The Changing Face of Medical Aesthetics
The Medical Aesthetics industry is a complex marketplace that is always evolving. With new products and services available for patients, staying up-to-date on how the sector is changing from patient/consumer perspective is vitally important for HCOs (healthcare organisations), and HCPs (healthcare professionals).
By monitoring changes in market activity with our Medical Aesthetics Tracker, you can identify opportunities in market size, attitudes and motivations, as well as the overall industry and treatment trends.
What is the current market size of the aesthetics industry?
The latest insights from our tracker shows that as many as 7.92m adults in the UK are either considering or have had aesthetics treatment in the last or next 12 months. This is likely to continue to grow and, therefore, increase the potential market value of the aesthetics sector.
In fact, our research highlights that the UK non-surgical aesthetics industry will be valued in excess of £3 billion in the next 12 months - a trendline that shows no sign of slowing down. When looking at this further, we can see that botulinum toxin and dermal filler claim a large proportion of this value, however, there is significant growth in medicated weight management and body contouring treatments.
So with all this money being spent, what demographics are the most likely to spend on aesthetic treatments?
The most common age group across all treatments in aesthetics are those who are between 33-50 years old, with the next largest age group falling to the 25-32 age bracket. But what is driving these age groups to want to get treatment?
What is driving people to get aesthetic treatment?
Understanding what external influences drive patients to get treatment is key to knowing what trends, opportunities or potential issues there are in the market. Everything from social media and working on Zoom, to the reopening of holidays and social settings, can impact people’s decisions to get treatment.
50% of 18-24 year olds say that looking at celebrity or influencer accounts on social media has an impact on their attitude towards their own appearance - something which is becoming much more common in 2022. Whereas, 71% of 41-50 year olds say that seeing themselves in video calls/photos has an impact on their attitude toward their own appearance.
The connection between mental health and treatment
Alarmingly, 27% of the adult population have a negative attitude towards their own appearance, of which 34% are females and 20% are males.
However, it is mainly 18-24 year olds that are most likely to feel this way, perhaps due to the fact that social media and celebrity/media influencers have the biggest impact on their attitude towards their appearance. This is closely followed by 37% of 16-17 year olds and 33% of 18-24 year olds. Therefore, we can make assumptions that the effect this is having on younger people is causing low self-esteem and driving the want for treatment.
Depression and anxiety diagnosis is a major driver in body confidence, mental wellbeing and attitude toward one’s own appearance, with 42% of adults who suffer from depression/anxiety being more likely than the average adult to consider aesthetics treatments in the next 12 months.
This information highlights a need for HCPs and clinics to show a duty of care for their patients during the consultation stage, ensuring that they are managed and looked after each step of the way.
If you’d like to speak to a member of our team about the Medical Aesthetics Tracker, contact us at hello@rare.consulting
