What new has come out of the last 2 years?
It has been very uplifting to see the conferences open up again, and I have been very lucky to be able to attend the AESTHETIC & ANTI-AGING MEDICINE WORLD CONGRESS in Monte Carlo in early April 2022, and the IMCAS Conference in Paris over Jubilee weekend. Both Conferences exceeded my expectations, with the standard of lectures being exceptional. It was as if all the speakers had been saving up all these wonderful facts, and couldn’t wait to share them with us.
Over this time 3-4 new preparations of Botulinum Toxin muscular relaxants have been, or are just about to be launched. It was wonderful to get clear concise facts about the details of these products, rather than just the promotional hype we all get from companies, either openly, or subversively in the form of sponsored articles.
After digesting all these facts carefully, I will not be changing the product I use any day soon. There may be a product on the horizon which may give a benefit to my patients, but it is not available yet.
Such changes should only be made where there is a distinct benefit, of improvement in efficacy, which is what has happened over the last 2 years in the PLLA Collagen Stimulator we use in the clinic. The improvement in results that patients have experienced has been quite noticeable, hence the decision to change the product that we use.
We are still striving to reduce the time it takes to do the treatment , and the time of recovery following treatment in that most promising of treatments, Fat Transfer and Nanofat. The sourcing of far stronger, more effective local anaesthetic creams, and stem cell growth factor serums, which reduce recovery time by 50%, may well have tipped the balance. Making them far more patient friendly. In the real world where we live and work, ‘Down-time’ is usually a serious issue in deciding what treatments to have.
The new super effective Anaesthetic cream, and Recovery serum may also improve the attractiveness to patients of that undisputed Gold Standard of laser skin treatments, the Carbon Dioxide Fractional Laser. Feedback from patients have always rated it as probably the most effective treatment for skin rejuvenation, but until now the discomfort and prolonged recovery have made it unattractive and impractical for many patients. That may soon change.
So you see it has been an exciting 2 years in the world of Aesthetics, in spite of the Pandemic.
Another little gem to come out of IMCAS in Paris was the subtle and accurate use of tiny doses of fillers in specific deep areas can give far better and more natural improvements than previously achieve by 3-4 times the volume.
It was also nice to see the mantra of Less is more, and the more natural look is now dominant in the Aesthetic World, moving dramatically away from the ‘Obviously Altered’ look.
Alan