Aesthetic treatments are becoming more and more widespread. And among the growing diversity of options, there is one that is experiencing a furor: biostimulators, which promise a rejuvenating effect without going through the operating room.
"They are injectable substances that activate the cells responsible for producing collagen. They have been on the market for more than 20 years and showed very good results," explains André Amaral, a specialist in aesthetic medicine, who attributes the current boom to different variables: dissemination on social networks, communication from centers and specialists, advertising of laboratories and also that people want to improve the skin without losing its natural appearance.
Collagen is a protein synthesized by fibroblasts that acts as a supporting mesh for the deep and superficial fatty compartments of the face. Its production drops from the age of 25 and at 30, the body stops producing it. In fact, from that moment on, it degrades by 1% for each year that passes. The process can be accelerated according to circumstances and habits, such as stress, smoking, sun exposure and excessive sugar intake.
"I work a lot and always look tired. My goal was to reverse that, without everyone thinking 'What was done?'" Mariana is 38 years old and has been using creams for as long as she can remember. His greatest fear was that someone would ask him, remembering Mirtha Legrand's famous phrase: "Who made your face?" He didn't want anything that could change his features. After chatting with a trusted surgeon, a biostimulator was applied. "There are many celebrities who, due to excessive infiltrations, end up with pillow faces (or swollen faces), it is not my style," he concludes.
More and more patients are pursuing a natural result, with minimally invasive procedures, which do not give volume and stimulate collagen production.
Unlike fillers, so-called skinboosters do not fill or mimic them. The best known are Radiesse (calcium hydroxyapatite) and Sculptra (polylactic acid) and Profhilo bioremodeler (a type of hyaluronic acid that does not give volume, and provides hydration and turgor).
"Everything related to the facial structure is increasingly requested, to improve collagen in the skin, generate more projection, avoid the fall of the contour. Especially by patients who begin to notice deflation of the face or flaccidity and are interested in volume replacement, "confirms Luisa Silvana Alvarez, medical director of the Maestro Estética center.
She also works with brands and treatments such as Etrebelle (biostimulator made with microparticles of polylactic acid and hyaluronic acid) and Long Lasting (which is based on cross-linked hyaluronic acid).
Over the years, collagen production not only stops, but begins to degrade.
Amaral indicates that it is possible to combine different types of biostimulators, but it is important to wait for the clinical response of each product. Depending on the needs of the person, they can be supplemented with hyaluronic acid syringes to generate volume. He always suggests his patients see the impacts these procedures have over time.
"The Radiesse, for example, has a peak of effect at three months. Sculptra acts only after two months. Ageing is an ongoing process and needs to be addressed on an ongoing basis as well. You have to have patience and persistence," he adds.
Amaral is clear: the idea is not to "stop" age, but to accompany the stages of life. Just as over the years there is consumption of the bone part, the fat part and wear of the muscular part, the skin also experiences the passage of time.
"I propose to my patients to work in a logical way, with volumetric reasoning, looking for a natural and elegant result, both for the photos and for the daily dynamics, which involves modulating, gesticulating, smiling," he continues.
The products are not economical. The doctor talks about optimizing resources: "A treatment starts in the equivalent offour bottles of serums that are bought in the pharmacy. And an application of Radiesse or a Profhilo improves the skin much more than a serum. You have to evaluate and plan."
New "beauty trend"
Profhilo, manufactured by the IBSA laboratory, is one of the most required biostimulators on the market. The recommended protocol is two injections, with an interval of one month, at a rate of $ 100 thousand each.
According to Pablo Brusa, commercial director of Tecnoimagen (distributor of the product in Argentina), "more than 15 thousand patients tried it in the country since its launch in June 2022." They ran out of stock three times due to high demand and, currently, reach more than 280 beauty centers.
"A fresher point of view was installed, which seeks to enhance individual beauty. Faced with the notion of uniform and equal faces, the new trend of medical-aesthetic treatments defends authenticity," says Alejandra Bugallo. Dermatologist and specialist in aesthetics, speaks of a "refresh in a short office time".
Natural "touch-ups": skinboosters improve the quality, tension and luminosity of the skin.
"This market is growing year after year worldwide, as more and more patients are looking for less traumatic, fast treatments that allow them to continue with their daily activities," adds Gerardo Fossati, CEO of Oxapharma, an Argentine laboratory that develops and markets international cosmetic brands.
"At the medical level, there is greater specialization and training on the part of industry professionals," summarizes Fossati. It points to an important issue: patients should go to reliable centers and doctors, with the right training.
How long the treatments last
Eternal youth is an unreal horizon. People age unfailingly and this is reflected in the skin. Multiple factors impact this process. "Even the prolonged use of masks during the pandemic led to the alteration of the epithelial biome, since the skin was subjected to nasal and oral fluids continuously," Merz Pharma spokesmen elucidate.
The laboratory manufactures Radiesse, one of the market-leading products. "Calcium hydroxyapatite is a mineral component found in bones and teeth. This gives it its particular characteristic of biocompatibility, durability, and resorption. Its effects last from 12 to 18 months," the spokesmen expand. Other products such as Profhilo and Long Lasting have a similar duration, depending on each case.
Health First
Cristina Pascutto is a dermatologist and former president of the Argentine Society of Dermatology. Although he points out that biostimulators have no contraindications, he emphasizes that each product is different. And so are the way they are applied and the care they require.
"Radiesse, for example, must be diluted by the professional in physiological solution. To prevent the formation of nodules, you need to do it correctly, as well as massage the area. The Sculptra is diluted in distilled water and must stand before placement. Profhilo is prepared directly, injected into certain points of the face and, due to the characteristics of the hyaluronic acid that composes it, it is dispersed in the tissue," he continues.
Pascutto states that these products have very low allergenicity. However, it introduces an exception. Recently, a patient was referred with a problem: she had generated a reaction after the application of the Covid vaccines. The woman had to be treated with corticosteroids. In this sense, it elucidates that, like the flu vaccine, it should not be placed soon to the injection of skinboosters. Pregnant and nursing mothers should also abstain.
Between desires and commands
There is an unavoidable edge when it comes to addressing the issue of "beauty" treatments (a choice of words that speaks for itself). "It's not wrong to be beautiful, what's wrong is the obligation to be beautiful." The phrase, by Susan Sontag, is taken up by psychologist Adriana Guraieb to illustrate the dilemma faced by many people today.
"The countless advertisements that bombard many women can produce severe effects on their personality, for the desire to belong, be accepted and avoid being excluded," says the graduate to Clarín. And he asks: what is hidden behind this dependence, pressure, and, many times, self-imposition?
Body diversity activism warns that every body is unique and combats unique patterns of beauty.
"Social mandates create new gods, true tyrants, who impose stereotypes transformed into the equivalent of well-being and happiness," continues Guraieb, a member of the Argentine Psychoanalytic Association who warns of a "myth of beauty" that pushes in certain cases to overadaptation. "Attract, impact and seduce" becomes a weight on bodies that entails great physical and economic efforts.
Against the molds and patterns that impact on self-esteem and impose a sometimes ruthless self-criticism, he proposes the acceptance of a "possible body", real and healthy. "It is not easy but change is on the way and it is worth following that course," he reflects by way of closing.
Each person has a unique relationship with their body, their desires and aspirations. Even within the feminist movement there are differing opinions about the various aesthetic interventions. The intersection between the apothegm "the personal is political", the undeniable presence of social mandates, business and free will ("my body, my decision") is complex. And information and different points of view are necessary pillars for any debate.
ACE
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