What’s in 2021!

A We reached out to the Aesthetic Medicine Editorial Board of aesthetic doctors to get an understanding of their expectations and predictions for the year 2021. Here is what our experts have to share on what is going to be trending, popular treatments, ingredients, practice management and more…!

“INJECTABLES SHOULD SEE A BIG BOOST THIS YEAR.”

- Dr Amit Luthra, Consultant Dermatologist, Ishira Skin Clinic, New Delhi

“If we compare the current situation to last year, the aesthetic practice has turned around. People are coming back, and we have more patients now. We are getting to do procedures that we otherwise did not do, since the patient perception is that he/she is wearing a mask now anyway. Also, the initial fear is gone. In Delhi, the wedding season is on and since people have not really spent over the recent months, they are spending on themselves now.

In terms of specific procedures, injectables should see a big boost this year. It has also been gaining popularity on social media, and the young population is asking for injectables.

As for online consultations, it will not be a major area of focus. Ultimately, patients want to visit us, face-to-face, and so in the aesthetic industry, I do not see it gaining much popularity. Patients might opt for the online platform to get an assessment but a visit to the clinic is important in our field. Perhaps for minor skin ailments, people may continue to video consult.

In terms of practice management, appointments are being spaced out to begin with, but we are already back to normal with the required precautions. While at present we do less patients per hour, soon, we see this going back to normal, pre-COVID. More than the vaccine, it is the surveillance of the state governments; especially in Delhi, the surveillance says 5060 per cent infectivity for COVID. And this is what we were hoping for – herd immunity – which is why cases are drastically going down. So, unless there is a sudden change of events towards the worse, the practice will be entirely back to normal.”

“BY MID-2021 – JULY-AUGUST – WE WILL SEE THE AESTHETIC PRACTICE PICKING UP.”

Dr Lakshyajit D Dhami, Founder, Vasudhan Laser & Cosmetic Surgery Centre, Mumbai

“Post the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, patients have finally started coming in for treatments since Novemeber. So, the overall trend of 2020 is been reversing now, and patients are visiting clinics for treatments once again. FFor surgical treatments the preference seems to have shifted towards private clinics rather than hospitals. Of course, nonsurgical treatments largely continue in private clinic – so private clinics will benefit from that point of view.

With work from home largely being a part of the new normal, and an increase in virtual interactions and video calls, we still see demand for treatments such as facial hair removal and facial rejuvenation.

For clinics, the number of footfalls for mere consultations has gone down and we are seeing a rise in virtual consultations where patients send in pictures and their questions. Clinics are going to be working for longer hours as the number of patients accommodated at one time has reduced.

Most healthcare workers will get immunised in three months time, by March, however it will take longer – up to a year - for the masses to get the vaccine. With social distancing continuing, as well as the prevailing fear of the virus in the minds of the people, we may not see much of a rush for getting surgeries done.

By mid-2021, i.e, July-August, the government has promised to immunise most of the vulnerable groups, which would be about 30 crore of India’s population. And this is when we will see the aesthetic practice picking up.

The future looks bright and robust for doctors who continue to sustain in their practice.”

“BODY CONTOURING AND BODY SKINCARE WILL BE A POPULAR CHOICE.”

Dr Mukta Sachdev, MD Director, MS Skin Centre, Bengaluru, and Head of Department of Dermatology, Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru

“The year 2021 is a reset year in terms of aesthetics and will be an eye opener!

• Based on what we are seeing so far, there is a renewed interest in enhanced topical care ingredients for anti-ageing and brightening.

• Online dermatology will witness a boom with expert dermatologists available for online consultations.

• Non-invasive treatments such as prescriptive facial treatments, specialised eye and lip treatments, and non-invasive rejuvenation, tightening and laser procedures, are already seeing increased popularity and renewed interest. Effective actives such as stem cell peptides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, retinol, and other enhanced actives like AHAs, BHAs and PHAs are going to be preferred choices.

• From the minimally invasive to the more invasive treatments, trends will change and refocus on areas other than the lips and cheeks.

• Many people combine surgical with nonsurgical treatments to create a more comprehensive facial rejuvenation, and this will be even more popular in the years to come. Also, tremendous advances have been made in the last decade towards improving skincare and nonsurgical treatments of the face and neck. These treatments include better longer-lasting fillers; neurotoxins such as bolutinum toxin, lasers, and radio frequency devices; along with enhanced skincare and medical grade facials.

• Facial protective masks are going to be part of our daily ensemble and patients will choose to combine minor eye-optimising surgeries with longer lasting and of course natural results. Injectables around the upper face to lighten, brighten and enhance the area around the eyes will be a prevalent choice.

• Body contouring will be a popular choice and a focus on body treatments is going to be popular this year. Body skincare too will be popular, and we will be investing in scrubs, exfoliants, serums and oils for our bodies; the focus will be on treating our bodies with the same quality of care that we do for our faces.

• Ethical beauty is a newer trend and consumers and patients alike are far more aware and concerned about environmental impact and sustainability. Along with an increasing awareness about the impact of the beauty industry on the environment and climate change, patients will now opt for more basic skincare routines and multipurpose products; a simple yet effective skincare routine will be a preference. Consumers will opt to buy fewer, but better, products for the year.

• We have already seen a huge rise in people asking for subtle, realistic, and natural results, and so, the definite new buzzwords in 2021 are subtle, rejuvenated, and natural.”

“THERE IS AN ALARMING INCREASE FOR ACNE AND LOWER FACE SLIMMING PROCEDURES.”

Dr Apratim Goel, Medical Director, Cutis Skin Solution

• “The aesthetic industry will be driven by social media enthusiasts, bloggers, Instagrammers, and YouTubers. We already see a huge influence and how it is turning the whole aesthetic products and treatments profile around.

• Packaging: Since the products are not being bought at the store and are rather shipped, there is a lot of innovation in packaging and design. This definitely has an impact, and we will see this becoming an important factor when a consumer chooses one product over other.

• Research leading to new ingredients in skin care: There are so many new ingredients in the skin care market, which do not exist in our pharmacology textbooks. Some are the placental extracts, bakuchiol, green tea extracts, peptides, cica, astaxanthin, and crystal tomato.

• Skin biome and microflora-friendly skincare products seem to be topping the charts. Face masks, sanitizers, hand-care creams, sunscreen and anti-acne products seem to be at top of the line.

• Treatments: Self-home-care peels and DIY skincare has boomed in the last few months. Masks, facial kits, home use lasers and LED devices seem to be the current trend, and will continue next year.

• Clinical aesthetic treatments: With zoom calls and social media selfies on the rise, we see a surprising trend emerging. While there is a clear decline in the demand for body treatments, there is an alarming increase for acne as well as lower face slimming procedures like HIFU, radiofrequency as well as fillers and botulinum toxin. Maskne or mask related skin irritation is causing an alarming increase in acne and scars, and hence, consumers are seeking a solution. Since salons have been closed for a long time, laser hair removal demand is at an all-time high. Of course, cosmetic surgical procedures are on a steep decline.

• Online medical care: With online consultations having started last year (2020), most people are using online consultations from the experts in 2021. Every individual needs a customised plan according to their skin and what better than checking in with your skin specialist over a video call.

• Makeup and cosmetics: While perfumes, hair cosmetics, hair colours, foundations, compact, lipsticks seem to be taking a backseat, mascara, eyeshadows, and non-transfer lipsticks are greatly in demand.

• Immunity boosters: With all the focus on boosting immunity, oral supplements and antioxidants are also something that will continue trending in 2021. Vitamin C, Glutathione, crystal tomato, celergen, astaxanthin, and curcumin give great results for skin brightening as well as help the immune system.

• The year 2020 seemed to be the one of innovation, research, and survival – and 2021 might be the year to put to test the Darwins theory of Survival of the fittest!”

“THREAD LIFTS WILL BE A SAFER SUBSTITUTE TO EXTENSIVE FACE LIFTS.”

Dr Shailesh Vadodaria, Consultant Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon, London, UK, and Chairman, CAPSCO

“The universe is recovering from the unprecedented pandemic of COVID-19. We are getting used to living in the ‘new normal’. Humanity learnt a lot but there is still a lot more to lean.

• Aesthetic treatment will be considered safer in comparison to invasive aesthetic surgical procedures, which may require long hours in the operation theatre under general anaesthetic. Not only the patients, but the practitioners would also like to offer treatments and procedures that are safer in the current climate.

• I do believe that the judicious use of botulinum toxin and volumising procedures in the form of absorbable dermal fillers, autologous fat transfer under local anaesthetic in regulated facilities will be on a tremendous rise.

• Thread lifts will be a safer substitute to extensive face lifts.

• A combination of multiple aesthetic procedures would be considered safer than invasive anti-ageing procedures.

• Skin tightening procedures using laser, radiofrequency, and ultrasound, will see a significant demand.

• The Indian population would require procedures and programmes in well-being clinics to ensure a healthy lifestyle. Hence, there is a tremendous scope for aesthetic clinics to embrace the new requirement of a dietician, nutritionist, and yoga teacher. Clinics will be expanding into the arena of developing a framework of a healthy and beautiful lifestyle.”

“THERE ARE SOME NEW TRENDS CATCHING UP FROM THE WEST SUCH AS CREATION OF CAT EYES.”

Dr Parag Telang, Consultant Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon, Founder and Director of Designer Bodyz Centre for Advanced Cosmetic Surgery, Mumbai

“The year has started on a positive note with the news of the vaccination starting in India. In fact, there has been an upswing in the number of cosmetic procedures during the lockdown as patients had the time in hand to complete the pending surgeries. Especially for patients working in the entertainment industry, they could finally get a lot of face procedures and treatments done as all the shoots were on hold.

The top five cosmetic surgeries would be rhinoplasty, body contouring surgeries for weight loss and slimming, breast enhancement, facial aesthetic procedures such as eyebag surgeries and gynaecomastia correction. These have been the most popular in India with the numbers increasing each year.

There are some new trends catching up from the west such as creation of cat eyes, which is like a slanted look on the eyes that especially the younger generation patients come for. Then there is lot of demand for buttock contouring either with fat or implants. Minimally invasive procedures such as threadlift for face and neck tightening are also catching up. More and more patients are coming forward for facial aesthetic surgeries now. This could be a result of seeing your own face in the online webinars and meetings. This makes people notice more imperfections in their own face and seek options to rectify these.

In terms of how the aesthetic practice is set to progress in the new year, this is the era of minimally invasive procedures. Patients want solutions to their problems, which are without too much of a downtime. As majority of the patients are working from home and do not have to commute, they are coming forward to finish their pending procedures such as body contouring surgeries, liposuction, or tummy tuck as they can continue working online while they are recovering from their procedures.”