Top Aesthetic Treatment Trends to Follow in 2019

A new year calls for a fresh look at the medical aesthetics industry. As a medical aesthetics professional, it’s important to stay abreast of industry trends and research to better help your business pivot, adapt, and market to a constantly evolving consumer population. From the most requested procedures and treatments of 2018 to those we predict will continue to be on the rise or influence consumer choices throughout the year, here’s a brief look at the top medical aesthetics trends for 2019 to help you get started.

“Tweakments” Are Trending

While demand for cosmetic surgeries remains high, consumer interest in minimally invasive alternatives has been steadily rising since 2015 and it’s only expected to build throughout 2019. The main reason is a shift in the way most consumers view medical aesthetics treatments now: most often, prospective patients are searching for solutions that offer natural improvements with minimal downtime or ways to treat a specific problem area without requiring a hefty investment. For example, consumers may be searching for a solution to unwanted cellulite, but are looking for alternatives to such surgical treatments as laser-assisted liposuction. Cryolipolysis, ultrasound, and radio frequency (RF) body contouring treatments for cellulite reduction have therefore seen a rise in interest as potential alternative solutions with minimal downtime that offer just the right amount of transformation. 

A second factor contributing to the popularity of “tweakments” is the increase in younger prospective patients seeking new and more effective ways to maintain their youthful appearance. Rather than approaching medical aesthetics through the lens of restoration or rejuvenation, these patients are seeking out opportunities for prevention and upkeep. This offers the perfect opportunity to begin to forge new long-term relationships with clients in 2019 that could help cut down patient acquisition costs for your clinic moving forward. If this younger demographic is the target for your aesthetics clinic, consider making 2019 the year you overhaul your marketing methods to better appeal to millennials.

Customization Is King

The customization trend is expected to continue. While customized and complementary treatment plans will continue to be favored over stale treatment protocols, customized skin care is gaining ground. This is particularly true for proven innovative skin care ingredients that are well backed by trusted scientific studies, such as skin care products featuring cutting-edge stem cell therapy. New systems for prescribing the perfect customized skin care routine are gaining ground into 2019, with some utilizing algorithms and artificial intelligence to create boutique formulas for individual customers. However, there continues to be a better understanding that not all breakthroughs and innovations are the best options for all skin types. Rather, patients are seeking recommendations from trusted authoritative sources with which they can have a conversation to reveal the best skin care system for their needs and that will provide the optimal results they desire. For the greatest impact, complementary treatments prescribed by trusted providers may be the best option alongside a recommended at-home skin care regimen that boosts or maintains the results.

Innovation as an Entry Point

New technologies and innovations tend to steal the spotlight each year, garnering peaks in online searches that may fade over time but often lead consumers to explore similar treatments. One example in 2019 will be the buzz around microneedling patches. While microneedling saw a jump in searches in 2018, microneedling patches are starting to steal a bit of that spotlight. Currently being tested in the medical field for vaccinations and delivering scar reduction drugs, as well as a method for delivering anti-aging collagen molecules, microneedling patches feature hundreds of water-soluble needles or cones that gently penetrate the skin’s surface and act as a delivery system. These needles dissolve in just a few minutes and the patch is then peeled off and discarded.

While the patches mimic the idea of a microneedling procedure, the needles don’t create the same microdermal wounds that traditional microneedling or non-surgical fractional ablative skin resurfacing treatments do, which is essential for optimal efficacy. In other words, these patches are certainly innovative on a number of levels, but for those consumers seriously interested in skin resurfacing or microneedling procedures, the patch may simply serve as a convenient entry point. While this technology is one to watch, it has not yet made it to the market en masse, so now is the time to increase awareness surrounding your clinic’s skin resurfacing procedures while the buzz builds. Of course, not all skin resurfacing treatment machines are equal, so it’s important to know the pros and cons of the various skin resurfacing modalities and choose the most suitable device for your clinic’s needs, or consider an upgrade to a more compact and customizable fractional laser skin resurfacing device.

Greater Accessibility and a Broader Market

With more candid conversations regarding modern beauty procedures cropping up on social media and many celebrities and influencers honestly discussing their treatments, the stigma surrounding medical aesthetics is waning. With this more open discussion, alongside technological advancements, medical aesthetic treatments—particularly minimally and non-invasive procedures—are becoming much more accessible to a wider population. Millennials appear to be more openly opting into skin treatments and injectables, while anti-aging treatments for men are gaining ground as well. With the number of potential lunchtime procedures growing, time is no longer a constraint as well. All of these factors have contributed to a more accessible medical aesthetics industry with a lower barrier to entry that allows your clinic to better market to a wider pool of prospective patients dependent only on your clinic’s brand and target clientele. In other words, the possibilities for growth are seemingly endless as the market continues to open up and the stigma continues to drop.

Knowing your target demographic and ideal client can help to better highlight the trends your clinic should closely follow and which new or consistently popular treatments your clinic may adopt for continued growth in the year to come. Having this focus will better allow you to assess whether your clinic is outfitted with the best medical aesthetics device for your ideal patient’s needs. For those who may be in the market for a new treatment device, discover Venus Concept’s lineup of proven medical aesthetic devices, available via the industry’s first and only true subscription model. Contact an expert today to learn more.