First and foremost, Covid-19 has been a reality check for all of us. So, where do beauty and aesthetics, which are often described or seen as something non-essential and superficial, fit into a post-Covid-19 world?
What Will Beauty Mean in a Post-Covid World?
Although the aesthetics industry isn’t necessarily essential for survival, it does provide confidence, wellbeing and a feel good factor. Which is where we, as medics and as people, are able to add value to someone’s life and make it better. And for some, quite surprisingly, our industry, at large, has actually been quite resilient throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now that everyone is still stuck at home (who could have guessed) and will be working from home for the foreseeable future, wearing masks and using Zoom, skin is becoming the absolute key focus for most people. Whereas most people used to take the word of celebs and beauty brands like Dior or Lancôme as the word of God, people are now becoming increasingly smarter and knowledgeable about skincare. In my opinion, the iconic Caroline Hirons and Hyram lead the way in terms of a new breed of influencers: knowledge based skinfluencers, who spread the word about ingredients, strengths and routines - strengthened by trending skincare content on platforms like Tik Tok and Instagram. For me, skincare is vital, and during this pandemic, I have taken the time to finally work on one of my big dreams: to create my own skincare line, focused on delivering specific skincare solutions that work in synergy and enhance the results of both injectables and surgical procedures.
There has been a DRAMATIC shift away from makeup and I predict exponential growth across skincare and, in its footsteps, treatments and devices. What used to be ingredients and treatments for people over 40s (e.g. Botox, fillers, retinol, peels, etc) has now become very normalised for people in their 20s. Because of better scientific understanding and lessening stigma, I predict that for a younger generation Botox might even become a very normalised part of their skincare routine and ageing prevention arsenal, which isn’t a bad thing when done by a professional and taking into account to never over-treat the under 30s (meaning don’t treat too often, nor too much).
A big factor once this lockdown is finally over will be the effect of the ‘Zoom face’. I think in lockdown, people have seen themselves in a Zoom-distorted way, have seen their anti-wrinkle treatment wear off, their grey hair run havoc and maskne galore! People have been forced to deal with a less optimised version of themselves, which, pre-pandemic, most of us wouldn’t have found acceptable. I think we’ll see an initial boom in terms of non-surgical treatments, but skin and naturally perfected features will be the absolute main focus. I predict a focus on the eyes and the ever evolving quest towards the non-surgical brow lift. In particular the ‘fox/Bella eye lift’!
As a plastic surgeon, I’m personally not a fan of this type of brow lift - sorry, not sorry. Why not? Because I only see complications from these at my practice. Many types of threads create disorderly scar tissue and they make future surgical procedures more complicated for me. And I haven’t even got started on longevity yet. What I do recommend is Botox + HIFU or some kind of skin tightening treatment strategically to lift the brow area. Lips will remain a key focus but, again, NATURAL fullness over overfilled duck lips. I learned from the absolute best in the business - Ms. Julie Horne - whose technique I’ve adapted and perfected to create lips that mimic a natural fullness. I think what we’ll also start to see less and less of are the big and exaggerated cheekbones and jawlines.
In recent years, there has been an interesting shift from surgery to non-surgical treatments, with ever developing, improved non-surgical devices and techniques. I absolutely predict this trend will continue. Although, for instance, when it comes to certain types of eye bags, some realistically cannot be fixed with injectables only but will need a surgical intervention for the best possible outcome. This synergy between non-surgical devices and surgical will become ever more powerful in the future.
Many thanks to the amazing Dr V for this great insight! If you're ready to get your glow on post-lockdown, you can now search hundreds of medically qualified aesthetic practitioners - in your area and across the UK. From the treatments for lines and wrinkles to fillers, chemical peels and body contouring, there's tonnes of incredible experts to choose from.
