As the past few years have clearly shown, cosmetic procedures are no longer the exclusive pursuit of the wealthy. In fact, cosmetic procedures continue to grow in popularity, particularly for non-surgical procedures that improve facial wrinkles. Until Thermage, the only option available to remove wrinkles and tighten facial skin was with certain invasive procedures. Thermage bridges the gap in this market and provides the only option for those patients who desire tighter skin with a non-invasive procedure.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that from 2000 to 2005 the total number of aesthetic procedures increased 99% to over 11.4 million procedures performed annually, generating revenue of approximately $12.4 billion. Non-invasive aesthetic procedures were primarily responsible for the overall increase, rising 116% to approximately 9.2 million procedures performed in 2005. We believe there are several factors contributing to the rapid growth of non-invasive aesthetic and skin tightening procedures including:

• aging of the U.S. population
• emergence of non-traditional practitioners
• broader range of and accessibility to safe and effective treatments
• market shift towards less invasive procedures
• changing practitioner economics
• increasing acceptance of aesthetic procedures