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.