A research-based analysis published in Dermatologic Surgery found that facial treatment preferences among women often are tied to their age. Younger women are more likely to seek cosmetic medical treatments for the upper face while women 50 and older prioritize treatments of the lower face, according to the study. Dermatologic Surgery is the official journal of the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery.

While younger women seek aesthetic treatments to retain a youthful appearance, older women tend to seek treatment with the aim of reversing some of the adverse effects of aging, such as facial lines, folds and loss of volume, according to the study.

A total of 603 women between the ages of 30 and 65 years old considering aesthetic treatments participated in an online research survey using Maximum Difference scaling. This analysis revealed that crow’s feet are most likely to be treated first (82 percent of the first preferences), followed by the junction of the upper and lower lips (74 percent) and tear troughs (72 percent).

A strong correlation was observed between facial areas creating the most concern and the likelihood that they received a high treatment preference. One exception was the tear trough, which was identified as a similar degree of concern to crow’s feet lines but was less likely to be selected for aesthetic treatment.

Of the survey participants, 82 percent were married or living as a couple, “perhaps suggesting that women did not undergo treatment to attract a partner but rather to achieve their personal beauty goals or to retain their current partner,” according to the authors: Vic A. Narurkar, M.D.; Ava Shamban, M.D.; Peter Sissins, BSc; Anthony Stonehouse, Ph.D; and Conor Gallagher, Ph.D.

The authors of “Facial Treatment Preferences in Aesthetically Aware Women” view their work as the first research study examining the preferences of women with the means to pursue treatments, contending that “although individual physicians may have general perceptions of patient treatment preferences in their practices, there are no systematic data available that describe either the specific concerns that prompt women to seek treatments or their preferences for facial areas requiring treatment.”

ASDS members performed more than 6 million cosmetic procedures in 2014, according to the Society’s Survey on Dermatologic Procedures. That includes 1.7 million wrinkle-relaxing injections and more than 1 million soft-tissue fillers.

“ASDS members are experts at analyzing the facial composition of their patients and selecting the treatment option that suits them best,” said ASDS President George J. Hruza, MD, MBA. “Unlike other practitioners, our members offer a full range of treatment options – with excellent outcomes.”