The New Aesthetics Agenda: Ageless Beauty Across Generations

Aug 23rd, 2024

black and white photo collage of people of different ages and ethnicities.

Prejuvenation and beauty preservation merge to create ageless beauty across generations.

Image by Djomas at Adobe Stock

We are at a pivotal moment in medical aesthetics as ever-evolving treatment innovations bring us closer and closer to realizing the ultimate goal of achieving truly ageless beauty across generations. Aesthetics is becoming an integral part of our overall beauty and health maintenance routines, considered an extension of our skin care regimens rather than separate cosmetic enhancements. With the normalization of aesthetics, individual trends like prejuvenation amongst younger generations and pro-aging or preservation of individual beauty amongst older generations are merging to form a new category of ageless beauty in aesthetics that spans all age groups.

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Proactive Aging/Prejuvenation (20's & 30's)

One of the major aesthetic trends that is still going strong is the trend towards addressing moderate signs of aging early. Prejuvenation treatments are utilized by patients in their 20’s and 30’s to prevent serious signs of aging rather than correct them later.

At-Home Treatments

The growing awareness among younger and older generations around the impact of free-radicals on skin health and the primary triggers of free-radical damage, UV rays and pollution, has led to skin care staples such as daily SPF and antioxidants becoming common elements of daily skin care regimens. This increased awareness of the preventative power of skincare is leading to a more educated aesthetics consumer when it comes to preventing damage to skin health and signs of aging with skin care that preserves and protects skin health. Younger generations are also complementing their in-clinic treatments with the use of at-home devices and ‘prescription-strength’ skin care products that help to maintain treatment results in between visits.¹

Tweakments

The trend in less invasive treatments used for prejuvenation, often referred to as “tweakments”, has been growing in popularity over the last year or more, with Millennials and Gen Z patients adopting this preventative practice. These tweakments are considered an extension of patients’ skin care regimens rather than as separate cosmetic treatments. Patients seek treatment for moderate signs of aging that appear, using an approach that focuses on implementing light, subtle enhancements designed to get ahead of the aging process.

Preventative Collagen & Regenerative Treatments

Younger generations are becoming increasingly aware of the vital role collagen plays in the process of skin aging. We begin losing collagen in our 20’s, as Dr. Annie Chiu, Board-Certified Dermatologist and founder of The Derm Institute, explains, “It is well studied that the body starts losing more collagen during the late 20s. This is when enzymes that break down collagen start increasing in activity beyond what the body naturally replenishes — essentially collagen breakdown outpaces new collagen production.”¹⁵

This growing awareness of the importance of collagen has been demonstrated in the rising coverage of biostimulators on social media, with posts growing eight-fold between 2010 and 2020.² Younger generations are looking more and more to collagen biostimulators combined with other injectables and collagen banking plans to proactively boost and maintain collagen levels before they noticeably decrease with age.³

Collagen Banking: Despite how it sounds, collagen banking is not the practice of removing collagen and storing it for later use. Collagen banking actually involves getting collagen stimulating treatments in your 20's, thereby boosting collagen production early in order to have more collagen stored in your body as you start aging and mitigate future collagen loss. According to Dr. Chiu, "If you start replenishing early, you can better keep up with the rate of loss.”

Glow Facials: In addition to collagen banking, younger generations are turning to other natural ways to simulate collage production. Between 2020 and 2021 demand for glow facials increased by 66% and platelet-rich plasma facials rose by 44%.⁴ Glow facials are a multi-step treatments combining oxygenating exfoliation, ultrasound therapy and lymphatic massage. These medical-grade facial treatments cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate, improve overall skin health and appearance and are one of the treatments that naturally stimulate collagen production to enhance and maintain youthful skin.¹⁴

The #biostimulator has a whopping 3.1 million video views on TikTok, reflecting the rising interest in collagen stimulating treatments that is expected to see even more significant growth as more effective ways to stimulate collagen and elastin production emerge.⁵

Other Collagen Trends: Collagen enhancing trends are spreading further than their role in aesthetic treatments, with patients now incorporating supplements like collagen powder and collagen peptides, merging beauty and nutrition. This holistic approach to maintaining beauty demonstrates the increased awareness of the connection between skin health, gut health and the importance of properly nurturing the body with enough hydration and a nutritious diet. This trend reflects the better understanding around the impact of collagen and other supplements such as probiotics on skin health, and focuses on giving our bodies the proper nutrition both topically with skin care solutions aesthetic treatments and from within via supplements, hydration and dietary nutrition.¹⁶

Proactive Aging: 40's & Beyond

Proactive aging is not just for patients in their 20’s and 30’s now, though, as patients in their 40’s are starting to consider facelifts now, engaging in the same type of long-term planning around preventative aesthetic treatments, albeit of a slightly more advanced level of procedures. While almost 75% of facial plastic surgeons saw an increase in patients under 30 years old, a comparable number of medical specialists reported seeing midlife patients for strategic, preventative treatment.⁶ “People come in all the time in their mid to late 40s debating ‘do I need a facelift?’” explains Dr. Julius Few, a U.S. board-certified plastic surgeon. “That’s become a much more common discussion… I’m seeing this kind of long-term planning more than I ever have in my career.”⁷

Ageless Aesthetics (40+)

On the other side of the spectrum is the movement towards ageless aesthetics. Women are taking preconceived notions and stigmas around age and clearly defined age groups and throwing them out the window. Almost 72% of women globally are more focused on looking and feeling healthy rather than young. What’s more, 63% of women globally report that “aging is no longer something to fear.”⁸ With humans living longer, patients want to maintain their health and preserve their unique beauty as they age, so they can enjoy healthspan along with lifespan. This has resulted in an attitude shift away from the traditional idea of anti-aging to one that emphasizes pro-aging or agelessness and is focused more on preservation of individual beauty.¹⁸

“Most patients just want to look in the mirror and say ‘nice,’” says Dr. Christoph Martschin, Portugal-based dermatologist. “This doesn’t mean that they want to look 25 forever. But it does mean that they want to look like a very attractive 40-year-old, a very attractive 50-year-old…”¹⁸

Aging Gracefully

“We’re entering a new era that doesn’t want – or have to – accept the frozen face look as we may have done previously,” says celebrity facialist Natasha Clancy, founder of a dermatology clinic in Mayfair, London.⁹ Like their younger counterparts, older generations of consumers are now seeking subtler alternatives to the more obvious-looking results associated with formerly popular aesthetic trends. Once again, treatments that naturally stimulate collagen production are being utilized as an “under the radar approach… to create a natural-looking lift.”¹⁸

The primary goal is no longer to look actively ‘younger,’ but rather to maintain a healthy and radiant appearance that enhances patients’ natural beauty. This is demonstrated in the rise of aesthetic treatments that provide natural-looking results, with treatments to improve skin quality and skin health rising in demand. “More and more people are coming to the clinic asking for that ‘no makeup look,’” says U.K.-based aesthetician, Dr. Ahmed El Muntasar.¹⁰

Looking Past the Face

The face is far from the only area patients are now looking to maintain, with awareness of the impact other areas that reveal age, such as the decolletage, hands and knees as well as tightening the underarms, have on an individual’s overall appearance. Patients are now becoming better educated as to the aging process of areas other than the face and the need to maintain the delicate skin of areas like the neck to achieve aesthetic balance. This encompasses far more than simply the neck and hands, however, with patients seeking treatments to address visible and hidden aesthetic concerns. The area of intimate wellness is seeing a significant rise in demand for aesthetic treatments. The area of women’s sexual health, in particular, is experiencing a notable upsurge in demand, with #femalejuvenation videos on TikTok about vaginal rejuvenation techniques reaching 6.7M views.¹¹

NoLie Under Calm After Waxing Patch: NoLie is a ‘sensual wellness’ brand providing these newer intimate wellness products entering the skin care scene. One of their intimate hygiene products is this convenient adhesive patch for post-Brazilian wax care to protect and soothe intimate areas from dust and pollutants. It offers a waterproof cotton gel patch with a slit in the middle that fits onto the bikini area under trousers and underpants. wear it immediately after waxing. The highly adhesive, nondrying patch effectively delivers active ingredients: TECA Retive soothes skin with cica ingredients, Hydra-Relief EX hydrates and protects, and Soothing Cooler Complex offers cooling care. “This product represents the convergence of personal care and self-care, highlighting the significance of women’s and sexual wellness. The emergence of candid discussions around these subjects has paved the way for inventive brand and product releases that combine convenience with effectiveness.” Sarah Jindal, Senior Director, Mintel Beauty, Personal Care and Household Insights.¹⁷

A Holistic Approach to Ageless Aesthetics

A holistic approach to aesthetics, both to achieve facial balance as well as overall aesthetic balance, is emerging as the most effective approach to preserving individual beauty as we age. Indeed, combination treatments designed to achieve aesthetically balanced, longer-lasting results is rising in demand among patients, according to 80% of U.S. plastic surgeons.¹³ “As skin ages, a global treatment – one that treats the entire face rather than just individual spots – is often a better option,” says Dr. Maria Milone, Cosmetic Doctor at a dermatology clinic in Australia.¹²

We can already begin to see a steady rise in a holistic approach to aging, with practitioners beginning to take an inside-out approach to addressing signs of age in patients that takes into account and first addresses the physical and aesthetic impact of changes in hormone levels during menopause. Once these hormone imbalances have been addressed, practitioners then provide guidance on the best diet, supplements and lifestyle choices to revitalize how they feel physically, and in turn, how they look. Providers will then advise patients as to the best combination of aesthetic treatments to further revitalize and preserve their unique beauty. Dr Sheila Nazarian, L.A-based plastic surgeon notes, “A future-forward approach to patient care is taking a holistic view of what happens when we age as far as nutrition, mental health and the best aesthetic treatment [is concerned].”¹⁸

The New Era of Ageless Aesthetics

Ultimately, these prejuvenation and pro/graceful aging trends are both heading in the same direction with parallel aesthetic goals. They are merely two sides of the same coin. On one end we have the goal of prolonging youthful appearance and on the other side is the goal of preserving said beauty as we age. New treatments being developed that improve our ability to restore things like bone loss and thinning hair will contribute significantly to our goals of achieving ageless beauty, but merely addressing the external signs of aging is only half the equation.¹⁸

Both movements to prolong and preserve beauty require a truly holistic approach to aesthetics and aging to reach their ultimate goal of making ageless beauty across generations a reality. This means addressing nutrition, lifestyle and long-term health in combination with skin care and aesthetic treatment plans that deliver long-lasting results and address the progressive signs of aging throughout a patient's life to prolong and preserve their youthful appearance and unique beauty as they age. With a longer human lifespan comes the need to also preserve healthspan and ensure that we feel youthful and more vibrant longer. A holistic approach that addresses patient health and aesthetics will help us achieve ageless beauty so that our external appearance matches how we feel inside no matter our true age.

References (Linked In Text):

1. Glossy (2022) Tretinoin emerges as trendy cult product thanks to skinfluencers and telemedicine.

2. McKinsey & Company (2021) From extreme to mainstream: The future of aesthetics injectables.

3. Express.co.uk (2023) ‘Collagen banking’ can help stave off signs of ageing for longer, says doctor.

4. Yelp (2021) 2022’s beauty trend forecast report.

5. TikTok #biostimulator trending hashtag on TikTok.

6. Facial Plastic Surgery (2023) As Americans return to the office, AAFPRS unveils aesthetics trends from annual facial plastic surgery survey.

7. Allure (2022) These Will Be the Biggest Plastic Surgery Trends for 2023.

8. Avon (2022) The power in ageing: Future of beauty report.

9. Refinery29 (2022) ‘Growing older is something to be celebrated’: Sorry, but anti-ageing skincare is a scam.

10. Women’s Health (2022) Why the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic isn’t as ‘off duty’ as it appears.

11. TikTok #Female rejuvenation.