Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices With Regard to Cosmetic Procedures Among the General Population in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

ABSTRACT

Background One of the most frequently carried out medical procedures is an aesthetic procedure. These procedures have become increasingly popular in our country due to various factors, such as body image dissatisfaction, the desire for perfection, and the expanding influence of social media. The aim of our study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices with regard to cosmetic procedures among the general population in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Methods This population-based cross-sectional study uses a self-report questionnaire distributed via social media platforms with randomized sampling between March and April 2023. The target population of this study is the general population in the western region of Saudi Arabia who are 18 years old and above from both genders. All participants who have congenital anomalies or mental disorders, are non-Arabic speakers, and refuse to participate in the study are excluded. Our data collected via an online self-administrated translated questionnaire survey was designed using a Google Forms questionnaire template. Results The study questionnaire was completed by 477 individuals in total. The mean age of the participants was 27.4±12.9 years, with ages ranging from 18 to over 60. A total of 190 individuals (39.8%) had prior knowledge of cosmetic procedures, and 338 (70.9%) were female. Of the non-surgical cosmetic treatments that people are most familiar with, 37.9% mentioned filler injections. Additionally, the most popular surgical cosmetic surgery was rhinoplasty (73.6%) and liposuction (22%). 85.7% of respondents said social media impacts people's decisions to undergo cosmetic treatments, while 86.8% of respondents said women do more cosmetic procedures than males. Of the participants, only 40 (8.4%) had previous cosmetic procedure done before. Rhinoplasty was the most common undergone surgical treatment (15.4%). In terms of non-surgical treatments, hair removal accounted for the majority (51.3%). Conclusion This study revealed that 39.4% of the study population, the majority of which are young individuals, females, and singles, have a good knowledge with regard to cosmetic procedures due to many factors such as culture diversity among generations, distribution of the social media, and interest differences. We conclude that the social media factor can significantly influence the practice of cosmetic procedures.