How Our Perspective on Aesthetic Medicine Has Changed
In the world of aesthetic medicine there seems to exist a generational difference in opinions that almost certainly stems from the various outcomes we’ve witnessed according to the different eras we’ve been exposed to.
For example, my generation, and those before me, grew up with an awareness of the more extreme forms of “beauty procedures.” Hands up who remembers a celebrity who “went under the knife” and came out looking like a different person!? Some of them, multiple times!
When you’ve witnessed that kind of transformation, especially from the advantageous perch of a naturally youthful existence, it’s easy to conclude that such surgeries were acts of desperation yielding nothing but disastrous results.
This is why a lot of people of this generation look at Medical Aesthetics, which incidentally doesn’t actually involve surgery, with disdain. I get it. In fact, I’m so aware of this perspective, that I tailor my writing to meet this specific group each month here in the Berkeley Hills Magazine.
You may have noticed that I generally prefer to discuss the science of aesthetic treatments, as well as the health and wellness benefits. Focusing on the “beauty benefits” can be almost triggering for people who still hold the perspective that the entire field is all about those extreme examples from decades ago.
A New Generation, A New Philosophy
But times have changed, and so have the procedures. Those pulled-tight jowls, and over-filled lips are no longer the norm.
Shifts in costs (procedures used to be prohibitively expensive for “regular people,”) technology, techniques and materials have brought the field into an entirely new era. At the same time, the industry itself has largely shunned the “overdone” look and embraced the concept of individualized and subtle care.
Younger generations, having grown up in this world, are exposed to a completely different approach to beauty care, and as a result, have an entirely different perspective on the whole process.
There is no stigma attached to getting “work done.” Instead, it is treated with the same casualness as getting a facial or a manicure.
The Modern Approach to Natural-Looking Results
Rather than going for dramatic changes (with obvious exceptions) MedSpas these days prefer to advocate for:
- Prevention over correction: Never underestimate the importance of regular moisturizer and sunscreen. It won’t make your wrinkles disappear, but it will prevent your skin from aging prematurely.
- “Tweatments”: Yes, that’s what the younger generation call it…we’re talking about regular facials, and baby Botox.
- Stimulation of natural ingredients: There are so many treatments these days that stimulate your own collagen and elastin production (e.g. Fotona, Sofwave, micro needling) that you can achieve a “lift” without even glimpsing a knife.
- Improving skin quality: Again, there are multiple options for non-invasive ways to resolve hyper-pigmentation and skin tone issues.
Looking Ahead
In short, things have changed, and I invite you to contemplate this shift – the reality that the world of “beauty” can, and is whatever you’d like it to be.
MedSpas are now spaces for careful, cautious, individualized, and dare I say nurturing, care. Let’s leave the scary stories in the past, and move forward with a fresh face to the future.