Survey Reveals Injectable Procedures are Mainstream and Accepted Medical Aesthetic Treatment Options
Survey Shows Majority of Respondents Openly Discuss Use of BOTOX® Cosmetic and Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Fillers
New York, NY (Vocus) June 2, 2009
Despite what some may think, people aren’t hiding their use of BOTOX® Cosmetic and hyaluronic acid dermal fillers. In fact, according to survey statistics released today by The Aesthetic Surgery Education & Research Foundation (ASERF), the research arm of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), nearly nine out of 10 respondents (87 percent) openly discuss their BOTOX® Cosmetic and hyaluronic acid dermal filler treatments with others, with seven out of ten (70 percent) receiving support from the people they told.
“In a similar survey issued four years ago, we dispelled the myth that Hollywood and corporate wives were the typical BOTOX® Cosmetic patient,” says ASERF President Laurie Casas, MD, a plastic surgeon practicing in suburban Chicago. “Now, demographic and perception data trends show us that aesthetic injectable treatments have continued to evolve into mainstream and accepted options for the everyday woman.”
Survey results found that the typical aesthetic injectable patient is a married, working mother between 41-55 years of age with a household income of under $100,000. The survey also found that women receiving aesthetic injectable treatments are health-conscious and philanthropy minded, with the majority incorporating exercise (95 percent) and healthy eating habits (78 percent) into their lives, and many volunteering with charitable organizations that matter to them (32 percent). In addition, nearly seven out of 10 respondents believe that BOTOX® Cosmetic (72 percent) and hyaluronic acid dermal fillers (65 percent) are important parts of their aesthetic routine.
“Interestingly, among BOTOX® Cosmetic patients, nearly seven out of 10 respondents also received treatment with hyaluronic acid fillers,” says Dr. Casas. “Most people have great success with BOTOX® Cosmetic and dermal fillers; however, we need to make patients aware that even though injectables are not ‘surgery,’ their administration is a medical procedure with risks that depend on the training and experience of the clinician, the clinical setting and the technique used.”
Additional findings of the survey found that 72 percent of respondents received BOTOX® Cosmetic injections to treat their glabellar lines – also referred to the “11” – the frown lines in between the brows, while 63 percent of those surveyed received hyaluronic acid dermal filler injections to treat their nasolabial folds – also known as the “parentheses” – the lines around the nose and mouth. A few of the most frequently cited reasons to receive treatment with BOTOX® Cosmetic was “to look more relaxed, less stressed” while patients reported choosing treatment with hyaluronic acid dermal fillers to “look more rejuvenated.”
Based on its annual survey of U. S. physicians performing cosmetic procedures, ASAPS recently reported that BOTOX® Cosmetic injections have remained the most frequently performed procedure since FDA approval of the product in 2002. Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers ranked as the third most popular procedure performed last year. ASERF conducted this follow-up survey to quantify the characteristics and opinions of the patients who receive the treatment to help its members and the public obtain a better understanding of these important modalities.
Survey Methodology
To conduct this survey, ASERF, the charitable, not-for-profit research arm of American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), retained the services of Industry Insights, Inc. an independent research and consulting firm headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
In March 2009, a two-page questionnaire, designed by ASERF in conjunction with Industry Insights, was distributed to 1,818 ASAPS members to distribute to their BOTOX® Cosmetic and/or hyaluronic acid dermal filler patients. A total of 687 completed and useable forms were received in time for processing and analysis. Based on 687 presumably random responses, this study has a +/- 3.7% margin of error at a 95% level of confidence. A margin of error of +/- 5% is typically accepted as the “standard” in association research, so this study’s +/-3.7% figure indicates a stronger than typical level of statistical integrity.
The survey was sponsored, in part, by a market research grant from Allergan, Inc.
To find additional survey data results, please access the survey results fact sheet (http://www. surgery. org/private/download/ASERFSurveyFactSheet_28May2009.doc) and Executive Report (http://www. surgery. org/private/download/ASERFBotoxSurvey2009-Report-4-23-09.pdf).
ABOUT ASERF
The Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit foundation whose mission is to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of plastic surgery procedures, devices and techniques through directed research, physician-initiated research and as an independent third party resource for corporations interested in having their products tested through the newly formed ASERF Research Alliance. ASERF is supported exclusively by private donations and research revenues, 100% of which go to its research activities: all non-research administrative expenses are donated by The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery as an expression of its mission of physician and patient education. For more information, visit http://www. aserf. org (http://www. aserf. org) or contact Tom Purcell at 800-362-2147 or tom(at)surgery. org.
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