731 Profiling United Arab Emirates Aesthetic Botulinum Toxin Practitioners: A National Cohort Analysis

Aim The global aesthetic Botulinum Toxin market has been growing yearly, with concomitant concerns over lack of regulation and oversight. Whilst robust laws are in place in UAE regarding who is licensed to practice, practitioners remain largely unknown. This study aims to quantitatively evaluate practitioners and their professional background in the UAE. Method A comprehensive search was performed on internet search engines and social media in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah and Sharjah. Clinics were then contacted via WhatsApp to corroborate online information. The list of practitioners was cross-referenced with professional regulatory bodies, as well as year of qualification and country of qualification. Results A total of 694 practitioners were identified from 310 clinics. 50.7% were male, while 49.3% were female. The most common practicing specialty were dermatologists (48.3%), followed by plastic surgeons (39.4%). Only one non-medical practitioner was identified. Practitioners qualified from a total of 51 different countries with the most common one being Syria (n=76), followed by Egypt (n=71). The modal year of qualification was 2016. Conclusions This paper is the first to describe the range of aesthetic Botulinum Toxin practitioners in UAE, their professional backgrounds and experience. Knowledge of professional background is an important consideration when introducing regulation and monitoring public health impact, and this provides a foundation for further regional and international public health studies.