For beginners the world of aesthetics can be daunting with words that you may have heard of in media, films and around your circles but because there is lots of misinformation and skewed perceptions it’s good to have a 101 guide in aesthetic treatments.
What is Aesthetics anyway?
When you are in a field of expertise you often forget that others don’t know your terminology. Aesthetics is the umbrella of treatments that improve your overall look. Not just make you beautiful. In dentistry they use the term aesthetic dentistry for dental procedures that make your teeth look better or pretty (whitening, veneers, teeth straightening etc). The same goes for the face and even the body.
In short people often say aesthetic treatments are anti-wrinkle and fillers, but it is so much more! Anything that helps you feel more confident about your appearance is under that umbrella of aesthetics; skin, unwanted hair, lines and wrinkles, balance of features, semi permanent makeup, weight and overall health. It is NOT about looking fake and overdone. We need to be moving away from ‘I want lip fillers’ to ‘my lips are very thin and bother me, what should I do?’.
What is the difference between Anti-Wrinkle and Fillers?
I get asked this a lot. Anti-Wrinkle and fillers are two totally different substances and are used in completely different ways.
In aesthetics Anti-Wrinkle treatment is mostly used to soften wrinkles that are as a result of muscle movement; like frown lines, forehead lines, smile lines and smokers lin. You will find the industry now refers to it as anti-wrinkle treatment/ injections or wrinkle relaxing injections.
Fillers: The proper term is dermal filler, which is a treatment that provides volume by injecting the substance under the skin. The substance is Hyaluaronic acid which is a naturally occurring particle within your skin. The idea of the treatment is to restore volume that has been lost with age, but is often used for beautification purposes too. In essence it can help restore the framework on which the skin sits and therefore help with sagging and hollows. It can pretty much be injected anywhere but typical places are; lips, nose to mouth lines, marionettes, cheeks, chin, and jaw. It can even be used on the nose as a non-surgical nose job.
Skin Boosters: This is actually also containing hyaluronic acid and some other water drawing ingredients, but is much more liquid and helps to plump out the skin (restoring elasticity and hydrating within the skin structure). Hence boosting the skin. This helps with the appearance of finer lines and wrinkles that happen because the skin quality changes with age and tends to become crepey.
Other skin treatments: Chemical peels, micro needling, mesotherapy, fat dissolving injections, skin tightening and laser therapy are some of the skin treatments offered by aesthetic practitioners. These can help with pigment concerns, acne and other skin conditions, texture issues and overall quality of the skin.
If you are concerned about your skin or would like to improve it, it would be easier to speak to a practitioner who can guide you to which would work better for your particular case and then explain further about that treatment. Your skincare routine plays a big role here and should not be overlooked when considering having a treatment.
