Growing Older, Looking Better… Survey finds only 1 in 4 Women attribute beauty to youth 

March 27, 2011--Merz Aesthetics released data at the Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress and MediSpa (AMWC) showing that only 24% of women polled in Merz' "Face Value" Beauty Survey believe youth is what makes women beautiful. Women were far more likely to say that "healthy skin," "a charming personality," "confidence," "sex appeal," and, perhaps surprisingly, "intelligence" and a "sense of humor" are what make a woman beautiful. 

Encouragingly, most of the women surveyed believe that a woman is beautiful at every age. Nevertheless, a majority of women would want to improve theirs looks as they get older and more than 45% of women expressed that aesthetic procedures are a necessity not a luxury. 

"While most women (70%) report becoming more confident as they age, more than half (59%) say they will have aesthetic procedures to look the best they can," said Jérôme Augustin, Senior Vice President Merz Aesthetics Europe. "The Merz Aesthetics Full Facial approach, including products such as Radiesse(R) and Belotero(R) offer women a range of products to achieve the radiant and well-rested look they desire." 

Overall, a majority of women surveyed (87%) believe it is possible to stay attractive and beautiful despite fading of youth. This is confirmed by the fact that more than half of women (56%) surveyed have already experienced at least one aesthetic procedure. In fact, women were most likely to have had a facial injectable as their first aesthetic procedure. 

"As a dermatologist, I treat many women who hold similar beliefs to those surveyed," said Sabine Zenker, MD, Munich, Germany. "They seek out facial injectables, like dermal fillers from Merz Aesthetics because they want to take control of how they look without dramatically changing their appearance." 

About the Survey 

The survey, conducted online in October 2010 by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Merz, included 2,939 women from France (n=543), the United Kingdom (n=524), Italy (n=667), Spain (n=701), and Russia (n=504) who have experience with, or interest in, using facial injectable treatments of dermal fillers and other injectables. Women were asked a variety of questions about their thoughts and feelings related to what makes a woman beautiful, their own personal beauty, and the role of aesthetic procedures in maintaining their appearance. For more information on survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Danielle Lewis, Medical Dynamics, +1 (212) 537-9495 or dlewis@rxmedyn.com. 

About Merz Aesthetics 

Merz Aesthetics Inc. is a division of Germany-based Merz Pharmaceuticals. Merz Aesthetics Europe is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, operates subsidiaries in 16 countries and cooperates with more than 30 distributors all over the world. 

Founded in 1908, Merz has more than a century of experience in improving people's lives and has deep roots in dermatology. Merz Aesthetics is breaking new scientific ground and is setting future industry standards, bringing doctors and patients safe and effective products for use in the dermatology and aesthetic treatment. 

Merz Aesthetics' product portfolio includes Radiesse(R) volumising filler and the BELOTERO(R) family of fillers for use in facial aesthetics as well as other injectables. Asclera(R), a sclerosing agent for surface varicose veins, was introduced to the United States in April 2010. 

About Harris Interactive 

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Harris serves clients in over 215 countries and territories through its North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit http://www.harrisinteractive.com.