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The need for evidence-based research in aesthetic medicine

The need for evidence-based research in aesthetic medicine Increasingly, the world of aesthetic medicine is a consumer-driven market with a wide variety of home-use devices from which the consumer can choose for treating hair removal, hair loss, acne, facial rejuvenation and other dermatologic conditions.Due to the growing demand for aesthetic procedures, it is not uncommon for patients to encounter a menu of aesthetic supplies and procedures. Many of these aesthetic treatments make claims to rejuvenate the skin, but they are not supported by good scientific evidence, which is already lacking in some of the most proven interventions.Worryingly, social media is doing more harm than good these days, and it is the breeding ground for many beauty ‘fads’, with little clinical research on their safety and effectiveness. The unfortunate consequence of this trend is that young women and men are becoming increasingly insecure due to unrealistic beauty ideals. There is no doubt that social media plays a big role in society today, but its influence on the cosmetic industry is slowly undermining the risk of aesthetic procedures by distorting facts and falsely marketing treatments. An increasing number of people are being misled online and opting for unsuitable procedures with unqualified professionals, resulting in poor treatment outcomes, or worse: life-changing facial deformities. As aesthetic nurses, we have a role to protect our patients by advising them accordingly—it is our duty of care.Services and procedures that are unproven in efficacy are often provided at significant cost to patients, which is considered by many medical practitioners to be a deviation from the normal practice of modern medicine. Such deviations are a growing problem that needs to be addressed, as they undermine trust and professionalism (Goh, 2009).The World Health Organization (2021) emphasises the value of these treatments as a means of improving overall health. This has important mental and social dimensions in addition to the obvious physical components, for which there is evidence to support. However, we must be transparent with our patients in this minefield and support them as much as we can, of course, within our scope of practice.There is a need to implement guiding principles on the practice of aesthetic medicine in the medical, nursing and dental profession. These principles are that treatments must be effective and there is due diligence given to patient safety at all times, physically and mentally. Unfortunately, we simply are not meeting this standard in our discipline, which is a real concern.According to Lambert and Lambert (2011), there are a number of reasons that nurses do not publish, the ones that editors have found to occur most often are ‘not enough time’; ‘manuscript most likely will be rejected by a professional journal’; ‘too much work to publish’; and ‘have nothing to say that would be of interest to others’.Evidence-based practice is vital for a profession to advance and grow. For the profession of aesthetic nursing in particular, these activities may include research, publications and expert practice. It is important that aesthetic nurses consider contributing to evidence-based medicine in a multitude of ways, as it is essential to our mission of providing better answers for our patients. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Aesthetic Nursing Mark Allen Group

The need for evidence-based research in aesthetic medicine

Brackenbury, Julie
Journal of Aesthetic Nursing , Volume 11 (7): 1 – Sep 2, 2022
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Publisher
Mark Allen Group
Copyright
Copyright © 2022 MA Healthcare Limited
ISSN
2050-3717
eISSN
2052-2878
DOI
10.12968/joan.2022.11.7.285
Publisher site
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Abstract

Increasingly, the world of aesthetic medicine is a consumer-driven market with a wide variety of home-use devices from which the consumer can choose for treating hair removal, hair loss, acne, facial rejuvenation and other dermatologic conditions.Due to the growing demand for aesthetic procedures, it is not uncommon for patients to encounter a menu of aesthetic supplies and procedures. Many of these aesthetic treatments make claims to rejuvenate the skin, but they are not supported by good scientific evidence, which is already lacking in some of the most proven interventions.Worryingly, social media is doing more harm than good these days, and it is the breeding ground for many beauty ‘fads’, with little clinical research on their safety and effectiveness. The unfortunate consequence of this trend is that young women and men are becoming increasingly insecure due to unrealistic beauty ideals. There is no doubt that social media plays a big role in society today, but its influence on the cosmetic industry is slowly undermining the risk of aesthetic procedures by distorting facts and falsely marketing treatments. An increasing number of people are being misled online and opting for unsuitable procedures with unqualified professionals, resulting in poor treatment outcomes, or worse: life-changing facial deformities. As aesthetic nurses, we have a role to protect our patients by advising them accordingly—it is our duty of care.Services and procedures that are unproven in efficacy are often provided at significant cost to patients, which is considered by many medical practitioners to be a deviation from the normal practice of modern medicine. Such deviations are a growing problem that needs to be addressed, as they undermine trust and professionalism (Goh, 2009).The World Health Organization (2021) emphasises the value of these treatments as a means of improving overall health. This has important mental and social dimensions in addition to the obvious physical components, for which there is evidence to support. However, we must be transparent with our patients in this minefield and support them as much as we can, of course, within our scope of practice.There is a need to implement guiding principles on the practice of aesthetic medicine in the medical, nursing and dental profession. These principles are that treatments must be effective and there is due diligence given to patient safety at all times, physically and mentally. Unfortunately, we simply are not meeting this standard in our discipline, which is a real concern.According to Lambert and Lambert (2011), there are a number of reasons that nurses do not publish, the ones that editors have found to occur most often are ‘not enough time’; ‘manuscript most likely will be rejected by a professional journal’; ‘too much work to publish’; and ‘have nothing to say that would be of interest to others’.Evidence-based practice is vital for a profession to advance and grow. For the profession of aesthetic nursing in particular, these activities may include research, publications and expert practice. It is important that aesthetic nurses consider contributing to evidence-based medicine in a multitude of ways, as it is essential to our mission of providing better answers for our patients.

Journal

Journal of Aesthetic Nursing – Mark Allen Group

Published: Sep 2, 2022

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