Feature
Cosmetic procedures show continued growth
The minimally invasive sector was up by 2% in 2017.
but motives involving mental and social well-being and physical health are common as well, according to a prospective national study involving more than 500 patients.
“Cosmetic procedures may also be necessary to correct significant physical disfigurement interfering with work or daily living. Most patients were concerned with how they looked at work and in protecting their physical health, and for some, this motive was the most important. Together, these data add to the growing body of evidence that treatments aimed at improving physical appearance can treat significant physical and psychological illness,” Amanda L. Maisel, of Northwestern University, Chicago, and her associates wrote in JAMA Dermatology.
Among the motives related to appearance, 88.5% of patients said that they “wanted to look better, prettier, or more attractive for themselves,” compared with 64.4% who wanted to look good for others. Patients also were interested in “looking younger or fresher” (83.4%) and having “clear-looking or beautiful skin” (81.4%), the investigators said.
The most common mental or emotional motive was increased self-confidence (69.5%), followed by the desire to “feel happier or better overall or improve quality of life” at 67.2% and to “treat oneself, feel rewarded, or celebrate” at 61.3%. As for social well-being, 56.6% of patients “reported wanting to look good when running into people they knew” and 50.3% reported that they wanted “to feel less self-conscious around others.”
The leading motive involving physical health was “preventing worsening of their condition/symptoms,” which was reported by 53.3% of patients, the investigators reported.
They also examined how reputation and experience influenced patients’ decision to have cosmetic surgery. When asked to what degree a physician’s reputation affected their decision, 67.2% of respondents said a lot, 17% said that it had some effect, 5.7% said it had little effect, and 10% said none. Half of the patients surveyed said the clinic or hospital’s reputation had a lot of influence on their decision, compared with 39% for their own past experiences, 32.2% for experiences of family or friends, and 17.9% for testimonials of persons in advertisements, the researchers said.
The survey was conducted from Dec. 4, 2016, to Aug. 9, 2017, at 2 academic and 11 private dermatology practices. A total of 511 patients were involved, although not all individuals answered every question, so sample sizes varied. The study was supported by a research grant from the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. The senior investigator reported consulting for Pulse Biosciences that was unrelated to this research and being principal investigator for studies funded in part by Regeneron.
SOURCE: Maisel A et al. JAMA Dermatol. 2018 Aug 15. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.2357.