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Summer is in full swing and with the holidays coming up, more people will be looking toward aesthetic treatments to improve their look. Looking your best no longer requires extensive plastic surgery with painful side effects. Non-invasive cosmetic procedures are gentler and necessitate less healing time, making them less likely to have a significant impact on your lifestyle.
“Aesthetic treatments are popular year-round, but during summer people do tend to opt for certain treatments as they’ll have more skin showing or want to go on vacation and want to look their best,” says Dr Reza Mia, a specialist aesthetics and anti-ageing practitioner.
Trending cosmetic treatments for summer
According to Dr Reza, the most popular treatments among South Africans in summer include:
- Botulinum toxin and fillers
Patients commonly choose botulinum toxin and fillers, mainly because of their different uses, he notes.
“Fillers offer quick results for a multitude of concerns patients may have regarding their look, and can bring about dramatic changes with small amounts. These are a popular treatment in aesthetics due to their versatility and relatively fast recovery time. Patients generally come into the clinic with concerns of facial sagging, fine lines, and wrinkles, which can all be effectively treated with filler injections.”
Meanwhile, another unexpected use for botulinum toxin is the treatment of hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating, which people tend to experience more during the warmer months.
“Going into summer, more people suffer hyperhidrosis which can be corrected by targeted aesthetic treatments such as botulinum toxin injections. These offer a highly effective short-term solution for hyperhidrosis that can last between six and nine months,” he explains.
- Chemical peels
Chemical peels are recommended for ageing skin to alleviate wrinkles and invigorate the skin to look more youthful and hydrated. But while chemical peels are a popular treatment in the summer months, it’s important to note that you should avoid direct sunlight for 12 hours post-peel as exposure to UV rays could damage your skin.
“This is a procedure where a chemical solution is applied to the skin to remove the top layers, following which the skin grows back smoother and healthier. It can be done at different depths for more dramatic results, but this will result in a longer recovery time,” says Dr Reza.
- miraDry
The miraDry is a non-invasive, permanent solution to hyperhidrosis within the space of a single appointment by using thermal energy to target and eliminate sweat glands.
Dr Reza advises that patients should only seek treatment for hyperhidrosis when it has a significant impact on their daily life, and they feel self-conscious or avoid certain clothing choices due to their sweat problem.
“If you sweat a lot when you gym or experience minor sweating in general, we avoid this treatment as we don’t want to administer treatments unnecessarily. It’s best to seek treatment if it’s affecting your lifestyle.”
An alternative sweat treatment that has recently been introduced at Dr Reza’s clinic is EndyMed. This solution is not toxin-based or a permanent solution like the miraDry, but can treat overactive sweat through microneedling radiofrequency to kill the sweat glands.
- Fat freeze and fat-dissolving injections
Targeting stubborn fat pockets on the body can be achieved through fat-dissolving injections and cryolipolysis.
Fat-dissolving treatments involve the use of injectable phosphatidylcholine to target stubborn fat pockets. When injected it breaks down fat cells, leading to their natural elimination.
Cryolipolysis subjects fat cells to cold temperatures, and crystallises them, which results in gradual fat cell death. It’s gradually expelled from the body naturally and can lead to effective fat reduction with minimal downtime.
- Skin Tightening
These are non-invasive cosmetic procedures that aim to improve the firmness and elasticity of the skin to address the signs of ageing, such as sagging and wrinkles, and methods include:
Redermalisation
This non-invasive procedure combines the benefits of skin-boosting injectables like hyaluronic acid and succinate with the skin’s natural regenerative processes. It stimulates the fibroblasts to make collagen and elastin while improving the skin’s density and texture.
EndyMed
This innovative system utilises radiofrequency to precisely deliver thermal energy to targeted areas, stimulating collagen and elastin production deep within the skin. Patients gain noticeably firmer and more youthful-looking skin with minimal discomfort and downtime.
Exilis
This technology utilises radiofrequency energy to stimulate collagen production in the deep layers of the skin. It’s painless and requires no downtime, which makes it a sought-after solution to achieve a more youthful and revitalised appearance.
Biostimulators
Biostimulators, or injectables, work by stimulating the body’s natural collagen and elastin production by causing the migration of fibroblast cells to the injected area. Poly-L-lactic acid is the most common biostimulator which gradually reinforces skin structure and improves texture.
How do aesthetic clinics keep up-to-date with cosmetic trends?
Cosmetic trends are continuously changing and so are the treatments. At his clinic, Anti-Aging Art, Dr Reza and his team ensure that they offer exclusive treatments to their patients by implementing the best technology and techniques that offer patients optimal results.
“We stay up to date with cosmetic trends by continuously inviting representatives in to demonstrate new treatments that might be effective for our patients, as well as following Google alerts, Instagram, and performing extensive and ongoing research,” he explains.
Through continuous research and assessment of treatment solutions in the market, Dr Reza works to ensure that he maintains his clinic’s reputation for best-in-class, authentic-looking solutions with lasting results.
He further emphasises education to ensure that patients have all the information they need to make informed decisions on their treatment journey.
“The desired outcome isn’t always immediate, and patients should be patient. It’s often a continuous journey and there will be some downtime. I often compare aesthetic treatment with maintenance on a car. It’s not something that you do once and then it’s done, which is why it’s best to consult and develop a long-lasting relationship with an aesthetics professional for the long-term,” he concludes.
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