Facial Aesthetic Priorities and Concerns: A Physician and Patient Perception Global Survey

Abstract

Background: Minimally invasive and noninvasive facial aesthetic treatments are increasingly popular, and a greater understanding of patient perspectives on facial aesthetic priorities is needed.

Objectives: The authors surveyed facial aesthetic concerns, desires, and treatment goals of aesthetically conscious men and women, and physicians, in 18 countries.

Methods: This was a global, internet-based survey on desired appearance and experiences with, or interest in, facial aesthetic treatments. Eligible respondents were aesthetically conscious adults (21-75 years). Eligible aesthetic physicians were required to see ≥30 patients per month for aesthetic reasons, have 2 to 30 years of experience in clinical practice, and spend ≥70% of their time in direct patient care.

Results: A total of 14,584 aesthetically conscious adults (mean age, 41 years; 70% women) and 1315 aesthetic physicians (mean age, 45 years; 68% men) completed the survey. Most respondents (68%) reported that aesthetic procedures should be sought in their 30s to 40s; physicians recommended patients seek treatment earlier. Respondents expressed greatest concern over crow's feet lines, forehead lines, facial skin issues, hair-related concerns, and under-eye bags or dark circles; in contrast, physicians tended to underestimate concerns about under-eye bags or dark circles, mid-face volume deficits, and skin quality. Although both physicians and respondents cited cost as a major barrier to seeking aesthetic treatments, respondents also emphasized safety, fear of injections or procedure-related pain, and concern about unnatural-looking outcomes.

Conclusions: This global survey provides valuable insight into facial aesthetic concerns and perspectives that may be implemented in patient education and consultations to improve patient satisfaction following aesthetic treatments.

Figure 1.

“Aesthetically conscious” adult respondent indicators. Percentage of respondents agreeing with the “aesthetically conscious” eligibility criteria. ^a3% of participants slightly agreed that they cared about their overall experience. ^b2% of participants slightly disagreed with being willing to invest in their appearance. ^c1% and 3% of participants disagreed or slightly disagreed with being prepared to invest in their appearance. Note: <1% of participants strongly disagreed on any of the above questions. Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% because of rounding.

Figure 2.

Physician experience. Aesthetic physician experience for surveyed physicians (n = 1315).

Figure 3.

Terms used to describe female facial beauty. Terminology used by aesthetically conscious female survey respondents (A; n = 10,175) and all physicians (B; n = 1315) to describe female facial beauty. Text size corresponds with proportion of respondents or physicians listing each term as a descriptor.

Figure 4.

Terms used to describe male facial attractiveness. Terminology used by aesthetically conscious male survey respondents (A; n = 4409) and all physicians (B; n = 1315) to describe male facial attractiveness. Text size corresponds with proportion of respondents or physicians listing each term as a descriptor.

Figure 5.

Age when individuals should seek aesthetic treatments. Proportion of aesthetically conscious respondents and physicians agreeing with which age is most appropriate to seek out aesthetic/cosmetic treatment from a physician/professional.

Figure 6.

Facial features indicated as being very or extremely concerning. Proportion of aesthetically conscious survey respondents reporting very high or extreme levels of concern with aesthetic aspects of their face. Composite scores to describe features of high/extreme concern for survey respondents were generated by adding the percentages of respondents rating “extremely concerned” and “very concerned” for each feature. Physician respondents were asked to rank the top 5 concerns and related treatments requested by patients. Composite scores were generated for each feature by adding the percentage of physicians ranking the concern as the top or second-most common concern for which patients request treatment.

Figure 7.

Generational and gender differences in facial features of very high or extreme concern. Proportion of aesthetically conscious survey respondents reporting very high or extreme levels of concern with aesthetic aspects of their face by age (A) and gender (B).

Figure 8.

Top 5 facial aesthetic concerns. Mean proportion of aesthetically conscious survey respondents ranking each facial aesthetic concern as among the top 5 aspects of the highest concern to them and mean proportion of physicians ranking each concern among the top 5 concerns most often discussed with patients. The percentages of survey respondents or physicians ranking each feature (eg, forehead lines) 1 to 3 were added together to create a composite value for comparison with other features.

Figure 9.

Barriers to seeking aesthetic treatments. Proportion of aesthetically conscious survey respondents and physicians agreeing with each category as a barrier to seeking aesthetic treatment.

Figure 10.

Recommendations for improved patient–physician alignment.