8 predictions for 2011

The year 2011 will be even more marked by cosmetic medicine. Cosmetic medicine has already experienced considerable growth in recent years, and is now gaining real momentum. We expect an even stronger increase in non-surgical treatments and a decrease in surgery. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) releases its statistics each year. From 2008 to 2009, for example, the number of facelifts in the US fell by 30 percent, breast enhancements by 12 percent and tummy tucks by 13 percent. The statistics for 2010 are not available yet, but they appear to continue this trend. NON-SURGICAL TREATMENTS Non-surgical methods such as Botox and fillers have taken a birds-eye view in recent years. We can achieve a very natural result with safe techniques, without surgery, without major side effects and a lot less expensive. New insights and techniques follow each other at breakneck speed. Over the past five years, the number of facelifts in the US has fallen by 40 percent, while injectables such as Restylane country Botox half rise 49 percent. In the coming years, the demand for cosmetic treatments will continue to increase. This prediction is based on the fact that the treatments are becoming increasingly accessible and the taboo seems to have been broken. The trend towards non-invasive cosmetic treatments will continue to increase: Medical skin improvement with carboxytherapy and cosmoceuticals; long-term fillers such as Restylane and Sculptra; 'body sculpting' with lipolysis, carboxytherapy or Zeltiq's latest device, which works by cooling the fat to get rid of unwanted fat. CELLULITE and unwanted fat deposits Non-surgical and non-invasive methods to improve body contours are becoming increasingly sophisticated and promising. Lypolyse, an injection method with Phosphatidylcholine that dissolves subcutaneous fat, is widely used in the Netherlands for body contouring. New insights make the results more refined and fewer side effects occur. However, this method is not suitable for large fat deposits. Zeltiq Coolsculpting is one of the first scientifically proven methods to get rid of unwanted fat in a non-invasive way. Variations of this, such as melting subcutaneous fat with heat or light energy, are in full development. These new developments will have to earn their place in body contouring. In recent years, there have already been several promising techniques that ultimately failed to meet their expectations. Liposuction and lipolysis remain the first choice for body contouring for the time being. FILLERS In 2011, the fillers, such as Restylane, Juvederm, Sculptra and Radiesse are becoming increasingly popular. Due to today's lifestyle, the “baby boomers” see their faces age rapidly. The realization is that filler treatments, when performed expertly, inhibit or reverse aging, are often much better and more natural than a surgical facelift. In America alone, the number of filler treatments increased from 1.6 million in 2009 to 2.6 million treatments in 2010. CHEEKBONES “Cheekbones will be the new lips”. Women, and nowadays many men, strive for a natural fresh look. Partly, we can achieve this by treating facial lines, for example with Botox. Due to the ever-growing insight into the cause of facial aging, fewer and fewer wrinkles are being treated and more attention is being paid to the whole thing (whole-face treatment). As a result, we are seeing a large increase in correcting loss of volume at the temples and cheekbones and a decrease in the treatment of individual wrinkles. In the clinic, we no longer talk so much about wrinkles, but more about keeping the face in shape by supplementing the loss of volume on the chin/cheeks/cheekbones. This provides the most natural result. We do this treatment for many well-known Dutch people, making them look young and fresh, but so you can't tell they've been treated at all! (With the exception of a few obvious outbursts from colleagues). There is almost no 'downtime' and the result is very natural, so you simply can hardly see that they have been treated. BUTTOCKS Many celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce have made the buttocks an important item. In the coming year, the demand for non-surgical buttock augmentation will increase due to the improvement of procedures and development with Macrolane (from Restylane). ONE More and more men are undergoing cosmetic treatments. In our clinic, we see an increase from around 5% in 2008 to 10% in 2010. The taboo on treatments seems to be broken because more and more well-known Dutch men are getting treatment and are openly coming out for it. Cosmetic procedures for men, such as Botox, hair transplants and fillers, are increasingly socially accepted and there has been a strong awareness that a positive appearance can greatly improve the social and social position BETTER BOTOX There is plenty of movement in the world of Botox (botulinum toxin) /muscle sagging. Various other forms of Botulinum toxin have come onto the market with promising properties. The current muscle relaxants (botulinum toxin) are inserted with a needle and work for about 3-6 months, after which the treatment must be repeated. There are rumors about new methods/ means with which the treatment could significantly improve in duration/ comfort/ quality. Boucouture is a newer, more pure form of Botulinum toxin. With local freezing to give the muscle rest, tests are also already being done. “Botox out of a year” is under development. Although the results are still disappointing, this seems promising. Revance Therapeutics says it has developed a “Botox-like lotion” that does not require a needle. The clinical trials will be completed in 2012. We wait and see. HAIR More and more well-known Dutch people are undergoing hair transplantation. This will greatly reduce the taboo on cosmetic procedures for men. The development of better hair transplantation techniques, such as hair stem cell transplantation, leads to better treatments. The treatments are less invasive, and the results are very natural. Minoxidyl, a proven hair growth lotion, is increasingly being used in the Netherlands. There is also plenty of development in various methods to promote and maintain hair growth, such as home laser treatments and carboxytherapy.