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The aesthetics industry continues to grow! Changing attitudes, technological advances and an increasing awareness of the treatments available has meant that more of us are adding injectables and other aesthetic treatments to our anti-ageing armoury.
But not all treatments address the same issues or do the same thing. So what are the underlying "issues" aesthetic treatments can help with?
There are 7 cornerstones of aesthetic treatments:
1. Restoring lost volume
2. Reducing skin laxity
3. Revealing new skin
4. Restricting movement
5. Replacing/retaining moisture
6. Remodeling features
7. Removing localised fat
Let’s look at each of these in more detail and see what types of aesthetic treatments are available. Handily, for each cornerstone, the treatments have been listed in order from least painful/invasive/downtime to most.
As we age, we lose fat (yay!) from our faces (boo!). Gone are those youthful, plump, round cheeks, replaced by hollow, sallow, lax skin.
By the time we are well into our 30’s those facial fat pads which provided padding over our bone structure are beginning to dwindle. Coupled with a decline in cell renewal and a reduction in the production of collagen, the scaffolding that previously provided structure and thickness to the skin is begins to nose dive.
To combat this volume loss, a skilled aesthetic practitioner is able to use hyaluronic based dermal fillers to add volume, typically in the cheeks, under the eyes, temples and lips.
As mentioned above, ageing skin has reduced levels of fat and collagen. In addition to this, there’s a third skin component that dwindles as we age. Elastin. Elastin is the molecule responsible for giving your skin its elastic properties. It can bend, move and stretch and, while you’re young, it will snap back. As we age, elastin production decreases. This results in skin that is lax and sags.
There are many treatments which can help with skin laxity. Most of them are based on tightening existing collagen in the skin (often using controlled heating) and stimulating the production of new collagen.
These treatments include IR light therapy, RF therapies, microneedling, IPL therapy, non-ablative laser therapy, threadlifts and ablative laser resurfacing.
The outer (epidermal) layer of skin sustains damage from our environment. UV light breaks down elastin, and gravity then pulls this less stretchy skin down. Facial movements compound the effects of gravity and UV exposure resulting in static lines, dull skin and pigmentation. I don’t have to tell you that this is all made much, much worse by smoking and drinking copious amounts of alcohol.
There’s a whole range of treatments available that slough off the dead, outer stratum corneum whilst also stimulating cell renewal, elastin and collagen production, resulting in glowing, plumped, clear and even skin.
Microdermabrasion, microneedling, superficial chemical peels, non-ablative laser therapy and ablative laser therapy are all great examples of treatments that help with revealing new skin.
Repeated muscle contractions due to every day facial expressions cause the skin above those muscles to bend, crease and buckle. Over time, as the elasticity of the skin reduces, the evidence of this movement hangs around in the form of fine lines, which turn into deeper lines and wrinkles. One day, you wake up looking permanently cross!
Anti-wrinkle injections, more commonly called Botox are ideal for restricting muscle movement and reducing the appearance of dynamic lines.
Hyaluronic acid is a key component of healthy skin. It is a clear, gel-like substance produced naturally within the skin, making it plump, smooth and glowing. It holds onto moisture like nothing else, and provides a reservoir of water, helping keep your cells hydrated and lubricated. As you age - you’ve guessed it - the levels of hyaluronic acid in the skin decrease year on year. The result is a dry, dull and lacklustre complexion.
One treatment that works particularly well at replacing moisture is Profhilo.
Possibly the most controversial and polarising aspect of facial aesthetics is the ability to reshape and remodel your features. With the rise of social media and the Kardashians, the use of lip fillers, whilst an opinion splitter, is a popular treatment and one that shows little sign of fading.
It’s not just lips that a talented aesthetic practitioner can remodel; noses, jawlines, cheeks, scars, acne pits are just a few of the features than can be modified.
Lip fillers, liquid rhinoplasty, filler facelift, and cheek and jawline fillers are the treatments all help with remodelling.
It goes without saying, a healthy diet, with the correct energy balance and regular exercise is the best way to reduce body fat. Many people, despite their best efforts, find they have stubborn, localised, ‘pockets’ of fat and, no matter what exercise they do, these areas persist.
Typically, these areas are the tummy, thighs, lower back, bra bulges, upper arms and double chin.
When it comes to fat reduction, there are various treatments out there designed to help. These include fat freezing, RF therapies, ultrasound therapies, EmSculpt and Endermologie.
So, now you know what types of treatments do what, but one of the most important things to consider once you’ve decided what type of treatment you’d like is to choose a medically qualified practitioner. Glowday will soon be listing tons of medically qualified practitioners for you to research and book appointments with, so you can be sure you're in good hands. Watch this space!
Botox, Profhilo, Emsculpt and Endermologie are registered trademarks
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