What’s New In Aesthetics: Are These The Tweaks We’ll Be Having Next Year?

Keeping up with what’s new in the aesthetics space can be tricky even when you work in that area, but I find that one sure way to get a handle on what’s coming down the line – and what we’re going to be hearing most about in the next 12 months – is to go and ask the brands what they are focusing on just now. So at the recent ACE conference (you know how much I love an aesthetics conference),  I trawled the stands asking exactly that. This is what I learned.

BTL: EmFace Eyes – for eye bags and crow’s feet

You may well have heard of EmFace – the non-invasive treatment that uses both electromagnetic stimulation (to tone up your face muscles and improve your contours) and radiofrequency (to stimulate collagen production and strengthen the skin)…  it has proved immensely popular since the launch two years ago. How popular? One million treatments done so far. Now, there are new applicators, which sit around the eyes where you’d put those stick-on eye masks. These use RF energy to firm up the skin while the brand’s patented technology works the muscles under the eyes and pushes back the eye bags – and if you have eye bags because of fat pads bulging through weak under-eye muscles, this can make a big difference.

Dermalogica: Exobooster

Moving from the beauty space into aesthetics, Dermalogica is making a splash with its Exobooster – these are bacterially-derived exosomes and the brand has clinical trials to show superior performance from these than from human exosomes – which is enough to make any of us stop and stare. Given that microneedling is already a huge part of Dermalogica’s clinical offerings, this looks like a very clever development, and one we’ll be hearing a good deal about.

Allergan Aesthetics: HArmonyCa

For Allergan, the big focus is HArmonyCa, the company’s skin-stimulating hybrid injectable. It combines a hyaluronic acid component with the skin-stimulating ingredient calcium hydroxyapatite, to give slow, steady improvement to skin quality over time. That, ‘and expertly placed fillers!’ added Djamshid Ghavami, the brand’s General Manager.

Inmode: Empower, Ignite and Envision

A lot is happening at Inmode! That includes Empower for female intimate health, which helps with stress incontinence, laxity and vaginal atrophy, and Ignite, which uses radiofrequency-assisted lipolysis (fat-busting) to reduce fat and also tighten the skin – it’s usually done by surgeons – for face and body. Then there’s Envision, which uses radiofrequency and IPL to treat dry eyes (and which I’m trying at the moment, so I’ll be talking more about that very soon).

LPG endermologie: Infinity

LPG Endermologie are specialists in cellulite, body contouring and loose skin, and their mechanical-massage tech does a fabulous job at lymphatic drainage. What’s new about this device is that it is faster, gives better results, and offers wellness protocols that can drop your cortisol levels by 50%. Now that, I have to try!

SkinCeuticals: P-Tiox serum

You might not think of SkinCeuticals as an aesthetic brand, yet they work with increasing numbers of aesthetic practitioners who use the products before, after, and even during procedures. What’s key for them: P-Tiox, an award-winning peptide serum with proven power to reduce expression lines.

Idenel: liquid microneedling

This sounds mad, but it’s a liquid product that is full of ‘spicules’; tiny spiky bits derived from a sea sponge, which the brand calls ‘precision microneedles’ … and when you rub it onto your skin, it create micro-channels in the skin (in the way that superficial microneedling would). Then, the peptides, which are bound to the microspicules (hope you’re still with me) can get into the skin to ramp up collagen production… Fascinating. I haven’t tried it yet but will let you know when I do.

Medik8- Liquid Peptides Advanced MP

The MP in this stands for ‘mini proteins’ which, if I’ve got this right, are more powerful than mere peptides for skin rejuvenation. The data is impressive for instant skin improvement – and particularly for reducing expression lines over time.

Galderma: Sculptra and Alastin

Collagen boosting and skin quality improvements are what lies behind the ‘massive uplift in the use of Sculptra,’ says Joanna Neal from the brand. She also reports a lot of interest in Alastin, one of Galderma’s clinically-powered and well-proven skincare ranges. (These are fab products, you can find several of them on The Tweakments Guide shop).

Aesthetic Source: Sunekos for skin quality and Aura imaging

Having been previously focused on clinical skincare, Aesthetic Source (which distributes fab ranges like Revision Skincare and Neostrata) has now taken on Sunekos, the much-loved injectable ‘skin-builder’  based on amino acids. They are looking after Aura the digital A1 imaging device too. It captures 3-D images of your face, and also shots off the state of your skin, in just one take. More on all this soon.

Neogen – more Neogen!

Dr Johanna Ward tells me that Neogen is still her key thing because of the way it makes the skin healthier, that bit tighter, and gives you an amazing glow. Dr Ward is an opinion leader for the brand – and if you’ve seen the results that Shirley Ballas and Linda Lusardi achieved, it was Jo who was behind that.

Lutronic – Lase MD Ultra for hair restoration

This 1927nm laser is already popular as a ‘drug delivery laser’, i.e. it can help potent products reach into the skin, and what we’ll be hearing more about soon is the new hair restoration treatment that involves the laser delivering growth-promoting actives into the scalp.

ZO – Retinol and Blemish Complex

As effective skincare products go, ZO always hit the spot. This new complex is for moderate-to-severe acne and includes 0.25% retinol and 2% salicylic acid.

Merz Aesthetics: Radiesse ‘neck-wash’, Ultherapy Prime

For Radiesse, a skin-stimulator that uses calcium hydroxyapatite to stimulate collagen formation in the skin, the big thing is using the product ‘hyperdilute’ i.e. much more diluted than usual, in the neck, to firm and tighten the skin.  Meanwhile, Ultherapy has a new ‘Prime’ device which has a larger ultrasound field and a much larger visualisation screen (the bit the practitioner watches, to make sure each zap of ultrasound is hitting the right target) both of which mean more precise targeting of the ultrasound energy, and safer, more effective treatment.

Cure Medical – the Ultraformer

This is HIFU (ultrasound) – which is popular for lifting and contouring.

Sciton lasers: BBL Heroic

This kind of ‘BBL’ is Broad Band Light (like a kind of supercharged IPL, or intense pulsed light). The BBL is already very popular in clinics for treating pigmentation, redness, skin laxity, and small veins, and the Heroic provides this light in a new device that moves much faster and more smoothly. Crucially for us patients, it makes the treatment more comfortable too.

Plinest polynucleotides – for the lips

These polynucleotides, from top Italian manufacturer Mastelli, are hugely popular already and where they’re going next is – in the lips, for strengthening and collagen boosting rather than volumising. Watch this space for more on this.

BCAM: regulation

And just for good measure, I stopped by the BCAM stand to ask what’s new in aesthetics. ‘Continuing to push for regulation and to provide safe care for our patients,’ said Chief Operating Officer Jamie Lennon. Amen to that!