Mag Spotlight - New Beauty

Adam Sandow, founder of New Beauty magazine, believes he has just set the ad pages record for a new launch.

The January debut issue of the self-proclaimed "Ultimate Cosmetic Enhancement Guide" will carry approximately 650 ad pages. While it's difficult to look such things up, that sure sounds like a record.

The fact that issue No. 1 is so ad-packed speaks to two things: the unique publishing model being executed by Sandow is working, and the fact that cosmetic enhancement is big business.

There is no doubt about that second point. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were over 15 million plastic procedures in 2003, up 17 percent from the previous year. Take just cosmetic procedures, and the increase was 33 percent.

"As a publisher, you are always looking for underserved markets," said Sandow, who previously founded Honeymoon magazine and spent three years at The Knot during the late 1990s.

Sandow says that women's titles will occasionally do stories on cosmetic surgery or Botox, but these typically only provide a cursory point of view.

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Yet with so many surgeons entering the lucrative marketplace as part-timers, and with so many varied procedures available, "people are begging for information," he said. "People are absolutely starved for this."

Shows like [ABC's} "Extreme Makeover" have "caused people to say, 'I didn't know you could do that,'" said Sandow. "We wanted to create an absolute resource for this stuff."

As for New Beauty's demographics, Sandow is expecting to reach a high-end market, but also people spending outside their demographic: "The 22-year-old receptionist who will spend whatever it takes."

While demand for this type of information appears solid, New Beauty's ad model is perhaps most curious: it is a national magazine with 13 regional editions, each carrying plenty of local advertising from doctors and beauty companies before ever setting foot on Madison Avenue (Sandow estimates that each issue will include approximately 25 percent in local content).

But besides employing printing tactics that may give the post office nightmares, New Beauty is also striking in its design and editorial approach.

Hardly a medical journal or a typical women's beauty book, New Beauty resembles magazines like Real Simple or InStyle in its color scheme and layout, presenting body enhancement in an aesthetically pleasing way.

Editorially, the magazine takes an educational point of view without necessarily selling treatment or surgery. There is a feature on "What is a face lift?" There are tips for preparing for surgery and pictures of real women's bodies before and after work has been done.

But there are always options for readers. The section "I Want a Sexy Butt" includes tactics like wearing flattering jeans, using slimming rub-on gels, or wearing sneakers that force wearers to walk in a butt-tightening stride. Besides outlining tummy tucks, the magazine talks about gels, ab exercises, and diet tips.

Doctors are a big part of New Beauty. Each issue includes a regional doctor profile section: pages of black-and-white photos of smiling doctors with brief Q&A sections along with information on educational and professional affiliations.

Still, doctors aren't saints or dream makers in New Beauty. There is an article warning against shady practitioners: "When to walk: sure signs that a doctor is not the one for you."

But is New Beauty's feel-good, almost seductive presentation irresponsible, given the severity of some of the options presented in the magazine?

Sandow says ethics are a priority, and that he has lost six figures in revenue turning down questionable ads. He points out that in lieu of an editor in chief, New Beauty employs a nine-person editorial advisory board consisting of plastic surgeons, a dermatologist, and even a cosmetic dentist. At least two members of the board review each article.

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