<div><h1>HEY, GOOD-LOOKIN'--THIS MAY HURT A BIT </h1><p>It has been dubbed the "Botax." The Senate health-care reform bill that will be debated after Thanksgiving includes a proposed 5% tax on elective cosmetic procedures such as breast implants, face-lifts, and Botox injections. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the tax will raise $5 billion over 10 years, but the nation's purveyors of cosmetic procedures say they and their patients are being singled out unfairly. Caroline Van Hove, a spokeswoman for Allergan (), the Irvine (Calif.) company that makes Botox, argues that taxing cosmetic procedures punishes "people who have merely decided to enhance their appearance." The tax discriminates against females, she says, since 86% of people who have cosmetic procedures are working women. And unlike sin taxes on cigarettes and other unhealthy products, she adds, the tax doesn't discourage behavior that adds to the nation's medical bill. The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, representing 1,800 doctors, is also speaking out against the tax. Botox sales are already off 2% this year. And most cosmetic surgeons have seen a 25% drop-off in business since the start of the recession, says Steven Hopping, a cosmetic surgeon in Washington, D.C., and a past academy president. "Asking doctors to be tax collectors is unprecedented," he says. "It's a further burden on our industry." </p><p>table (available online) </p><p>The Stat </p><p>86% </p><p>Percentage of cosmetic surgery patients who are working women </p><p>Data: American Society of Plastic Surgeons </p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=64723957&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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