NON-SURGICAL COSMETIC PROCEDURES AMONG YOUNG ADULTS: A SURVEY OF STUDENTS OF TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

<b>Background: </b>Human beings have been pursuing improvement in body image since the beginning of recorded history. As a result, the demand for cosmetic procedures by young adults and teenagers is increasing worldwide. While thousands of patients underwent surgical cosmetic procedures, millions of other patients sought non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of studies on the prevalence of young adults, especially students, who seek cosmetic procedures and why there may be a preference for non-surgical procedures among them. This study looks at the knowledge, attitude, and perception of non-surgical cosmetic procedures among young adults in the eight tertiary educational institutions in Ekiti State.<b>Methods: </b>This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study of students in tertiary educational institutions in Ekiti State. Data were collected through the administration of structured, close-ended, google form-based questionnaires. The data were received in the Google form and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows, Version 28.0 software for statistical analysis.<b>Results: </b>Responses from 531 respondents out of the 604 students who participated in the survey were included in this study. There were 328 (61.8%) females, 193 (36.3%) males and 10 (1.9%) respondents who would rather not disclose their gender. The respondents who were mostly single (96.6%) were aged from 15 years to 40 years, with a mean age (standard deviation) of 21.89 (4.99) years. More than 80% of the respondents received less than an average monthly stipend of fifty thousand naira ($87.7 @ N570/$1). The students have a good knowledge of what cosmetic procedure entails, though only 58.7% (300, n=511) of the respondents knew that the procedures do not always involve surgery, while 25.9% (132, n=510) of respondents affirmed the myth that body parts are replaced with plastics in carrying out cosmetic procedures. The top five non-surgical cosmetic procedures that the respondents were aware of were tattoo application (398, 75.0%), hair removal (206, 38.8%), botox injection (140, 26.4%), chemical peels (135, 25.4%) and permanent make-ups (135, 25.4%). 11.3%). Others were siblings (25, 4.7%) and parents (11, 2.1%). The respondents’ information about cosmetic procedures mainly was from social media vis -WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram (394, 74.2%) and the internet (391, 73.6%). Infection (375, 70.6%), unacceptable final results (232, 43.7%) and bleeding (202, 38%) were the top three risks known to the respondents to be associated with cosmetic procedures.While 461 (87.0%) respondents had not had any cosmetic procedure before, there is an increased likelihood of more people considering having cosmetic procedures in the future; however, six times more people had had non-surgical cosmetic procedures than those with surgical procedures. The top three body parts they would most likely change or improve by cosmetic procedures are the face (119, 22.5%), the buttock (88, 16.6%) and the hip (83, 15.7%), preferably by non-surgical measures. Peer pressure and procedures in vogue appear not to play a significant role in motivating the respondents to seek non-surgical cosmetic procedures, as they would be more motivated by the desire to look good (n=160), safe procedures (n=152), access to money (n=151) and readily available procedures (n=116). The risk of complications and parental disapproval are among the reasons that might prevent the respondents from seeking a non-surgical cosmetic procedure.<b>Conclusions: </b>Efforts to enhance the request for non-surgical cosmetic procedures must address the limiting factors while potentiating the motivating factors. Social media remains the most veritable source for bringing appropriate information to youths. To their advantage, practitioners must learn to use social media to expand knowledge and provide relevant information to teeming youths and adults.<b>背景：</b>自有文字记载的历史伊始，人类便始终追求体态形象的优化。受此驱动，全球范围内青少年及年轻成年人接受美容整形诊疗的需求持续攀升。当前，每年有数以千计的患者接受外科美容整形手术，另有数百万患者选择非手术类美容整形项目。遗憾的是，目前针对年轻成年人（尤其是学生群体）接受美容整形诊疗的患病率，以及该群体偏好非手术项目的原因相关研究仍较为匮乏。本研究聚焦埃基蒂州八所高等教育机构内的年轻成年人，对其关于非手术美容整形项目的认知、态度及看法展开调查。<b>方法：</b>本研究为描述性横断面研究，研究对象为埃基蒂州高等教育机构的学生。研究采用基于谷歌表单（Google Form）的结构化封闭式问卷开展数据收集。收集到的谷歌表单数据将导出至Windows版社会科学统计软件包（Statistical Package for Social Sciences, SPSS）28.0版本，以进行统计学分析。<b>结果：</b>本次调查共招募604名学生参与，最终纳入531份有效回复。其中女性328例（占比61.8%），男性193例（占比36.3%），另有10名受访者（占比1.9%）不愿披露自身性别。绝大多数受访者为单身（96.6%），年龄介于15岁至40岁之间，平均年龄（标准差）为21.89（4.99）岁。超过80%的受访者月均津贴不足5万奈拉（按1美元兑换570奈拉计算，约合87.7美元）。多数受访者对美容整形项目的基本概念具备良好认知，但仅58.7%（300/511）的受访者知晓美容整形并非总需借助外科手术；另有25.9%（132/510）的受访者存在认知误区，认为美容整形是使用塑料替代人体组织。受访者知晓的非手术美容整形项目中，排名前五的分别为纹身（398例，75.0%）、脱毛（206例，38.8%）、肉毒素注射（140例，26.4%）、化学剥脱术（135例，25.4%）与永久化妆（135例，25.4%）。另有11.3%[原文此处存在排版疏漏]，其余信息来源为亲属（25例，4.7%）与父母（11例，2.1%）。受访者获取美容整形相关信息的主要渠道为社交媒体——包括WhatsApp、Facebook、Instagram（394例，74.2%）及互联网（391例，73.6%）。受访者已知的与美容整形相关的三大风险分别为感染（375例，70.6%）、术后效果不佳（232例，43.7%）与出血（202例，38.0%）。尽管461例（87.0%）受访者此前未接受过任何美容整形手术，但未来考虑接受美容整形的人群比例呈上升趋势；其中接受过非手术美容整形项目的人数是接受过外科手术项目的6倍。受访者最希望通过美容整形项目改善或调整的三大身体部位依次为面部（119例，22.5%）、臀部（88例，16.6%）与髋部（83例，15.7%），且更倾向于选择非手术方式。同辈压力与流行整形项目似乎并未显著激励受访者选择非手术美容整形项目，其主要激励因素依次为追求美观（n=160）、手术安全性（n=152）、经济可及性（n=151）与项目可获得性（n=116）。而并发症风险与父母反对则是可能阻碍受访者选择非手术美容整形项目的主要因素。<b>结论：</b>若要提升非手术美容整形项目的就诊需求，需在强化正向激励因素的同时，针对性解决现存的限制性阻碍因素。社交媒体仍是向年轻群体传递准确科普信息的最有效渠道。美容整形从业者应善用社交媒体平台，向庞大的年轻群体及成年人群体普及相关知识、传递权威信息，以惠及大众。