The Key Global Trends Shaping the Aesthetic Segment

The anti-ageing market is constantly expanding to cover a diverse range of concerns. In the aesthetic domain it’s not just wrinkles that are considered as the only sign of ageing. Age spots, pigmentation, uneven skin tone, dry skin, under eye circles, redness and hair thinning are now an integral part of the growing anti-ageing market.

The current medical aesthetic industry is worth $53.3 billion and is predicted to reach $73.6 billion by 2022 for both the service and product revenues.

The demand for non-invasive procedures is more than the invasive ones with new technological advances both in aesthetic medicine and invasive surgery. This has seen a boom for Cosmetic Surgery businesses across the world with USA and Europe being the global leaders and China and India as the upcoming giants in this market scenario. The North American market accounts for almost 45% of the global market but their dominance is slowly shifting towards Asia with a rise in medical tourism in China and India.

What does this mean for those who are looking to stay young? What cosmetic surgery/aesthetic trends are we looking to in this year that has almost gone by and with 2018 fast approaching?

I feel the next few years is going to be the year for non-surgical treatments, with Injectable products (Teosyal, Belotero, Radiesse) leading the way. Dermal fillers have one of the largest market shares in the cosmetic non-surgical domain. Energy based devices like lasers, IPL (intense pulsed light) and radio frequency will see a further upswing. Active cosmetics/Cosmeceuticals like skin care, eye care, skin lightening and hair care are also contributing to the growing sales.

The past years have seen a major increase of cosmetic surgery due to the massive proliferation and publicity in the social media and this has set off a trend amongst the transgender community as well. Thanks to Caitlin Jenner’s popularity it has stimulated the demand for FTM and MTF procedures and this is only rising.

Another major trend that we in the fraternity foresee is vaginal rejuvenation treatments. Labiaplasty so far has been very popular but now with advances in fractionated CO2 laser, the potential to tighten, improve lubrication, improve sensitivity and even tackle urinary incontinence is the new frontier in cosmetic procedures.

Breast Implants will see a rise in terms of both safety, and variety- smaller, perkier, athletic, more natural looking as compared to only standard breast augmentation in terms of larger breasts so far.

The Body Contouring industry is slated to increase in double digit figures in the coming years with fat freezing techniques leading the way.

A recent Vogue article claimed that women were now shifting from showing ‘cleavage’ or ‘back’ to showing ‘legs’ and so this is setting off a definitive trend for procedures involving shapely legs such as ‘Microlipo’. Longer leaner legs is what everyone is now desiring for on their wish list. This is a minimally invasive aesthetic procedure that gently removes unwanted fat and sculpts specific areas of the body and give definition. Currently trending as one of the most advanced body shaping treatments, it is done under local anaesthetic and is an uncomplicated procedure where the patient can leave the clinic on the same day.

With mankind’s quest for eternal youth and the subsequent rise in technological advancements, cosmetic surgery has become a double edged sword. Too much of it can take one away from one’s true self and at the same time men and women all over can for the first time in their lives make genuine changes to their physical bodies that perhaps is an impediment for them in the extended concept of their health and well-being.

It is ultimately a joint responsibility where both the cosmetic team/surgeon and the patient work together to garner realistic and natural looking results. Responsible surgical interventions undertaken with the intention to add genuine value to an individual’s life will certainly take precedence in the decade to come.

Patients often come to me – some curious and others with strong ideas and examples. However well prepared you come to a clinic, the consultation process is a crucial time; both for the clarity of communication I provide and the understanding you allow me. It is with this trust that I work together with my patients to provide a realistic, optimal result and tailor made after-care each and every time.

-Dr Ash Dutta