Ugh! So, 2020 didn’t quite go as planned, did it? But it still didn’t quell the love we have for aesthetic treatments, with tweakments like anti-wrinkle injections, Profhilo, fillers and chemical peels as popular as ever. So, what does next year have in store when it comes to non-surgical treatments? I spoke to two incredible cosmetic practitioners - Dr Emmaline Ashley and Dr MJ Rowland-Warmann - to find out what treatments and trends they think will be huge - and the ones they can’t wait to see the back of...
Skin matters
Ok, so we couldn’t go out for dinner, drinks and live events, BUT one great thing to come out of this whole sh*t storm is amazing skin. Yup, many of us were so bored that we invested time and money into a new skincare regimen. And it looks like it’s paying off for a lot of us! While we haven’t been able to book in for Botox and fillers, skincare has been our saviour! And the cosmetic pros have definitely seen an improvement in skincare since lockdown...
Dr Emmaline of Ashley Aesthetics says,“there is definitely more of a focus now on the overall quality of our skin. This might partly have been triggered by our multiple lockdowns when there had to be a shift in focus on the wonders of medical-grade skincare. This emphasis on the skin may have led to greater awareness of how important it is to look after it. I’ve always felt that skin is the foundation of any good aesthetic treatment – it makes everything look better and there’s no point in spending loads of money on injectable treatments like Botox or fillers if you don’t look after your skin!
To that end I think chemical peels are going to be more and more in demand. There are so many sophisticated peels out there which are a beautiful blend of carefully chosen acids and science, and they can really be catered to specific skin types and needs. Many have minimal downtime, and, as it’s winter and many of us are working from home, having a few days of peeling is no longer such an issue!”
Dr MJ Rowland-Warmann agrees. She explains, “lockdown and the whole ‘Zoom face’ thing has really been beneficial in terms of hammering home just how important it is to look after your skin. Simply because there was nothing else to do. And I hope to see this trend continue. Wearing sunscreen is particularly important and to start and maintain a good skincare routine including an SPF is going to save us a whole lot of anti-wrinkle interventions where they could have been prevented - or at least postponed. I hope we’re going to see a much more holistic and global approach to effective anti-ageing in 2021.”
Profhilo
On the subject of great skin, one treatment that’s been MASSIVE over the last couple of years is Profhilo. And according to Dr Emmaline, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. “The public are becoming more and more aware of Profhilo, which involves targeted injection of hyaluronic acid into the skin, leaving your skin more hydrated, refreshed, and smooth. A lot of the results speak for themselves, and although it’s a relatively new treatment modality in the world of aesthetic medicine, it has become more and more popular.”
I don’t know about you but I cannot wait to get myself booked in for this wonder treatment!
Liquid nose jobs
The things medically qualified practitioners can do with a needle is pretty impressive. I mean, have you seen the magic that is liquid rhinoplasty? Gone are the days when surgery was the only way to correct nose shapes or droopy tips - now it can all be done in minutes with a skilled pair of hands and some filler.
And liquid nose jobs are not going anywhere in 2021 according to Dr MJ. She says, “I don’t see treatments like nose augmentation slowing down. I do a huge number of noses, and, certainly for a huge number of advanced practitioners, this is the way it’s going. I actually do more noses and tear troughs most days than I do lip augmentation. Nose treatments will be huge in 2021!”
Botox
Ok, ok, so Botox isn’t new - but the fact that it’s still so popular says a lot about its efficacy. And it seems that 2020 has made it even more desirable for some. Dr Emmaline says, “With all of the mask-wearing we’ve been undergoing, there has been more of an emphasis on the upper face and the eyes. To that end subtle botulinum toxin to the forehead, frown lines, and crow’s feet is still the treatment that I am performing the most at the moment. The request is always that the results are as natural as possible, and that warmth and expression is preserved in the face. It’s a classic, timeless aesthetic treatment, and I don’t think demand for it will go anywhere anytime soon!"
Tear trough filler
Yep - another form of fillers, tear trough fillers are set to be huge in 2021. Dr Emmaline says, “although it’s not a treatment I currently perform myself, I have had a lot of inquiries about tear trough filler and there is definitely growing demand for this! The delicate under-eye area can be very difficult to treat, so it is worth going to a true expert in these procedures. Again, as we’ve all dealt with the stress and exhaustion of the past few months, and as masks hide our lower features, I’ve seen requests for information about tear troughs skyrocket! It’s just important to remember that these treatments target loss of volume under the eyes, and will not get rid of dark circles caused by pigmentation.”
Yes, please get rid of my huge bags! I don’t know how many more times I can take being asked if I’m tired after an 8-hour sleep!
Trends the experts want to see the back of...
Go big or go home lips
For a lot of people, lip filler is synonymous with huge lips - and that really isn’t true of all lip filler cases. The majority of medically qualified practitioners want their patients to leave with beautiful but natural looking pouts. But, of course, there are the exceptions, and thanks to social media, big lips have been big news for the last few years. In 2021, though, many practitioners are hoping that this trend will gradually start to disappear. One such cosmetic pro is Dr Emmaline.
“As the public becomes more and more educated about aesthetic medical treatments, I think there will continue to be a shift away from big, over-filled lips or frozen features. As more medically-qualified practitioners are being sought out for treatments, results are going to be more expert and guided by anatomy, and therefore more natural and subtle.”
For Dr MJ, education is key when it comes to aesthetic treatments like lip fillers. She explains, “I would like to see more patient education about who you should go to for cosmetic treatments, because it’s not the enlightened and sensible patients who go to beauticians but ones with limited means and limited insight, and I think they’re the ones getting botched at at young age because they think they can only afford a £100 lip job. When, in reality, a more expensive lip filler by a qualified practitioner will not only be better for you but will also be longer lasting.
Fox eye
Big lips are not the only thing Dr Emmaline is set to say bye-bye to. She says, “I am really not a fan of the 'fox eye.' A lot of the pictures I see online are edited and are not indicative of results that are achievable with subtle botulinum toxin eyebrow lifts. Most of the more dramatic results are (very) temporarily achieved with threads, and I don’t think the side effects and possible risks as well as the high maintenance of these treatments are adequately explained to patients. I’ve also seen the trend described as a way to make eyes look more east Asian, and I definitely don’t like the idea of trying to recreate “exotic” features as a beauty trend! I’ve even been asked if I’ve had 'fox eyes' done to myself, and I want to say a big no, I’m just mixed race.”
Dr MJ feels the same. “I would like to see the back of dramatic treatments like the fox eye and nose thread trends - they're just not a good aesthetic. The fox eye is very exaggerated and doesn’t really fit with the natural beauty of people. Threads are often used to achieve the look but are yanked so high, the results are very transient and not sustainable - and they’re just not sensible. They only last a couple of weeks and can do a huge amount of damage - like nose threads.
With regards to nose threads, they carry a huge risk of infection, and the dramatic results you see are often photoshopped. They're not sustainable and settle after one to two weeks.
I’m not saying that all threads are bad. I do loads of them. Treatments like midface threads are wonderful for the right person. As are brow lift threads - as long as you’re not trying to yank your brows into a different postcode. They work really well and are supposed to give a nice, subtle arch of the brow, without making you look like Maleficent. I’d really like to see patients have a more balanced view of aesthetic treatments rather than the extremes of looks. Subtleness is better.”
So, there we go! Skincare and subtle aesthetic treatments will be huge in 2021. You heard it here first! For more information on the tweakments above you can check out our handy treatment guides, and if you want to book a consultation with a safe and verified medically qualified practitioner, Glowday is here for you!