Physician confidence in fillers and neurotoxins: a national survey.

Abstract

R eservations regarding the use of neurotoxins and facial fillers inevitably arise for both patients and physicians. Patients look to their physicians for reassurance and guidance regarding the safety and efficacy of various materials. Nothing speaks louder than trusting a procedure performed on ourselves. We decided to explore and probe further into the use and ultimately the trust we have in these products. Pursuing the most transparent method possible, we distributed an anonymous survey to reveal whether aesthetic surgeons as a group take our own advice by using these products. Specifically, which injectable products do we prefer and have enough confidence in enough to use on ourselves? This information would likely provide some insight into our clinical practices and further convey our industry’s confidence in and commitment to these types of products. To gather the necessary information we developed an anonymous survey that was sent to members of the 4 core aesthetic specialties: facial plastic surgery, dermatology, plastic surgery, and oculoplastic surgery. The survey was specifically aimed at the use of botulinum toxin and the most commonly used fillers. Fillers included hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, poly-L-lactic acid, and polymethylmethacrylate. Surgeon demographics were collected along with history of self-injection and administration by colleagues.