Looking in the Mirror: An Evaluation of Vanity in Patients Receiving Botulinum Toxin Treatments

Botulinum toxin treatments have a history of being veiled in secrecy and viewed as an indulgence for the elite and vain, similar to the past conception of hair coloring. The objective of this survey was to assess if a patient receiving botulinum toxin treatment is more image conscious than a typical American woman by comparing the percentage of women who color their hair and receive botulinum toxin treatment to the percentage of women from American society at large who dye their hair. Women planning to undergo injections with a botulinum toxin were asked to complete a 4-question survey. They were asked about their current hair color, if it was their natural hair color, what their natural hair color was, and how long they have had their current hair color. One hundred thirty-four women who received treatment with botulinum toxins were surveyed. Approximately 71% of patients currently dye their hair, with blonde being the most popular color. Our findings suggest that our patients are similar to the national average with regard to hair coloring and, one could infer, are no more image conscious.