The average age of access to aesthetic medicine treatments is rejuvenated by going from 35 to 20 years. The growing interest in improving the physical appearance of consumers has meant that by 2021 nearly 900,000 treatments will be carried out.
Consumers of aesthetic medicine are getting younger and younger. EFE/Fernando Mexía
Achieving natural beauty, delaying skin aging, feeling better about oneself, improving self-esteem… are the main reasons why the number of consumers who decide to undergo aesthetic medicine treatments has increased.
The services offered by aesthetic medicine continue to revolutionize the social landscape and are the order of the day. The Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine (SEME) has carried out the study “Dimensioning and socio-economic impact of aesthetic medicine in Spain” in 2021.
This is a report that covers the main aspects of aesthetic medicine: the types of treatments most used and the new trends, the profile of consumers and their motivations, as well as some obstacles that present themselves in the profession.
Aesthetic medicine: what do we prefer?
The field of aesthetic medicine is very varied and its interest has not only grown among patients, but also among medical professionals, and the fact is that 15% more of doctors (compared to 2019) decide to train in this sector of health .
Of the 871,525 aesthetic treatments that were carried out in 2021, the 72% correspond to facial treatments, the 22% a body treatments and the 6% a other types of treatments
The rise of aesthetic medicine continues to grow, increasing by one 20.2% the number of health centers authorized by Ministry of Healthwith the license U.48to practice aesthetic medicine, achieving the 6,035 accredited centers.
In addition, in 2021, authorized centers presented an annual turnover of more than 3.5 billion euros.
Spain has become one of the destinations leaders in health tourismthis type of treatment being one of the main reasons for international visitors to travel.
Profile of consumers
According to the study, 4 out of 10 Spaniards have resorted to aesthetic medicine services at some point, and most undergo these treatments at least once a year.
Regarding the profile of consumers, one 71.8% corresponds to womenwhile one 28.2% they are men.
Young people increasingly access the consumption of aesthetic medicine earlier. While a few years ago the average age to start with these treatments was 35 years old, now it is at 20 years.
“The use of social networks, the possibility of using filters and the appearance of applications that allow changing the shape of the face have contributed to generating new needs in young patients,” he explains Sergio Fernández, doctor and second vice-president of SEME.
Kind of profiles of patients or consumers, according to the study:
- Sporadic Senior: usually made up of women in their forties who come for personal well-being.
- young debutant: generally made up of women under the age of forty, they see aesthetic medicine as a “fancy” and tend to take advantage of promotions when they go to these services.
- natural beauty: with a greater proportion of men, they are looking for results based on naturalness.
- Recurring appearance: these are women in their forties who often resort to these treatments to feel healthier.
- Self esteem: made up of women between 30 and 50 years old, they usually have treatments between one and two times a year, the aim is to increase their self-esteem.
Which aesthetic treatments are the most requested?
The primary motivation shared by all consumers of cosmetic medicine is to look good and feel good about themselves.
The treatments most demanded are:
- Facial treatments: the 42% corresponds to botulinum toxinthe 32% a hyaluronic acid and the 20% to treatments for improve the quality of the skin. The most used is still the peeling and, for men, acne treatment.
- Body treatments: the photoepilation is the most used. In general, women get an average of three different body treatments and men get two.
- Hair treatments: the laser treatments are the most demanded. Men tend to go to grafts and transplants, while women to laser and mesotherapy.
- Antiaging treatments: women start with this type of treatment anti age at the age of 41. For their part, men at the age of 38, since aging is more pronounced.
Main problems facing aesthetic medicine
The main problem that aesthetic medicine has to deal with is the professional intrusion. The supplantation of functions related to aesthetic medicine continues to be present, posing a threat to the health of patients.
Carrying out this type of treatment with unqualified personnel can lead to infections, necrosis skin, contamination with communicable diseases such as HIV or hepatitis Cand even the loss of sight.
“From the SEME, we strongly insist that patients check and ask if it is a U.48 clinic before doing any treatment”, he mentions Juana Deltell, doctor and member of the Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine.
Since 2018, SEME has received and processed more than 450 complaints.