Demographic features of patients seeking cosmetic surgery in southern Nigeria

Background and objectives: The numbers of patients undergoing cosmetic surgery is increasing worldwide, Nigeria inclusive. Whereas several reports abound describing the demographic characteristics of cosmetic surgery recipients in other regions of the world, there are no such reports in Nigeria. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the demographic characteristics of patients undergoing cosmetic surgery in Southern Nigeria.

Methods: This retrospective study reviewed the case records of all patients who had cosmetic procedures at a privately owned aesthetic surgery facility in Port Harcourt, Southern Nigeria from January 2020 to December 2021 (two year period). Information on biodata; age, gender, marital status, and educational level were retrieved and analyzed.

Results: In the period under review, a total of 175 patients had cosmetic surgeries done in the facility. 168 (96%) of patients were females, constituting the vast majority of patients. Only 7 (4%) patients were males. The age range of patients was from 21 years to 57 years, with a mean age of 35 years. 104 (59%) of patients were married, while 71 (41%) patients were single. 154 (88%) had at least tertiary level education. 4 (2.3%) patients only had secondary level of formal education. 17 patients (9.7%) were university/college undergraduates.

Conclusions: The average cosmetic surgery recipient in Southern Nigeria is a young, married, college/university educated female.