The world is changing. That’s a fact. And with it, consumer behavior and needs are changing too, including in cosmetic treatments. Having shed its taboo, the world of aesthetics truly needs to reinvent itself. In fact, this metamorphosis began several years ago, with steady growth in cosmetic medicine treatments, growing popularity of expertise with a French touch, and fillers topping the list of procedures. These days, people don’t even talk about “looking younger” any more but about the art of “aging well”. This universal demand requires expertise, adaptation and long-term care for each patient. And that means that understanding new goals, the importance of the first visit and the doctor’s know-how and precision are crucial. Here is a closer look at this metamorphosis under way in the beauty industry.
Less scalpel, more natural. How has the patient’s objective changed?
These days, when people refer to cosmetic surgery or cosmetic medicine, images no longer come to mind of young-looking faces, frozen features or over-stretched facial skin. Patients now want procedures that will make them look younger or improve their appearance but with natural-looking results that are discreet and harmonious. They want their care through the aging process to be based on changes in their face and body, by subtly and discreetly diminishing flaws or the signs of aging. That is what is called the French Touch.
Patients expect custom care and personalized treatment while postponing going under the knife. The growing appeal of cosmetic medicine over surgery can be explained by several factors:
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Treatments are accessible, fast and effective.
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Patients can blur a flaw or reduce a few wrinkles without undergoing full-blown surgery or invasive techniques requiring longer recovery and sometimes leaving scars.
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Treatments are temporary. Patients can always go back to the way they were.
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Treatments are personalized and gradual. The doctor adapts the technique, dose and treatments to each person and his or her wishes, skin, age, etc.
Patients therefore want to optimize their age at each stage in life, while preserving the natural expression and harmony of their face. This is the art of aging well as time passes but also the art of well-being.
Enhancing natural beauty: How can treatment protocols be adapted to what patients want?
Given these changing needs of patients who want to age discreetly, protocols, techniques and care must adjust accordingly.
Cosmetic medicine and surgery have to reinvent themselves. It all begins with serving patients. Patient service is a key priority in the practice. Not only do patients expect personalized, custom care, but they want follow-up over the long term. It is therefore essential to establish a personalized relationship based on trust by listening attentively and offering adapted advice. Cosmetic doctors and surgeons must be capable of anticipating the person’s aging process.
Meanwhile, methods, techniques, machines and protocols are also changing. To meet these new expectations, people want to reshape their faces and bodies gently, in small touches, to stay natural and maintain balance between personality and physical appearance. Procedures are lighter, and techniques more targeted and precise, in lower doses for subtle, discreet results. Treatments complement one another, adjusting product combinations to the patient, such as hyaluronic acid and botulinum toxin, which optimizes effects by perfectly adapting patient care. This requires extensive expertise and more tailored service for patients. That is how the discipline of cosmetic care is reinventing itself.
Cosmetic medicine techniques can also be adapted to the level where action is taken.
Anti-aging medicine: Two levels of action for different results
Mesotherapy, laser treatment, fillers and peels are some of the multitude of solutions offered by cosmetic medicine depending on what patients need and expect. This anti-aging practice of course helps to correct certain visible flaws but also to prevent the signs of aging. And to do that, action is taken on two levels:
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The external or superficial level, which acts on skin quality and outer signs of aging, such as dark spots, fine lines and dehydration. This covers all procedures that treat visible stigma due to aging: hyaluronic acid injections, botulinum toxin, laser treatments, peels, mesolifts, etc.
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The internal or deep level tackles structural signs of aging and aims to maintain good nutritional balance, which is essential for the organism to function properly: vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and trace elements. Preventive medicine and treatments that act on the internal level ensure and stimulate proper cell function. This primarily involves nutrition and micronutrition advice, which is also part of the essential care provided in cosmetic medicine, as diet and nutritional balance are also factors in skin quality.
With these changes in expectations, treatment protocols and patient care, two levels of action are needed to achieve more natural, harmonious results. Cosmetic medicine and surgery continue to adapt to their times and patients for increasingly personalized care.