Background: The lion’s share of the research on facial aesthetic procedures focuses on visual results and patient satisfaction.

Objectives: To characterize treated and untreated potential patients and the identification of determinants that influence the decision making as well as the impact of such treatments on patients’ self-perception.

Methods: A cross-sectional, propensity-score-matched study on minimally invasive aesthetic procedures was performed through a survey comprising elements regarding demographics, conduct toward minimally invasive facial plastic interventions, as well as psychological well-being and social self-esteem domains of the validated Face-Q module.

Results: Complete data were collected from 598 participants. Among those, 88% (n = 529) were females and 12% (n = 69) were males. Forty-six percent (n = 277) of the participants were below the age of 30, and 39% (n = 233) were between 30 and 45 years of age. Of the 598 participants, 22% (n = 134) of the participants had undergone a minimally invasive aesthetic procedure of botulinum toxin and/or hyaluronic acid injection, and 78% (n = 464) of the participants had never received any aesthetic treatment. Female gender, 30 to 45 years of age, self-employment, and an income over 75,000€ were significant predictors of undergoing minimally invasive aesthetic procedures. Among treated participants, the overall FACE-Q score as well as the scores for the social esteem and the psychological well-being domains improved significantly with the aesthetic treatment.

Conclusions: This study highlights the major role of healthcare providers in better informing patients and the positive impact of facial aesthetic treatments on patients’ appearance as well as on psychological well-being and self-esteem.

Sascha Wellenbrock MD

Appearances