Aesthetic Health and Wellness Trends for 2016
Welcome to the New Year! It’s prediction time. Well + Good, Cosmopolitan, and plastic surgery community RealSelf all recently gave their 2016 beauty and wellness trend predictions. Now its our turn.
Charlotte’s Book stands squarely in the middle of where aesthetics, skincare and wellness collide. Our location in New York City, our renowned advisory board, and our constant contact with some of the city’s premiere beauty and wellness experts (plus many an hour in their waiting rooms!) puts us in a pretty good place to give an insider’s view: we’re on the pulse, at the center of where everything happens. Here are our insider predictions for 2016.
1. MEDICAL FACIALS ARE STILL A HIDDEN GEM
But not for long! We told Refinery29 last year that the underground world of medical aestheticians still remains the best-kept secret and the hottest part of skincare services right now. This continues to be true: medical aestheticians are one of the fastest growing groups in our directory of CB verified experts.
For those looking to try slightly more aggressive treatments, but who are still a bit afraid of making the move to see a dermatologist, medical aestheticians are a great choice and a major value. Medical aestheticians perform the same procedures you get in spas, but with a more results-oriented focus and a larger arsenal of tools—they have access to all this because they’re working under the guidance of a doctor. The best part? You don’t have to be a patient of the dermatologist to make an appointment.
Related: Why Texting= Wrinkles. All About Modern Agers
2. MILLENNIALS ARE A GROWING AUDIENCE
When I launched Charlotte’s Book, it was to help women navigate the ever-confusing world of anti-aging, aesthetics, and ultimately find good information and the right physician or expert (there are a lot of unqualified people out there!). I was targeting the 35-50 age group. But what I learned after our first year is that the market is getting younger and younger: according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, millennials will increasingly become users of plastic surgery. Twenty-somethings represent approximately 20% of the cosmetic surgery population, and this is only going to increase.
And with millennials, it’s all about prevention and tiny tweaks: when we see reader questions coming in, they’re often coming from a younger and younger audience. These readers are looking for prevention tips more than anything else—they’re also taking a 360-degree approach to staying youthful, just like Charlotte’s Book. These readers are holistic, in that they want to approach beauty from the inside out, but they’re not afraid to tap the latest non-invasive technologies or surgical approaches.
Related: Why Texting= Wrinkles. All About Modern Agers
3. CLINICAL AND HOLISTIC WORLDS COLLIDE
There used to be a hard line between green beauty and clinical beauty, between a holistic or organic approach and visit to the dermatologist. Someone recently asked me: “Are you a facial or derm woman?” Well—do I really have to choose? No. I’m both, and so are many women. You can eat organic and use organic products and get Botox.
Angela Jia Kim of Savor Spa, a holistic spa with a location in Manhattan’s West Village and in Woodstock, New York, recently confided in me that she knows many of her clients are getting injectables and fillers—despite being religious about using her natural and organic skincare products and regimes. She recently took a survey (through her newsletter) asking how her clients would feel if they brought in a dermatologist to administer Botox: half the clients replied they would be severely offended, while the other half said, “we’d love it, but can we use the back door?”
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While green beauty is gaining massive support, so is the world of aesthetics, and women are becoming more and more willing to embrace both worlds.
4. WELLNESS AND BEAUTY ARE ONE
This isn’t anything new, but it certainly remains on trend. I see more and more practices taking integrative approaches to skincare, including doctors bringing in nutritionists and wellness practitioners (and vice versa), and I see cosmetic doctors wanting to educate their patients more about diet and stress. Dr. Cybele Fishman, a CB verified expert dermatologist and integrative health doctor, notes: “healthy skin is the reflection of a healthy and happy mind and body.” To treat clinical skin issues such as rosacea, Dr. Fishman looks at a patient’s gut health and digestive wellness as possible contributing factors—it’s a revolutionary holistic approach. CB verified cosmetic surgeons Dr. Dara Liotta and Dr. Gervaise Gerstner now have acupuncturists in their upper east side practices.
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Dr. Diane Berson, a CB advisory board member, often refers to clients to CB verified expert nutritionist Dana James when she sees patients with various acne and rosacea issues. Dr. Doris Day, another CB verified dermatologist, sees a huge link between cystic acne and zinc—often handing out these supplements in addition to Rx or topical solutions. If your doctor isn’t seeing the big picture between diet, environment, stress, then they’re behind the ball.
A huge part of the wellness meets beauty movement are ingestibles, and it’s not just about vitamins and supplements anymore. If you’re just doing facials and treatments, you’re not doing enough: from Beauty Chef, to Reservage, to Immun’Âge, there’s a whole lineup of skin-fixing elixirs at your service. These days, you can’t just slather on a cream or get a facial and expect results.
Related: Vegetarian? Vegan? 4 Supplements You Should Be Taking
5. NO INJECTION NON-INVASIVES GAIN POPULARITY
We continue to have a great interest in this simple question: “What can I do to stop aging without getting injected?” At the pulse of it all in New York City I have seen an increasing number of physicians expand their services to include PRP/Vampire facials and Microneedling. RealSelf revealed that, accounting for site growth, the number of visits from users to the Vampire Facelift grew 25% from the last half of 2014 to the last half of 2015. According to Dr. Amanda Doyle, a CB verified cosmetic dermatologist, “Perhaps one of the most talked about procedures on the market right now is the Vampire Facial. As patients are becoming more aware that this is a viable treatment option, more patients are looking for information, and asking for this treatment.” At the office of Dr. Amanda Doyle and Dr. Mitchell Kline, microneedling is administered with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.
On the aesthetician side, we see more providers offering radiofrequency and microcurrent. Women view these procedures as more holistic and natural, because they don’t require an injection of Botox or a filler.
Related: Meet The Newest, Most Subtle Lip Enhancer: Restylane Silk
6. LIPS ARE IN VOGUE
The popularity of Kylie Jenner’s lip fiasco was clearly an indication that lips were big in 2015. But with the introduction of Restylane Silk (a subtle filler especially designed for the lip area), women are feeling even more comfortable trying out lip injections. According to RealSelf, 30% of dermatologists and 43% of facial plastic surgeons say they received a higher number of lip-related requests from women in 2015 compared to 2014.
RealSelf also pointed out that Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon Dr. Paul S. Nassif says not only has he seen an uptick, but more and more women are bringing photos of Kylie to his office. His one piece of advice, however? Don’t start too young. “No disrespect to Kylie, because I think she’s beautiful and the lips are beautiful, but in my personal opinion I suggest waiting,” Dr. Nassif told People.
7. MEN ARE JOINING THE CLUB
We are about to build out our men’s content on Charlotte’s Book due to increasing questions from the male community. Unlike women, they don’t necessarily feel comfortable asking their bro for advice.
“Men are feeling pressure to look younger longer, both for economic and social reasons,” explains New York dermatologist Dr. Heidi A. Waldorf. Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Sheila S. Nazarian adds, “This could be due to competing with younger people for the same job or trying to keep up with the wife, who is younger, or getting procedures herself,” she says. “I also see men who are divorced or recently out of a relationship who are trying to look their best to attract a new mate.”
8. AESTHETIC ENHANCEMENT IS BECOMING MORE ACCEPTABLE… SORT OF
Time released the controversial, well-written cover story “Nip. Tuck. Or Else.”, discussing the fact that plastic surgery is becoming the norm, that it’s becoming expected, and soon those of us who have not had aesthetic enhancements will be the minority. I agree that women (not so much men) are becoming more open about their procedures, and more willing to discuss details, but it remains a very touchy subject.
Injectables and fillers are taboo, while lasers and even body procedures like breast implants or liposuction carry less stigma. Why? One simple reason: we can never detect good cosmetic work, but we always see the results of bad cosmetic work. As cosmetic enhancements become more and more commoditized and regulation remains poor, we see an increasing level of botched jobs and overfilled women. In my opinion, this will continue to build the stigma against fillers and injectables—because these are often the tools with which a poorly trained doctor has ruined a face. We never see an over pulled or over filled woman and go—yup, that was laser resurfacing. As a result, I still see most women afraid of injectables and fillers, but who have no fear of lasers, tightening, or body enhancements.
Related: Why Less Is Always More: Advice From A Plastic Surgeon
9. IT’S ABOUT TINY TWEAKS
It’s not about correction anymore. Its about prevention, prevention, prevention. And this can be done through tiny tweaks, not major overhauls. Starting anti-aging treatments younger while doing tiny tweaks creates a slow (and much more subtle) approach to anti-aging. Women are beginning to visit the dermatologist with the same frequency they are visiting the salon. Routine maintenance of baby Botox (smaller amounts of Botox are administered to soften lines but retain expression), light peels, and more mild lasers are gaining popularity. Women are realizing—slowly—you don’t want to play catch-up, you want to prevent and maintain with just a little bit of help.
By Robin Shobin
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