A 20-year-old woman who wants a facial. This is the profile of Spaniards who start in aesthetic medicine treatments, according to the Study dimensioning and socioeconomic impact of Aesthetic Medicine in Spainpublished by the Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine (SEME).
Specific, the age of initiation to this type of treatment was reduced by 15 years, compared to the figures of a decade ago, when the average age was 35 years. This greater demand among the younger profile is linked to the influence of social networks. “The possibility of using filters and the appearance of applications that allow changing the shape of the face has contributed to generating new needs in younger patients”, pointed out the second vice president of SEME, Sergio Fernández.
Regarding gender, women are the main stakeholders in aesthetic medicine and represent 71.8% of operations performed in 2021, while only three out of ten patients are men (28,2%).
The pandemic triggered the demand for touch-ups in the look
Another interesting conclusion drawn from the report is the increase in demand up to 30% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemicespecially in the eye area, as this is the most visible area of the face during the period of mandatory use of the mask.
This need to improve the upper third of the face can be seen in the data handled by the SEME. Of the total of almost 900,000 medical-aesthetic treatments that were carried out in Spain in 2021, 72% (626,778) corresponded with facial treatments. Meanwhile, 22% corresponded to body treatments and the remaining 6% (ie, 53,232) were waxing and hair removal.
Within facial treatments, 42% corresponded to botulinum toxin –consolidating itself as the most performed facial treatment after the Covid-19 pandemic-, 32% hyaluronic acid and 20% treatments to improve the quality of the skin or eliminate dark circles.
Natural beauty and less VAT, main claims
Among the 40% of Spaniards who have used aesthetic medicine services on some occasion, most seek “a natural and temporary beauty”, without excessive or definitive changes being perceived. “They are not after more years of life, but more years of quality of life”, explains the president of SEME, Juan Antonio Lopez.
And it is that, according to this specialist, the Spanish population evolves with higher rates of life, which makes self-care, The culture of health, of feeling better for more years, has an impact on the growth of the aesthetic medicine market.
As for 60% of non-users of aesthetic medicine in Spain, seven out of ten indicate that they would consider undergoing a treatment if they did not carry VAT.