Lift & Tuck: Consumer Attitudes Toward Aesthetic Procedures

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While it’s said that everyone is beautiful in their own way, many U.S. women and men rely on professionals to augment their natural features to enable them to be happier with the skin they’re in.

More than 26.2 million surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic and reconstructive procedures were performed in the U.S. last year, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons^a.

Liposuction was noted as the most common surgical cosmetic procedure performed in the U.S. in 2022^b, followed by breast augmentation. Of non-surgical procedures, Botox and other neurotoxins topped the list, leading to revenue of $11.8 billion U.S. dollars for all cosmetic procedures that year.

In December 2023, The Benchmarking Company asked more than 4,200 U.S. female beauty consumers which procedures they’ve had, which they’d like to try, as well as their attitudes toward new cosmetic technologies designed to bring about a professional result through non-invasive, in-home product use.

Her 'Trouble Spots'

When respondents of all ages were asked which parts of their bodies they felt could use some help, aka her “trouble spots," belly fat topped the list; 67% said this was an area where she’d like to see improvement (T-1). The desire to lose weight in general was the third most popular trouble-spot at 55%, while components of aging rounded out the top five areas, with facial lines at wrinkles at 66%, the need for teeth whitening (whether age-related or not) at 51% and crow’s feet around the eye area at 44%.

Skin issues such as cellulite followed (43%), along with sagging breasts (42%), stretchmarks (41%), dull facial skin (41%), age spots/dark spots (40%), large pores (37%), neck crepiness (36%) and sagging facial skin (35%).

Issues surrounding either unwanted hair or hair scarcity were also mentioned, with 41% saying thinning hair was a problem, followed by facial hair removal needs (39%), body hair removal needs (33%), thinning brows (30%) and thinning eyelashes (26%).

While issues surrounding facial acne (23%) and body acne (12%) came out at nearly the bottom of the trouble-spot listing for respondents of all ages combined, for those under 30 years of age, teeth whitening was the number one concern at 68%, followed by belly fat (64%), stretchmarks (55%), weight in general (54%) and facial acne (53%).

Less than 1% of respondents of all ages said they had no areas of their bodies they’d like to improve.

Procedures She Has Had

Fifty-six percent of respondents of all ages said they’ve had some type of professional procedure in the past, and 90% said they would be interested in having a procedure conducted by a professional someday.

The most common professional procedure she’s had to combat her trouble spots was hair removal by a professional, with 38% saying they have paid to have this procedure, including tweezing, waxing, dermaplaning, etc., at least once (F-1).

Pore extractions by a dermatologist or aesthetician follow, with 12% saying they’ve had this professional procedure performed on them, followed by teeth whitening by a dentist (12%), Botox or another neurotoxin injection (11%), laser hair removal (11%), chemical peels (11%), brow laminating or tinting (9%), aesthetic facials (9%), eyelash lift or tinting (8%), or using laser devices or LED face masks in a dermatologist office or medispa (8%).

Seven percent have had fillers such as Juvederm or Restylane, and 6% have had a micro-needling procedure.

Breast augmentation topped our respondents' list for cosmetic surgeries, with 5% saying they have experienced it.

Three percent have undergone weight-related surgeries and procedures, including liposuction (3%), gastric bypass or sleeve surgery (3%), and body contouring procedures such as Coolsculping or Kybella (also 3%).

Extending the Benefits

There is an opportunity for brands to position themselves as partners in consumers' professional procedure journey by extending benefits.LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS at Adobe StockThere are many products on the market now to either extend or supplement the benefits of professional treatments. Right now, just 9% of respondents who’ve had professional treatments use products of this type to supplement or extend the procedure’s benefit. Eighty-two percent would be interested in doing so.

There is an opportunity for brands with products of this type to position themselves as partners in her professional procedure journey by maximizing her investment through an extension of benefits.

Brands of products used by respondents to extend or supplement the benefits of professional skin care treatments include Alastin, Bioelements, Dermalogica, Vichy, Obagi, PCA Skin, Skinmedica, Skinceuticals and Zo Skincare, among others.

Teeth whitening strips of various brands were mentioned as follow-ups to a professional whitening service.

Her Pro Treatment Wish List

Interest in having a professional procedure is high, with 90% saying they would be open to having one. Teeth whitening by a dentist (46%) tops her professional procedure wish list (T-2), followed by laser hair removal (45%), body contouring such as Kybella or Coolsculping (41%), using laser devices (37%), having a chemical peel (31%), Botox (31%), brow lamination or tinting (30%), eyelash lift/tinting (29%), and fillers such as Juvederm (29%).

What’s Important When Considering a Procedure

When considering a professional cosmetic procedure, 96% of all respondents say the reputation of the professional who would perform the procedure is of paramount importance and a major influencer^c, followed by the length of time the benefits will last (95%), possible side effects of the procedure (90%), reviews from other patients who’ve had the procedure (88%), the availability of before and after photos of patients who’ve undergone the procedure (86%), the price of the procedure itself (85%), how quickly she can see the results of the procedure (79%), length of downtime following the procedure (74%), the degree of pain involved (70%), and a convenient location to have the procedure (69%).

The amount of short-term pain involved, as a degree of importance when considering undergoing a procedure, ranked relatively low considering the other rankings, at 70%. When asked what degree of pain she would endure for a procedure that could effectively address her trouble-spot issues, a rating of 6.4, on a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being No Pain at All and 10 being A Great Deal of Pain), was the average.

In-Home, Non-Invasive vs. Professional Procedures

There are many new ingredient technologies being developed to mimic cosmetic procedures. Some of these ingredients could mimic the effects of Botox (without injections), oxygen facials (like a professional) or provide an effect like an eye lift (without surgery).

Respondents were asked if, instead of a professional cosmetic procedure, would they be interested in trying a less-invasive solution that they could use at home, themselves, for some trouble-spot issues.

That answer was a resounding yes from 91% of respondents, with 7% saying they weren’t sure and just 2% saying no.

Teeth whitening (62%), manual hair removal (56%), and laser hair removal (54%) topped her list of non-invasive, at-home procedures she’d love to experience if the results were on par with a professional procedure, with healthy interest in others, as shown in T-3.

While interest is high for these types of potential in-home procedures, 86% of respondents expect them to be less expensive than a professional procedure–even if the outcome was the same and the benefits lasted just as long.

Based in sun-seared San Diego, DENISE HERICH is co-founder and managing partner at The Benchmarking Company (www.benchmarkingcompany.com). The Benchmarking Company provides marketing and strategy professionals in the beauty and personal care industries with need-to-know information about its customers and prospects through custom consumer research studies, focus groups, its annual PinkReport, and consumer beauty product testing for marketing claims.

FOOTNOTES

^awww.plasticsurgery.org/news/press-releases/american-society-of-plastic-surgeons-reveals-2022s-most-sought-after-procedures

^bhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/281224/leading-surgical-cosmetic-procedures-in-the-united-states/

^cWhen asked degree of importance in decision to undergo a procedure, with 1 being Not Important and 5 being Very Important.