By: Ruth Kerrison
Created on 03rd August 2010
Over the past two decades, noninvasive cosmetic treatments have seen a huge increase in popularity, and with newer, more effective procedures coming on to the market all the time, that trend looks set to continue. But does this rise in non-surgical treatments mean the days of going under the surgeon’s knife are coming to an end? As our daily lives get more and more hectic, are we losing interest in cosmetic surgery and the weeks of downtime it entails? We’ve tracked down four industry insiders to get their thoughts...
Mr Adrian Richards, consultant plastic surgeon: “In an ideal world there would be no need for any cosmetic treatments – nonsurgical or surgical. If we could prevent the effects of ageing and sun damage they wouldn’t be necessary.
The four main factors in facial ageing include volume loss, lines, skin quality, and gravity changes, which produce jowls and descent of the cheeks and neck. The first three of these are now treated mainly with non-surgical treatments – volume loss with dermal fillers, active lines with muscle relaxing injections and skin changes with appropriate protection from ultraviolet light and skin peels to reverse damage.
Unfortunately at present there is no effective non-surgical treatment to reverse gravitational changes. Only surgery can do this effectively. So unless we develop a technique to prevent gravity’s downward pull, standing on our heads may be the only alternative to surgery.”
Dr Stefanie Williams, cosmetic dermatologist: “One reason patients opt more for non-surgical procedures these days is that less invasive treatments have improved immensely over the past few years.
We can now not only improve lines, wrinkles and folds, but also replace agerelated volume loss and recontour the face – without a scalpel in sight. To some extent we can even reverse the effects of gravity such as nose-to-mouth folds by filling up volume in the cheeks.
I am not saying that there is no place for surgery anymore, as some problems can only be fixed surgically. However, surgery can certainly be delayed through the use of advanced minimal-invasive treatments.
We should also not forget the importance of a good skincare regime. As a dermatologist I know that people with a ‘skin-friendly lifestyle’ and long-term use of cosmeceuticals, are much less likely to need surgical or non-surgical procedures later on.”
Miles Berry, cosmetic surgeon: “To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the scalpel’s demise are greatly exaggerated. The history of the surgeon’s most useful instrument has been well documented.
Unfortunately, surgical progress has far outstripped natural healing evolution, which remains at prehistoric levels and mandates a scar after wounding: it is this normal result that our patients do not like.
It is, of course, entirely true that fillers have improved significantly of late, however, they are generally impermanent. Their effects are transient and, whilst they may delay ageing, gravitational consequences are inevitable and excess, wrinkled skin can be addressed in only one way – excision.
There are, too, physiological changes, most common in the post-partum breast and abdomen that defy all non-surgical techniques. The scalpel is dead – vive le scalpel!”
Dr Miles Apthorp, consultant anaesthetist and cosmetic doctor: “There has been a huge increase in non-surgical cosmetic treatments in the last few years, from the well known, such as fillers, skin peels and lasers, to the less well known such as Vaser, a minimally invasive form of liposuction.
No longer needing a general anaesthetic or hospital stay, people can get fat ‘zapped’ away in their lunch break. And with minimal downtime, nobody need know you were there.
Expressions like “My, you look good, have you lost weight?’’ can be met with with a knowing smile. Less is more, with the aim to hold back the ageing process but not to look too young for your age.
With the progress in stem cell
research there are some very exciting prospects
for the future of cosmetic medicine. Who knows,
perhaps a cream that actually repairs collagen
as you sleep – that’s worth dreaming about.”
