Many more people are using injectable fillers in the Netherlands

The amount of filler treatments to make lips fuller or to smooth out wrinkles is increasing in the Netherlands. The number increased by 17.5 percent, rising from 138,496 procedures in 2016 to 162,702 in 2019. These figures were gathered as part of PhD research conducted by cosmetic surgeon Tom Decates, which was scheduled to be published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology on Thursday.

The data comes from official clinics alone and does not account for procedures performed at hairdressers, beauty, and tanning salons. In 2019, the number of people in the Netherlands using not only fillers but also botox rose to more than 450,000. The average customer is 43 years old, and one in eight clients are men.

"The figures indicate that one out of every 41 women in our country uses filler. And that this is an annual ritual," says Decates. "This makes botox and filler treatments the most common aesthetic procedures."

Receiving a filler carries some risk, especially if the treatment is not performed by an expert. Lectures about special complications involving filler treatments at the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam are becoming more and more crowded. Consultations are held there three times a week, and a total of 500 complications are treated per year.

The professional associations of plastic surgeons (NVPC), cosmetic dermatologists (NVCD), and cosmetic doctors (NVCG) are able to certify competent practitioners. However, expertise does not totally eliminate the possibility of problems as the result of the procedures; DNA may also play a role in the development of complications. It is now thought that a DNA test for cosmetic procedures may help predict risks in the future.

Decates thinks that despite the rising treatment figures in the Netherlands, the use of these cosmetic agents is not bad. "We suspect that the figures in surrounding countries will be higher since cosmetic surgery is still taboo in our Calvinist culture. The popularity in Asia and Latin America will be considerably higher."

The Netherlands stopped allowing the use of non-soluble, permanent fillers in 2015.