Similar Attitudes Toward Beauty Exist Across Different Latitudes—With Exclusive Commentary About How These Attitudes Can Guide Your Medical Esthetics Business

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Only on SkinInc.com: Exclusive commentary from Silvia Schweickart, brand manager, Filler & Toxin Portfolio, for Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH, is included in this news item explaining what women want in regard to beauty, providing valuable insight for your medical esthetics practice.

At the 22nd World Congress of Dermatology in Seoul, Korea, Merz Aesthetics celebrated its commitment to the Asian market and reinforced its plans to become a global leader in the aesthetics business with the release of the third chapter of its “Face Value” Beauty Survey.

Currently, Merz Aesthetics operates in 16 countries around the globe with a primary presence in America and Europe. The Asia Pacific Region is quickly becoming one of the most exciting and dynamic aesthetics markets in the world and represents a strategic opportunity for Merz. The company recently announced it will build its regional headquarters in Singapore and has committed to providing clinical training, technical workshops and scientific background to physicians across the region. Most recently in addition to the Singapore office, Merz has established offices in Korea and Taiwan.

The Asia-Pacific facial injectable market—comprised of botulinum toxin, hyaluronic acid dermal fillers, particle and polymer fillers and collagen fillers—is expected to grow through 2014 due to increased physician adoption of profitable facial injectable treatments in their practices and growing patient demand for less invasive cosmetic procedures. This consumer demand backed by physician innovation, product availability and increasing consumer disposable income intersect, to create double-digit growth year upon year in the region.

“The extreme growth of the minimally invasive facial injectable market in South Korea specifically and across Asia, suggests a high aesthetic consciousness in the Asia-Pacific region, which will fuel continued demand for cosmetic procedures, including facial injectable treatments,” says Kyle Seo, MD, PhD, director of Modelo Clinic, Seoul, South Korea. “The large pool of patients in this region represents a significant opportunity for revenue potential in the facial injectable market.”

The “Face Value” beauty survey

According to the Merz Aesthetics “Face Value” Beauty Survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, among more than 2,900 women from France, Italy, Spain, Russia and the United Kingdom, more than 9 in 10 (95%) women would like to improve or alter a facial feature and nearly 4 in 5 (78%) believe it is acceptable for women to invest in aesthetic procedures to enhance their beauty as they age. The survey also found a strong tie between beauty, happiness and confidence. In fact, a majority of women (70%) surveyed said they feel most beautiful when they are happy and even more said that when they are happy, they feel more beautiful (89%) and when they feel beautiful they are more confident (89%).

The “Face Value” Beauty Survey also found that the majority of women (70%) surveyed said that they feel more confident as they age. They also claim they do not mind looking their age—they just do not want to look older.

“We listen to our customers and understand that modern women throughout the world, regardless of age, race or personal circumstances have an unapologetic desire to feel beautiful,” says Steve Basta, CEO of Merz Aesthetics. “Whether she is in Seoul, Seattle, São Paulo or Stockholm, today’s woman is clearly interested in products and procedures that enable her to create a more beautiful, and more confident, but not necessarily younger looking version of herself.”

Silvia Schweickart, brand manager, Filler & Toxin Portfolio, for Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH, tells SkinInc.com women's beauty attitudes both globally and in the United States, providing insight into what is motivating your clients' beauty desires.

SkinInc.com: What do these results say about beauty needs throughout the world?

Schweickart: "Beauty truly is personal across the globe. Although many found aspects of themselves that they would like to change, the Face Value Beauty Survey found that 98% of women have at least one body aspect they would like to improve or change, The majority (80%) of women believe that beauty is under everyone’s control. Further, an additional 57% disagree that beauty is in the genes and cannot be created. Women understand that there are treatment options available to enhance their appearance and are demonstrating an increased willingness to try these procedures: nearly three quarters (73%) of the women surveyed said they want aesthetic procedures in order to fix some aspects of their appearance."

SkinInc.com: How do the attitudes in the Face Value Beauty Survey mirror those in the United States?

Schweickart: "American women are also embracing aging with confidence. In a recent study conducted by Mederma (from Merz Pharmaceuticals), 48% of U.S. women aged 18 and older say they are more confident now than they were 10 years ago, and 66% are satisfied overall with their physical appearance. This mirrors the Face Value Beauty Survey, which found that 70% of women feel more confident as they age and that women draw a connection between beauty, happiness and confidence. About 2 in 3 (68%) women say they feel beautiful and nearly 9 in 10 (89%) feel more beautiful when they are happy. Almost 9 in 10 (89%) women also say they are more confident when they feel beautiful."

SkinInc.com: What is the future of global beauty?

Schweickart: Globally, women are looking for the same things from aesthetic treatments: They are looking to bring out their personal beauty best and are willing to use injectable treatments to do so. Out of the 2,900 women surveyed for the Face Value Beauty Survey, 51% seek out facial injectable treatments to enhance their looks without drastically changing their appearance, and 44% want injections to help them look “radiant and well-rested.” Women are also no longer chasing youth but rather striving to look the best they can at their current age. To clarify, 76% do not mind looking their age, so long as they don’t look older, yet 44% believe it is impossible to age beautifully without using an aesthetic procedure of some kind. In the next few years we expect to see more women moving away from invasive surgical procedures in favor of the more subtle results obtained from noninvasive beauty treatments.

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