January 20, 2010

Plastic surgery on the rise in Dougco

By the time Anthony Joseph leaves Lone Tree, he will have made a $25,000 investment and have a body he can be proud of.

Joseph, like 40 percent of the patients at Lone Tree's bod:evolve, has made the journey from afar for the latest in plastic surgery procedures that are quickly putting Douglas County on the map as a plastic surgery destination.

When doctors John Millard and David Broadway opened bod:evolve in Lone Tree in 2008, they promised a new technology in aesthetic enhancement that not only removes excess fat, but also shapes the underlying tissue to create a toned and athletic appearance.

"I spent a good six months face-to-face with other surgeons in Southern and Northern California and elsewhere," Joseph said. "John Millard by far is the most competent and can give me the results I am looking for."

Joseph, who lives in San Francisco, elected to have liposuction to his chest and the front and back regions of his abdomen.

Though Joseph has maintained a healthy lifestyle and frequents the gym four to five times a week, he was unable to achieve the physique he desired.

"Right now, we have enabling technologies in liposuction that have given us the ability to tighten and model the skin," said Broadway.

The owners of bod:evolve think their unique technology helps draw patients from well outside the area.

"People here understand that we offer something a bit different from many other plastic surgeons," said Broadway. "Most plastic surgeons make the abdomen flat, where John and I make it three-dimensional and more defined."

Douglas County is the fifth-richest county in the nation, and its residents have more people able to afford elective surgery. The unique composition of the population provides a concentrated market pool that mirrors nationally what consumers want, Millard and Broadway said.

Nationally, the number of implants and elective surgeries are down, the doctors said. However, recent business for bod:evolve has increased as high as 40 percent from previous years.

"We've always competed in a smaller market, but now people are more discriminatory, which gives us a bigger chunk of the smaller pie," Millard said.

Marketing Colorado and Douglas County as a vacation destination by offering ski and golf packages to potential patients, Millard said, is a powerful lure for customers shopping around the country for their procedures.

As for Anthony Joseph, he's just glad for the extra boost to his routine.

"Now I can feel my hard work is not an uphill battle," he said.

- http://denver.yourhub.com/LoneTree/Stories/YourHub-Staff-Stories/Story~716518.aspx

- http://www.bodevolve.com/