As increased amounts are being spent on being well-groomed, beautiful and looking young every year, the size of the beauty and aesthetics economy has reached nearly $2 billion in Turkey.

Being well-groomed and looking young, as well as delaying aging by taking measures in a timely fashion, is a trend that is being followed by both men and women today, Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases faculty member and associate professor, Dr. Zehra Aşiran Serdar said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) on the sidelines of the 27th National Congress of the Turkish Dermatology Association, Serdar indicated that cosmetic and aesthetics sectors are continuously growing. "We do not have clear information about this. However, according to recent research, the size of beauty and aesthetics and economy is about $2 billion in Turkey. The sector is growing by an average of 10 percent per year."

Stressing that Turkey is one of the top 10 countries in the world in this regard, she stated that the sector will continue to grow in the upcoming years.

According to Serdar, people no longer want to rest for 10 days after surgery, but to continue their daily life immediately after the procedure. For this reason, the sector has shifted to painless procedures that do not involve surgical procedures.

Serdar noted that applications such as botulinum toxin, augmentation, mesotherapy and PRP treatments are major beauty processes, adding that they are followed by hair transplantation, nose aesthetics, laser and other plastic applications.

Pointing out that men are also taking increased interest in aesthetic and cosmetic applications, Serdar stated that the share of men in the market is 30 percent even though there is no clear proportion yet. "Out of every 100 people who come for beauty and aesthetic applications, there are 70 women and 30 men. I am very happy about it and it is good for men to look after themselves."

Emphasizing that men spend more money on epilation and hair loss, she said that aesthetic and cosmetic applications are crucial and the problem must be determined by a dermatologist before the application.

Serdar further noted that what makes the patient uncomfortable must be determined first and the dermatologist must determine whether the application desired is suitable for the patient's skin structure. Stressing that under-the-counter processes are risky, Serdar said, "We are now hearing about applications such as augmentation, mesotherapy and PRP are conducted at hairdressers, beauty parlors and even at homes." Warning that this is too risky, Serdar said, "Hygiene is very important; please protect your skin and entrust your skin to dermatologists."