You can't halt the aging process, but you can try to hide it. Witness all the folks seeking the latest solution to wrinkles, skin lesions and unwanted hair.

More than 10 million cosmetic procedures were performed in the U.S. last year, according to data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). That was up 11% from 2005 and 38% from 2000.

"There's been an explosion in the number of cosmetic procedures," said Dr. Darrick Antell, a New York-based board certified plastic surgeon and a spokesman for the ASPS. "We now have the tools available to us for procedures that are much less invasive and that give significant improvement with little or no downtime."

Medical Insight, a publishing and consulting firm, estimates that worldwide aesthetic laser equipment sales rose 18% to $663.1 million last year.

"The market is growing very rapidly, and we don't see signs of that abating in 2006," he said. "The driver is the baby boomers and their disposable income and increasing infatuation with vanity."

Palomar's laser hair removal system hit the market in 1997. Since then the company has branched out into skin tightening, wrinkle reduction and acne treatments.

The product, slated to be shipped at the end of June, is used for skin resurfacing and wrinkle reduction. It uses a patented fractional technology to deliver laser pulses as focused microbeams.

The microbeams create a pattern of heated columns within the surface area being treated, without damage to the tissue surrounding the heated columns. This process heals or regenerates the damaged tissue, Weiner says.

The next frontier for Palomar is the consumer home market. The company has a pact with (PG ) Gillette to develop a light-based hair removal device for women.

Palomar also has a deal with (JNJ ) to develop home-use, light-based devices for skin rejuvenation, acne and cellulite treatment. This project is to be completed at an undisclosed time.

While the home market holds potential, it also poses some challenges. One is competition from conventional products such as razors for hair removal.

The core physician's market for aesthetic treatment consists mainly of dermatologists and plastic surgeons. Vendetti pegs the noncore market in the U.S. at more than 200,000 doctors, or at least 10 times larger than the core market.

, (CLZR ) a developer of laser and light-based systems, started a big sales push into the noncore market four years ago. Candela's products include treatments for acne and skin tightening. About 60% of its sales are from the non-core market.

Cosmetic laser procedures are appealing to physicians because they're easy to perform, says Paul Cardarelli, Candela's marketing vice president. And since the procedures are not reimbursed by insurance companies, patients pay the whole cost in cash.

"Family physicians, general practitioners and OB-GYNs have seen their costs go up and their reimbursement rates go down, so these types of procedures are attractive to them," Cardarelli said.

To further penetrate the noncore market, Candela in August inked an exclusive three-year pact with major medical distributor (MCK ) to distribute Candela's full line of gear to the U.S. family and general practice market.

Candela, which has its own direct sales force of about 40 reps, has trained close to 500 members of McKesson's sales team to market the products.

"If just 10% or 20% of their guys sold (our products), we'd be doubling our domestic sales team," said Candela Chief Financial Officer Paul Broyer.

The main driver of the aesthetic equipment market will be technologies that use minimally invasive procedures to treat conditions that now require invasive surgery, says analyst Jose Haresco of Merriman Curhan Ford.

Noninvasive liposuction is one procedure that holds potential, he says. , (ELOS )Liposonics and Ultrashape are among the companies that have noninvasive cellulite procedures in various stages of development and commercialization.

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