The Beauty Image Assessment Study: Perspectives of US Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers on Aesthetic Treatments
This Medfyle was published more than two years ago. More recent Medfyle on this topic may now be available.
Key messages
- The goal of our study is to examine how aesthetic perceptions, goals, and barriers to treatment differ between Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. This subset of the Beauty Image Assessment Study focused on the perspectives of 3,028 aesthetically conscious US adult men and women, with ages evenly distributed between Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers.
- The top aesthetic concern for all age groups was upper facial line treatment. Crow’s feet lines were considered most important by the Millennials and Generation Xers (48% and 46%, respectively), whereas Baby Boomers ranked stubborn abdominal fat as the highest concern (40%), followed by crow’s feet lines (38%). Millennials were more likely than Generation Xers and Baby Boomers to acknowledge treatment barriers such as wanting to try diet and exercise first (27% vs 19%), and concern with non-reversible/nonreturnable interventions (19% vs 12–14%). They were also affected nearly twice as often by guilt about modifying their appearance compared to the Generation Xers and Baby Boomers (15% vs 6–7%, respectively). Nearly one-third of all responders were concerned about looking unnatural following treatment, regardless of generation. Although more Millennials reported having very little discretionary income compared to Generation Xers or Baby Boomers (30% vs 26–27%), they were more inclined to invest in their appearance compared to the Baby Boomers (82% vs 67%).
- There are subtle yet distinct generational differences among adults regarding aesthetic perceptions, goals, concerns, and barriers to treatment. A better understanding of these differences may help physicians tailor both their initial aesthetic consultations as well as future treatments, resulting in improved outcomes and enhanced patient satisfaction.
Presenting Author
Noëlle Sherber, MD, FAAD
Co-Founder, SHERBER+RAD, Washington DC
Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology,
George Washington University
Dr Noëlle Sherber is a board-certified dermatologist and fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, co-founder of SHERBER+RAD in Washington, D.C., and Clinical Assistant Professor at George Washington University in the Department of Dermatology. Dr Sherber graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where she designed and implemented a novel degree program in health policy focused on assessing and improving quality of care. She next attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she earned her M.D. degree. Following a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical research at Columbia University, she returned to Johns Hopkins for dermatology residency training. Dr Sherber has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. A former medical consultant to ABC News’ Good Morning America, she frequently contributes her expertise to print and television media.
