ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin (BT) use for enhancing the facial features has become a commonly accepted form of aesthetic intervention. This study conducted a self-report survey of female BT users in order to explore the motivating factors in its use (cost-benefit analysis). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional exploratory pilot study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Self-report questionnaires were administered to 41 consecutive clients attending an independent medical practice for BT injections for cosmetic purposes. All the participants were females and represented a range of age groups from the 20s to above 60s. Items in the nonstandardized questionnaire elicited questions relating to the reasons for and against BT use. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Descriptive analysis was used rather than inferential statistics, and involved ranking the responses according to the most likely reasons for using BT and disadvantages of its use. RESULTS: In general, the primary motivating factor for BT use was to improve self-esteem, and the greatest disadvantage involved financial costs associated with the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: The main findings of this study suggest that females who use BT for aesthetic purposes are motivated by personal psychological gains (intrapersonal attributes) rather than social gains (interpersonal factors). In other words, they do not believe that having BT will equate to being treated any better by other people but would rather provide them with confidence and satisfaction regarding their self-image.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The human preoccupation of experimenting with potentially toxic substances at sublethal doses to enhance beauty spans the ages. The Botox injection is the fastest growing cosmetic procedure, and its physiologic safety profile is considered to be excellent. The psychosocial consequences of Botox have been largely ignored in the literature. METHODS: This cross-sectional study investigated the psychosocial issues that can arise as either an antecedent to the treatment or a consequence of it. RESULTS: Significant differences between clients and control subjects were observed in the four major areas of psychosocial functioning implicated in this study: (a) distress arising from the procedure (anxiety/phobia), (b) worry about the facial changes after the procedure, (c) expectations, involving the discrepancy between expected and actual outcomes of treatment; and (d) dependence, involving the desire for repetitive administration. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of Botox on the psychosocial functioning of individuals was investigated in this study from a psychosocial and clinical perspective in an effort to pave the way for the formulation of national standardized guidelines for the use of Botox. This study empowers the clinician to understand the basis for the relative contraindications of Botox, which are largely psychological in nature, and thus to ensure its administration in a safe and responsible manner.
