Pandemic does not slow down aesthetic medicine, it has grown since 2020

Natural look, treatments that respect the facial features but, above all, scientifically tested and safe.

Aesthetic medicine is renewing itself, continuing to gain popularity from young people to the over 80s. And, since the lockdown, it has seen growth that has not been slowed down by the use of masks and not even by the shorter social life of the past two years.

To take stock of trends and new therapies is the 43 / o congress of the Italian Society of Aesthetic Medicine (Sime), from which comes the warning: avoid do-it-yourself fillers and do not trust those who uncritically comply with the requests of ' touches' to follow the fashions of the moment.

"Compared to pre-Covid, 2021 and the beginning of 2022 have seen a push towards aesthetic medicine, in the North as in the South, among girls and women in old age, but also among men, who are a constantly increasing minority . Driven by the hours spent on video calls, filler treatments for the lips have increased by about 10% and the same goes for Botox for the forehead and wrinkles around the eyes ", says Emanuele Bartoletti, president of Sime.

Underlined by the use of masks that hid the rest of the face, the eye area has been one of the protagonists in the past two years.

If blepharoplasty has seen an increase in the past two years, surgery isn't the only option to improve the look.

"You can use - explains Bartoletti - fillers based on hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxyapatite to fill an overly sunken eye. But biostimulation treatments have also been developed for the periocular region" and "regenerative medicine procedures, such as baby food. platelets and stem cells from adipose tissue ".

The best treatment for the décolleté, on the other hand, remains prevention, because all aesthetic medicine therapies have limited effects in this area.

"Biostimulation and suspension threads - says Bartoletti - can only be used in the initial phase. In case of slight failure, the endolift, an optical fiber inserted under the dermis to reattach the superficial tissues to the deep ones, is effective. the problem is advanced, the only therapy is the facelift ".

The important thing is "a result that is not very visible, because the goal is not forced rejuvenation, but rather to bring one's age well".

Furthermore, all therapies, Bartoletti recalls, "must be supported by studies published in scientific journals and performed by trained doctors".

On the other hand, we must beware of those who uncritically carry out everything that is requested by patients.

"More and more young people - specifies Nadia Fraone, Sime secretary - are asking for tweaks to have a look similar to the influencers they see on social media: Chip & Chop-style dimples, Hollywood-style cheek that highlights the cheekbone, fox eye, cherry lips. But we must explain that the aesthetic medicine studio is not a supermarket. The true professional,

Just as you have to beware of the risks of do-it-yourself filler kits, which can be purchased online.

"With microneedles you can, by mistake, inject liquid into the blood vessels, you can touch nerve endings. The possible consequences - Bartoletti points out - are necrosis, infections, allergies, hematomas, aesthetic damage. And running for cover is not always easy".

Instead, supplements are recommended, but at an appropriate dosage and chosen according to your age.

"Vitamin B, vitamin B2 and B6, or minerals such as zinc, selenium and silicon stimulate the synthesis of endogenous collagen and elastin", explains Marzia Pellizzato, expert in nutraceutical sciences.

And on this front, the new entry is quercetin, a powerful antioxidant of natural origin.