Abstract
Purpose: :
To determine whether the recent downturn in the United States (US) economy has affected rates of blepharoplasty and to identify sociodemographic and other factors associated with undergoing this procedure.
Methods: :
Claims data from all individuals age greater than or equal to 50 years enrolled in a large national US managed care network from 2001-2009 were reviewed to identify enrollees who underwent blepahroplasty (CPT codes 15822 and 15823). Rates of blepharoplasty were calculated at 6 month intervals from 2001-2009. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors that increased or decreased the odds of undergoing blepharoplasty. To serve as a control, a similar analysis was performed for those who underwent entropion repair (CPT codes 67921-4) during the same time period.
Results: :
A total of 14,564 blepharoplasty surgeries were performed from January 2001 through December 2009 (range: 339-1121 for each 6 month interval). Rates of blepharoplasty increased steadily throughout the decade and were twice as high in 2009 (1.2-1.4/1000 person-half years) relative to 2001 (0.6-0.7/1000 person-half years). By comparison, rates of entropion repair were stable (0.12-0.17/1000 person-half years) throughout the decade. Compared with 2009, the adjusted odds of undergoing blepharoplasty were 8-11% lower each year from 2001-2004 (p<0.004 for all comparisons). After adjustment for confounders, factors associated with an increased odds of undergoing blepharoplasty included older age, white race, female sex, and a higher density of ophthalmologists in one’s state of residence. Individuals with a history of depression had a 32% increased odds of undergoing blepharoplasty (adjusted OR =1.32, CI: 1.24-1.40) and those with a prior history of other cosmetic surgery had an 8-fold higher odds of undergoing blepharoplasty (adjusted OR=9.42, CI:8.96-9.89) relative to others with no such history.
Conclusions: :
Despite the recent downturn in the US economy, blepahroplasty rates actually increased in the later years of the decade. After adjustment for a number of important confounding factors, difficult economic times appear not to dissuade patients from undergoing this surgical procedure.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: health care delivery/economics/manpower • eyelid