Botox, fillers see sharp rise in demand
Injectable aesthetic treatments such as fillers and Botox are increasingly in demand in Italy.
In 2024, more than 760,000 procedures were performed, marking a sharp increase compared to the previous year: treatments with botulinum toxin rose from 194,335 to 316,385 (+62.8%), while hyaluronic acid fillers increased from 190,606 to 430,598 (+125.9%), confirming them as the most dynamic segment, CE Report quotes ANSA.
Overall, in Italy, the number of procedures nearly doubled from 2023 to 2024.
However, the widespread use of these aesthetic medicine practices brings new challenges in ensuring patient safety.
The issue was discussed during the 99th national congress of the Italian Society of Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (Sidemast), currently taking place in Rimini.
“Injectable procedures are true medical acts and require diagnosis, in-depth knowledge of anatomy, and specific training,” explained Nicola Zerbinati, professor of dermatology at the University of Insubria in Varese. “Patient safety depends on the correct indication of treatment and the ability to prevent and manage complications.”
Complications are generally rare and, in most cases, mild and temporary (such as swelling and bruising), particularly for botulinum toxin, for which numerous studies show a low incidence of adverse events.
As for fillers, while maintaining a high safety standard, issues such as asymmetry, nodules, irregularities, and filler migration may occur; vascular complications are the most severe (such as compression and, in the most serious cases, arterial occlusion), with an estimated incidence ranging from about 0.004% to 0.5%.
Among the innovations to treat and prevent complications are skin ultrasound, which helps diagnose potential problems and plan targeted interventions, and ultrasound-guided injections, which allow treatments to be performed while directly visualizing anatomical structures.
