MARLOW, England, December 16, 2014/PRNewswire/ --
New research conducted by Allergan, the maker of JUVÉDERM® facial fillers, has revealed that even when surrounded by images of smooth faced-celebrities, most women don't want to erase all their lines and wrinkles.^[i]In fact, given the chance to transform into a younger looking version of themselves, most women would choose not to do so.^[i]
This refreshing attitude to ageing was put to the test when Allergan assembled a panel of women in their early 50s to find out just how many would be able to resist the temptation of a wrinkle-free complexion. During the experiment, the panel were photographed and their images retouched to different degrees - from subtle wrinkle softening, to magazine style flawlessness. Despite being faced with a vision of themselves that appeared years younger, all of the women preferred the image that they felt represented the way they feel inside: the one that kept most of their lines, but not all of them.^[i]
The surprising results were reinforced by public preference as well. When shown the images, on average nearly two thirds (63%)* of the 2,000 women surveyed said the participants looked better with most of their wrinkles intact and with only subtle tweaks made to their appearance.^[i]Nearly two in three respondents (64%), thought the images of the women with a few wrinkles softened looked refreshed and 69% thought they looked good for their age.^[i]
On average almost half (47%) thought the totally retouched images looked unnatural and a further 41% thought the most retouched images didn't look real.^[i]This revelation debunks the myth that women want to look younger - according to this research, they just want to look like the best version of themselves.
Honey Langcaster-James, Behavioural Psychologist, attended the experiment and assessed the attitudes of the women involved:"As more milestones pass, women feel that the face in the mirror isn't a true reflection of how the vital, energetic person they feel like on the inside and yet the outside world is also full of unrealistic and youthful faces that they don't identify with either. What's really interesting is that women today don't want to look years younger; they want to age well which for them, means looking great for their age. All of the women who took part in the experiment showed just that- subtle tweaks is all they wanted and they were adamant that they wanted to still look like 'them'."
Commenting on the results of the social experiment Dr Jonquille Chantrey, plastic surgeon, said:"I see women and men every day who just want to soften one or two tell-tale lines or wrinkles that are bothering them about their appearance. More people are choosing less invasive treatments with dermal fillers as it's possible to achieve a very natural and refreshed look. This subtle, more attractive result conveys a healthy approach to life choices, rather than wanting to look young."
Debbie Christian, a participant in the social experiment, said:"I like some of my wrinkles as they add to my character, but others I can do without. I feel great on the inside and the image which I chose as my favourite still looked exactly like me, just with subtle tweaks, which refreshed my look. I would never want to look totally flawless at my age, that's not realistic and I would just look fake."
The experiment is part of a wider communications campaign called #THISISME, which celebrates women's choices to age well, by embracing the lines they like and saying goodbye to the ones they don't. For more information on the campaign or on Juvéderm facial fillers, visithttp://www.this-is-me.com or http://www.juvederm.co.uk.
[i]Opinium Research,November 2014, commissioned by Allergan UK. Online survey of 2,029 UK females aged 18+.
* This statistic was calculated by taking an average percentage for each respondent who ranked either image 2 (slightly retouched) or image 3 (modestly retouched) as being the best version (top rank) of any of the four women.
Notes to editors:
Additional research statistics available on request.
About JUVÉDERM®
As we get older, our skin loses volume, elasticity and tone, causing some of the tell-tale signs of visible ageing. Facial fillers like those in the JUVÉDERM® range, simply replace lost volume using the same naturally found ingredient, HA, that is lost from the skin as we age. The entire JUVÉDERM® range of products have been authorised for use inEuropeand each product carries the European registration stamp, the CE Mark. Allergan is firmly committed to science, innovation and quality, and that's why each product within the range has been thoroughly tested in clinical trials. Allergan is deeply committed to practitioner training and has launched the Allergan Medical Institute to ensure qualified practitioners know how to use the JUVÉDERM® products to help restore lost volume and create natural looking, subtle results.
About Allergan
Allergan is a multi-specialty health care company established more than 60 years ago with a commitment to uncover the best of science and develop and deliver innovative and meaningful treatments to help people reach their life's potential. Today, we have approximately 11,500 highly dedicated and talented employees, global marketing and sales capabilities with a presence in more than 100 countries, a rich and ever-evolving portfolio of pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices and over-the-counter consumer products, and state-of-the-art resources in R&D, manufacturing and safety surveillance that help millions of patients see more clearly, move more freely and express themselves more fully. From our beginnings as an eyecare company to our focus today on several medical specialties, including eyecare, neurosciences, medical aesthetics, medical dermatology, breast aesthetics, and urologics, Allergan is proud to celebrate more than 60 years of medical advances and proud to support the patients and customers who rely on our products and the employees and communities in which we live and work.
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CONTACT: Media contacts, and to arrange to talk with one of our ambassadors: Karen Dennehy, Medical Aesthetics PR Manager, Allergan EAME – dennehy_karen@allergan.com / +44-1628-497-217 / +44-7824-017-950, Allergan media team, The Red Consultancy – allergan@redconsultancy.com