Anti-aging and plastic surgery clinics get good treatment on aging market

As is the case across much of Europe and beyond, the country is getting older. Statistics show that 4.5 million Romanians, approximately 20 percent of the population, are between 35 and 50, the time of life when people might consider anti-aging treatments. There are 12 million over-35s, which means that more than half the Romanian population should be thinking about getting old, Dr. Adrian Stanescu, manager and founder of the Sansage anti-aging clinic, tells Business Review. “The wellness industry has the same momentum as the computer industry did in the 80s-90s,” he adds.
Additionally, there are already more than 20-25 plastic surgery clinics in Romania and the possibilities for growth are unlimited.
“The healthcare market will grow for private clinics in general and for aesthetic medicine and surgery in particular, and could reach EUR 100 million over the next few years,” Dr. Stefan Jianu, founder of the Proestetica clinic, tells Business Review.
“As far as plastic surgery is concerned, judging by the attendance at international conferences and meetings, we are better positioned than the neighboring countries, unlike in other domains,” adds Jianu.

Proestetica makes EUR 1 million turnover, not shaken by crisis
Dana Jianu and her husband Stefan, both doctors, founded Proestetica in 1994 when they were young specialists in plastic and general surgery. The initial investment in the clinic was $100,000, which at the time represented “just the cost of the equipment in a common surgery room,” says Stefan Jianu.
Today, the Proestetica clinic has three operating rooms. It employs more than 30 people, only six of whom are specialist doctors, in plastic surgery, general surgery, anesthesiology and intensive care. This is because most of the doctors the clinic works with are collaborators, specializing in, among other areas, obesity surgery, thyroid surgery, oncology surgery, echography, cardiology, gynecology, endocrinology and orthopedics.
The clinic sees over 750 patients a month and last year posted a turnover of more than EUR 1 million and a pre-tax profit of over EUR 400,000.
Jianu says the business is not likely to be affected by the financial crisis. “The demand has grown constantly, so we do not expect any slowdown this year,” he says, adding that the business is expected to perform this year at least at the same level as the last.
The most common treatments are botulinic toxin (commonly known as Botox) and hyaluronic acid to reduce wrinkles, while of the more invasive interventions, the most popular are breast enlargement, breast lifting, liposuction, rhynoplasty – meaning nose job – and lip enlargement.
“Generally in Romania patients are less apprehensive of or prejudiced towards plastic surgery than in other countries, although there is a fair share of that as well,” says Jianu.
Patients who come to the Proestetica clinic are generally young or middle aged with medium or above average incomes and with a level of education generally above the average in Romania. Jianu says that even a person on an average income could afford many of the surgical interventions.

Recently opened sansage clinic expects to break even in four years
Stanescu says patients who solicit the services of the Sans Age clinic are business people who “can afford to pay EUR 2,500 each month for a six-month program just as they can afford to pay for a EUR 30,000 car in cash.”
Sansage is run by Oxxygene, a company which also opened a private clinic for patients suffering from dementia, which started turning a profit three months after it opened, and is now running at full capacity. Over the next two years, the capacity of the dementia clinic will be increased by 48 places. Oxxygene also has two more programs in sight over the next two years.
A specialized anti-aging center like Sansage is currently a rarity on the Romanian market, says Stanescu. There is also the Prof. Ana Aslan National Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology. However, Sansage has a different orientation, the founder says, as it is based on a holistic approach.
“In the United States, the success rate of these centers is 100 percent. In Romania, it will probably be regarded with suspicion at first, but, in time, it will be in high demand as it obtains good results,” says Stanescu.
“We all have a chronological age and a biological age. From the experience of our team, the effects of the anti-aging therapy can make a person look on average ten years younger in just six months, which is proven by anti-aging markers,” he goes on.
Additionally, the doctor says that individuals are becoming increasingly interested in anti-aging therapies so that they can lead a healthy life. The effects of anti-aging therapy on the individual are improved quality of life, higher life expectancy and the chance to live free from physical and psychological disabilities, he adds.
At the level of society, anti-aging therapy leads to the prevention of disease and, implicitly, lower social costs caused by illness and disabilities brought about by the aging process, says Stanescu.
The Sansage clinic was recently inaugurated, following an initial investment of EUR 200,000, and already has 20-30 patient appointments a week. EUR 100,000 went into the renovation of the space, EUR 20,000 on rental expenses and the additional costs amounted to EUR 10,000. The necessary equipment was bought for around EUR 70,000.
The bulk of the investment, around 70 percent, was financed by Oxxygene, and the remaining 30 percent came from a bank loan.
Romania is currently the only country in the region to have such an anti-aging center. “As far as I know there are no such centers in countries such as the Czech Republic or Poland,” says Stanescu.
In its first year, Sansage is expected to post a turnover of EUR 100,000, and Stanescu expects it to break even in around three to four years.

Anti-aging package costs from EUR 1,000 to EUR 15,000
The clinic targets middle- and upper-class patients between 35 and 50 years old, with a high level of education, who are interested in improving the quality and length of their life.
A patient who comes into the clinic is first submitted to a comprehensive evaluation, which consists of examination by a gerontologist, geneticist, plastic surgeon, nutritionist, psychologist, kineto-therapist, and further medical tests. Then, a personalized treatment is drawn up, which addresses lifestyle, diet, specific medication, fitness and aqua-gym. In some cases, the treatment can also contain plastic surgery and dental surgery.
A standard anti-aging package costs around EUR 1,000 and contains an evaluation of the patient's “real biological age”, regular analysis and six sessions of eximia endolift aesthetic treatment.
An extended anti-aging package can reach EUR 15,000 and contains an analysis of the patient's “real age”, analysis with specific biomarkers, various sessions of beauty treatment and, if required, plastic micro-surgery and dental implants.

By Otilia Haraga

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