Spaniards are starting aesthetic medicine treatments earlier each time, since if a decade ago it was at 35 years old, in 2022 it will drop to 20, according to a report by the Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine (SEME) that links this older demand among the youngest profile to the social media influence. According to the ‘Study dimensioning and socioeconomic impact of Aesthetic Medicine in Spain’, the use of social networks, the possibility of use filters and the appearance of applications that allow to change the forms of the face has contributed to generating new needs in younger patients who, in aesthetic consultations, mainly demand hyaluronic acid fillers in the lips and botulinum toxin (botox).
The report confirms that the pandemic triggered up to 30% aesthetic touch-ups and it is that the mask exposed the upper third of the face and also created the need to improve the look. Botulinum toxin and the removal of dark circles have been the star treatment in this period and in surgery, blepharoplasty, a technique to rejuvenate the eyelids.
The study confirms that aesthetic medicine is a constantly growing market. In 2021, a total of 871,525 medical-aesthetic treatments were carried out in Spain, of which the 72% (626,778) corresponded with facial treatments while 22% (191,515) were body and 6%, that is, 53,232, waxing and hair removal. According to the president of SEME, Juan Antonio López, 40% of the Spanish population has used aesthetic medicine services at some time and of these, a majority 71.8% correspond to women while men account for 28.2%, 6% more than in the last report.
López points out that most patients undergo treatments at least once a year and seek “natural and temporary beauty, where no excessive changes and those that are not definitive”. And, according to this specialist, the Spanish population, with higher life expectancies, seeks self-care, feeling better for more years. “They are not looking for more years of life, but more quality of life,” he says.
Regarding that 60% of the population that does not use aesthetic medicine, the report indicates that a majority (7 out of 10) recognizes that with a VAT reduction, it is currently 21%would consider resorting to such treatments.
In Spain, the number of health centers authorized by the Ministry of Health to practice aesthetic medicine amounts to 6,305, 20% more than in 2019.
Since there is no specialty via MIR, to be able to practice it you must have a degree in Medicine and go through specific postgraduate or master’s training, which is already taught in 19 university institutions. The study underlines that the supplanting of functions in the field of aesthetic medicine is still common and 15% of the patients who have gone to the consultations of the aesthetic doctors associated with SEME recognize that they have suffered the consequences of trespassing and, in fact, they come from centers where they were treated by a person not qualified for a medical act.
That is why the report insists on the importance of patients always ask for the collegiate number or the medical degree to the professional who is treating you in order to verify whether or not you are committing a crime.
And it emphasizes that putting it into the hands of unauthorized personnel can cause dangerous adverse reactions such as infections, skin necrosis, tissue inflammation, loss of sight or contamination of communicable diseases such as HIV or hepatitis C.
