Medical wrinkle treatment: what do women think about it?
Everyone thinks they can talk about BOTOX and other methods of wrinkle treatment as a matter of course. But what do German women really know about it? Do they know the different possibilities? Have they already had their own experience? Can you imagine having a wrinkle treatment? Or do they shy away from the risks? The German Society for Aesthetic Botulinum Toxin Therapy eV(DGBT) commissioned a study on this and recently published its results. 1000 German women aged 35 and over were asked about their views on beauty in old age. And about their opinions on medical methods of wrinkle treatment, such as injections with BOTOX and hyaluron. Let’s look at the results together!
1. every second respondent wants to be attractive even in old age
According to the study, it is important for every 2nd woman to be “attractive” even in old age. In turn, every 2nd respondent who expressed agreement understands “attractiveness” to mean firm skin.
Well, that’s not really surprising now. However, 50% of “positive” votes are quite high. Apparently, for many women, their own appearance is more important than the “renunciation of pure appearances” propagated in many places would suggest. Because let’s face it, negative comments about wrinkle treatment and BOTOX in particular are heard every time a celebrity is convicted of “helping” again. Here in Munich, not a day goes by without people whispering about someone somewhere. In the Bavarian metropolis, which is not exactly lacking in specialists for aesthetic medicine, there are of course plenty of opportunities for this. In this respect, it’s nice to see that the ladies insist, despite all society’s nose-diving, that they want to be attractive even in old age. And would definitely consider medical wrinkle treatment for it.
2. the vast majority wants to look as (young) as they feel
Nearly 70% of women said they wanted to look as old/young as “they felt” when they got older.
This is not really new either and has already been proven by previous studies. Which is why the beauty industry has gotten out of the habit of touting youthfulness by hook or by crook. Today, people actually only talk about achieving an aura of freshness and vitality commensurate with age. A look, therefore, that emphasizes the natural appearance. But does not contradict him. The various methods of wrinkle treatment are no longer aimed at making the face completely smooth and wrinkle-free. But rather to emphasize an attractive appearance that suits the age. For me personally, that has always been the motto. And that’s how I keep it with my patients in my Munich practice. I want to look good for my 51 and not have to pretend to be 32. My own first BOTOX experience was almost 10 years ago now. Since then I have had regular wrinkle treatments. But in all those years I never felt the temptation, either as a doctor or as a user, to fall prey to youth mania and drift into artificiality.
3. every third one wants to be attractive. Only every 2nd believes that it is too
65% of women say that physical appearance is important to them. At the same time, however, only 44% of women considered themselves “attractive”
That’s what’s really sad. It also somewhat contradicts what was said before. After all, if I don’t feel attractive at 35 today, why should I be satisfied with just looking “good” according to age when I’m older. How would that even work? Isn’t it rather the case that women who don’t feel attractive will go along with any foolishness to “become beautiful” as soon as the opportunity arises? Is this not the cause of the “beauty mania”, as it is always deplored? Women who look better as they age will also feel better. But women who are already uncomfortable in their skin today, what do they do? In addition, we live in a society that has made female attractiveness the ideal, but which makes it difficult for “normal” looking women to find themselves “beautiful” through almost surreal ideals of beauty in the media and fashion. Against this backdrop, I think the 44% who describe themselves as attractive is actually high again. Wrinkle treatment should serve the purpose of taking one’s individual attractiveness into old age. Not to become someone you are not at all.
4. more than half are afraid of rigid facial expressions
About 60% fear that wrinkle treatment with Botox causes “rigid facial expressions”.
In the mass market for medical aesthetics, where providers compete to death and botox parties are auctioned off at discount prices on Groupon, this concern is also justified. After all, we are still talking about medicine. We talk about muscles, nerves and blood vessels. About the fact that people are individual in their anatomy and no two faces are alike. How one can assume with such conditions that aesthetic medicine can be operated economically like the market for potatoes, where even the cheapest supplier will already deliver “good quality”, I will never understand. If you want to make money with mass, you can’t afford to spend too much time on the individual case. In any case, I wouldn’t want to have Botox injected by someone like that. And certainly not insert a permanent implant, even if it’s just a hyaluronic filler. Quality in aesthetic medicine also means carefully approaching the right Botox dosage in a patient you don’t know yet. Less is then more. In case of doubt, you have to inject again at the control appointment, at your own expense. That’s bad for business. But good for the patient. Because the “Botox Face” will not happen like that.
5. every third respondent is afraid of asymmetries
33% are afraid that wrinkle treatment will cause asymmetries in the face.
So while “rigid facial expression” as a complication is almost non-existent in my practice, initial asymmetry is not at all uncommon. Muscles, including facial muscles, vary in strength from person to person. Therefore, it may well happen that a certain Botox dose works exactly as hoped on one half of the face, but not on the other. Classic case: the one-sided “Spock eyebrow” in an eyebrow lift using Botox. What do you do then? Mann injects a small amount of Botox at the follow-up appointment to further weaken the muscle, which has not yet been sufficiently immobilized. Bingo! Then, a week later, no difference can be seen.
But as I said, only if the therapist knows what he is doing. And whether that is always the case, I have my doubts. Especially when injecting with hyaluron. Nowadays, even people to whom one would not want to attest exact knowledge of facial anatomy with the greatest benevolence have the confidence to do so. Even in the most sensitive places, such as the tear trough. One of the most renowned experts in the world, the Brazilian surgeon Mauricio di Maio, expressly warns in his courses for increased caution at this point, and wants the intervention to be reserved only for experienced therapists.
But what does the practice look like? A wide field of medically semi-educated or completely uneducated people are busy romping around in the field of hyaluron injections. Also in Germany. And women, probably mainly because of the tempting price, put themselves in their hands. Seriously, ladies: The course of blood vessels and neural pathways, different from ethnicity to ethnicity at that, is one of the hardest parts of medical school. And then you go to the tattoo studio next door or to the pedicurist who “also offers this”, but possibly only in secret because she is not allowed by law? Makes no sense to me.
6. the vast majority of respondents do not know about wrinkle treatment for prevention
About 70% of women surveyed do not know that wrinkle treatment can prevent.
In fact, this is the case: If you take precautions in good time and keep the strong facial muscles from pulling furrows through your face, you will look better in the long run. This is by no means to say that every 25 year old should book a full face botox every 6 months from now on. Not at all! Rather, this is to point out that it is worthwhile to have one’s face analyzed by an expert at an early stage to see where it is foreseeable that lines and wrinkles will form early on due to practiced facial expressions as well as the peculiarities of the skin and tissue structure. Because there you can actually prevent and delay the formation of wrinkles for years by means of selective wrinkle treatment. Forehead or glabella, for example, my personal classics. But also “bunny lines” on the nose often appear very early. Even nasolabial folds appear in some people at a young age, and can then be avoided entirely without hyaluronic injections with a very simple Botox injection regimen.
7. my conclusion
Reduce prejudices and consult the expert in time! Then the attractive, natural appearance in old age will work out without costly interventions and without great risks. I can only recommend to everyone, women as well as men, not to let themselves be put off by alleged Botox experiences, which are colported in the circle of friends or via the media. It is her face. It is their personal appearance. Get professional advice and make their very own experience. Provided a competent therapist, you will not regret a timely wrinkle treatment that suits your type and supports your natural appearance!
The full study is available here: https://www.dgbt.de/fileadmin/assets/downloads/pressecenter/umfragen/DGBT-Umfrageergebnis-Schoenheit-im-Alter-2017.pdf
