Tweak this: Six new skincare treatments that are growing in popularity

Increasing numbers of us are turning to cosmetic procedures and treatments to deal with the cruel gaze of Zoom and endless video calls. So what are people asking for? Jennifer Stevens asks those in the know

There are new procedures that can leave you looking fresh faced and well rested without the trademark puffy or frozen giveaways.

After a year and a half of looking at ourselves on Zoom meetings and Facetime people have grown very critical of what they look like. As restrictions eased clinics that specialise in medi-cosmetic tweakments found themselves inundated with appointment requests.

While Botox and fillers are still the most sought-after treatments there are a lot of new products and procedures available that will make a profound difference to the health and look of your skin. After all, you can’t out Botox a bad skincare regime.

Sarah Flood, the operations manager and head therapist at the South William Clinic and Spa in Dublin says that people are more critical of their appearance than ever.

“I have definitely found that since coming back after the lockdowns people are more familiar with their faces than before, and they’ve really noticed their skin. Everyone has worked through Zoom and as a result are quite conscious of how they’ve looked. They now see themselves in a different light.

“They say that when they’re on a call all they can see are the wrinkles around their eyes or a drop around the lower part of the face.”

But when they come into the clinic Sarah says that the first thing she does is start gently, to bring skin back to its optimum health.

“Looking after the skin is so much more so than just going for your injectable treatments. Some people come in with an idea of a particular treatment in their heads but what they feel they need might not necessarily be what their skin needs, so we would always try to guide them in the right direction and suggest what we feel would be best for them.

“That means we look at everything from home care to treating the skin internally as well. It has been a very long almost two years now for everybody, and it’s had a massive impact on our health and on our skin health, and that’s what people are starting to notice and feel. 

They look tired. They could look a little bit more alive, a little bit more awakened.

Sarah always starts off with some nice treatments before moving onto more advanced ones. This is to improve the overall look and health of the skin and see what really needs to be done.

“I always like to start off with some nice treatments first, a couple of facials and maybe a light epidermal rejuvenating peel to just remove any dead skin cells and get the cellular turnover going, and then slowly but surely move the client onto something a little bit more advanced. So starting off with maybe three light peels, or light facials first and then go onto something like micro-needling or radiofrequency treatments.

“When people come in, we want to be very honest. We want them to know that they are coming in for this one treatment today, but we may need to do a couple of treatments maybe to get where they want [their skin] to be at.

Your home care is always so important, your home care is your skin diet, I like to call it, and what we do in the clinic then is like a workout for the skin.” Sarah says that an in-clinic treatment will get results that no at home products can but that you need to take a 360 approach to your skin. Things like diet, drinking enough water, watching your caffeine intake, and reducing the amount of sugar you consume are vital. People think that Botox is a quick fix but while it does give an instant lift, it doesn’t do anything to improve the overall tone, texture and quality of the skin.

Sarah says that Irish women are far more educated about products and procedures than they were even five years ago and are coming into clinics much better informed than ever before.

“There’s so much information online and even when we couldn’t do anything physical during the pandemic there were a lot of lives and chats with skincare professionals. But people still want to come for a consultation, to see what’s right for them. 

"Certain treatments will take effect quicker for one person than they might for another, so we need to manage expectations. Where somebody might have great results in three treatments, the next person may need six."

Even with all the new treatments that are available Sarah says that maintaining the right at home regime is still vital. There are three products that she, and most skincare professionals recommend for anti-aging results - a Vitamin C serum, something from the Vitamin A family and SPF.

“You should always have a good formulation of L Ascorbic acid, that’s your vitamin C. It is needed within your skin care to make collagen and to also neutralise free radical damage, which we’re up against every single day and is the main cause of accelerating aging within our skin cells. Then, at nighttime you should use a form of Vitamin A, and that would be retinol. There are different grades of retinols so it’s always good to speak to a professional about the one that’s right for you.” Like most experts working in the industry, Sarah is passionate about SPF and tells every client to use a high factor, broad spectrum one, every single day.

“I don’t understand why we would go outside, or even sit at home by the window, without one. The UVA ray is your aging ray and that penetrates even through glass and goes right down into the dermis. It actually causes collagen degeneration and that happens all year round. 

The single most important thing that we can be doing every single day is wearing UV protection.

One very current trend that Sarah is noticing more and more is the increase in clients coming in with what is known as Tech Neck. Before the pandemic looking down to look at your mobile was cited as the reason but with a year and half of at home laptop use it’s becoming a phenomenon that needs to be addressed.

Lots of people are presenting to clinics complaining that their lower jaw has dropped significantly and lost definition. The first thing you should do is elevate your screen so you’re not looking down and learn how to hold your phone at eye level but if it’s already a concern there are treatments available that can help. Sarah says you can start the process at home yourself.

“A lot of good stimulating massage at home and as part of facials will help. I tend to do a lot of stimulating around the lower part and sculpting, because our hands are such powerful tools as well.”

New treatments to watch out for

While Botox and traditional fillers remain the most popular tweakments in Ireland there are new procedures that can leave you looking fresh faced and well rested without the trademark puffy or frozen giveaways.

Secret PRO

Secret PRO uniquely combines two clinically proven technologies in a single treatment device. It uses both fractional CO2 for skin resurfacing and radio frequency microneedling for deep dermal remodelling.

Radiofrequency and microneedling

Separately these are fantastic treatments, so when you combine the two together, you’re going to get fantastic results. It helps in the production of collagen and elastin, treats fine lines, wrinkles, any large pores, and any scars and marks within the skin and pigmentation as well.

Profhilo

If you don’t want to go down the route of fillers, Profhilo is an injectable skin treatment using one of the highest concentrations of Hyaluronic Acid available. It’s becoming increasingly popular and many aesthetic doctors prefer its fresh-faced results. It has fewer complications, it doesn’t freeze anything so gives an impressive, but more natural result. It improves skin quality from within and gives longer lasting results. It is recommended to have two treatments, four weeks apart for optimum results.

Hydra Facials

You may have already heard a lot about these but they’re popular because they combine a traditional facial with visible results. They use advanced vortex technology to deep cleanse, extract, and hydrate while the HydraFacial super serums are made with nourishing ingredients that create an instantly gratifying glow. Ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, horse chestnut extract, red algae extract, copper, zinc and magnesium peptides are delivered to where your skin needs them the most.

Light Therapy

Like Profhilo, light therapy is something we’re al going to hear more of this year. It is a non-invasive treatment that uses narrow band, non-thermal LED light energy to trigger your body’s natural cell processes to accelerate rejuvenation and repair of the skin. It’s great for a variety of skin complaints including sun damage, acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, sensitive and inflammatory conditions, wound healing and scarring. There are different coloured lights that are used to treat different things. You can have it done on its own or many clinics are using it as an add on at the end of a facial treatment. It can also be done before and after injectables.

Body treatments

Body treatments are seeing a renewed surge in popularity and the newest one to arrive here is Emsculpt Neo. It is a body-shaping procedure that combines high-intensity electromagnetic stimulation for muscle building with radiofrequency for fat elimination in a 30-minute session. Of course, no treatment can work miracles but many practitioners are very excited by its arrival.