Keeping Young Skin Young

Younger Patient Facts:

Why Young People are Seeking Anti-Ageing Treatments and Effective Skin Care Regimes.

“More and more young patients between 20 and 35 years of age are seeking anti-ageing preventative skin enhancing and cosmetic treatments. – Dr Alek Nikolic

Dr Alek Nikolic reveals some interesting facts and recommends skin care regimes for this generation of savvy and well educated shoppers.

The beauty industry has changed rapidly over the years, with greater emphasis and higher standards placed on beauty than previously seen. Recent statistics that show there is an increased proactivity, knowledge and awareness of beauty by the current generation of women:

• • • 83% of women believe there are higher standards of beauty today than there were in the past
    • more than 50% of women aged 16 to 34 started thinking about ageing before the age of 30, which is 10 years sooner than women 35 and up
    • 72% of women aged 16 to 34 say they know more about beauty than their mother

Various factors can motivate a young person to seek aesthetic treatments and to start a comprehensive anti-ageing skin care regime. Generally, these revolve around the desire to improve their visual appearance and conform to what is considered beautiful in their society.

Issues that may motivate a young person to seek aesthetic treatment can include the desire to:

• Improve skin texture issues caused by scaring, e.g. with acne
• Look more beautiful or proactively address dissatisfaction with their appearance
• Try non-invasive aesthetic treatments before ageing becomes a concern
• Conform with beauty ideals endorsed by celebrities and the media.

Of AAFPRS member surgeons surveyed in 2015:

• 64% saw an increase in cosmetic surgery or injectable treatments in patients under 30
• 82% said celebrities influenced their patients’ decision to have plastic surgery

West vs East

Lip contouring is a common request by young women from Western countries and can be achieved by placing soft hyaluronic acid fillers along the vermillion border to underline the upper lip. It produces results lasting 6 to 12 months.

Young patients may request lip volumizing treatments to correct a genetic predisposition to thin lips or post-traumatic irregularities.

Other common requests by patients in their 20s include treatments to delay minor signs of ageing or to repair acquired disfigurements, such as piercings or acne scarring.

The proportion of younger Asian patients aged 18 to 40 has increased from 44% in 2005–2009 to 48% in 2010–2014.

Reasons for this include:

• An increased sense of self-identity and pride
• More economic power and social independence
• Altered aspirations.

Other factors include:

• Understanding that early use of aesthetic treatments may prevent or reduce the progress of ageing
• Increasing awareness of aesthetic procedures and treatments received by their peers and public figures on social media
• Increasing accessibility and affordability of products and treatments
• Increasing numbers of trained aesthetic physicians
• Improved tolerability of injectable products that has emerged over the past 5 to 10 years.

Young Asian patients commonly request treatment to improve facial shape and three-dimensionality. While patients typically believe these are aesthetic improvements, the physician will recognise this relates to underlying facial structural features that are common to Asians and contribute to a negative aesthetic or relative weakness.

In the Middle East, there is a focus of beautification, with young women typically wanting to look pretty, feminine and refined.

As opposed to the “holistic” approach of other cultures, which often involves motivations relating to improving self-confidence and esteem, beauty in the Middle East motivations are typically superficial and purely physical.

As women have to cover up, anti-ageing treatments around the constantly exposed eye area are common.

When looking to Western cultures, the more natural European look is favoured over the perceived over-treatment of the “Hollywood look”.

Skin Products For The Younger Generation:

“Underpinning all of the above is a glowing healthy looking skin, free of blemishes, scars & dry patches, rough or poor textured skin and breakouts such as acne or pimples. – Dr Alek Nikolic

A good skin care regime early on is vital to maintain skin health and to continue a glowing youthful looking skin for years to come.

A number of skin care brands focus their attention with active ingredients specifically for this goal. Understanding what is important to add to one’s skin care regime will give you the best possible advantage for the long term.

Here is my recommended skin care regime:

Essential Routine: MORNING

1. Cleanser: DERMACEUTIC FOAMER 5, EXUVIANCE PURIFYING CLEANSING GEL, DERMAQUEST C INFUSION CLEANSER
2. Anti-Oxidant: EXUVIANCE VITAMIN C BOOSTER POWDER, OBAGI PRO C SERUM 10%, DERMAQUEST C INFUSION SERUM
3. Moisturizer w/ sunscreen: NEOSTRATA DAYTIME PROTECTION CREAM SPF 23 10 PHA, EXUVIANCE SHEER REFINING FLUID SPF35, EXUVIANCE MULTI-PROTECTIVE DAY CREME SPF20, EXUVIANCE AGE REVERSE DAY REPAIR SPF30

Essential Routine: EVENING

1. Cleanser: DERMACEUTIC FOAMER 5, EXUVIANCE PURIFYING CLEANSING GEL, DERMAQUEST C INFUSION CLEANSER
2. Moisturizer: EXUVIANCE EVENING RESTORATIVE COMPLEX, DERMACEUTIC C25 CREAM, NEOSTRATA SKIN ACTIVE CELLULAR RESTORATION
3. Cell Stimulator – Retinol: EXUVIANCE SUPER RETINOL CONCENTRATE, SKINCEUTICALS RETINOL 0.3, DERMACEUTIC ACTIV RETINOL 0.5 

Recommended Products For Oily Skin, Combination Skin and Dry Skin:

I hope you have found the article informative and helpful and that it will guide you in choosing the best preventative skin care regime possible. Please feel free to send me any comments or questions on your skin or skin care regime or take our Face2Face Assessment for a more personalised skin assessment and recommendation.

Kind regards

Dr Alek Nikolic

About the author:

Dr Alek Nikolic:

Dr Alek Nikolic was born in South Africa and received his MBBCh (Wits) in 1992 and in 2000 he received his MBA (UCT).  He has been in private practice for 20 years and is the owner of Aesthetic Facial Enhancement, which has offices in Cape Town.

Dr Nikolic specialises in aesthetic medicine and is at the forefront of the latest developments in his field. He is very driven and has lectured extensively lecturing and done live demonstrations throughout South Africa and abroad. Dr Nikolic’s focus is on skin care and skin ingredients and cosmetic dermatology treatments. He has performed over 20 000 procedures to date and as such is responsible for training numerous medical practitioners both in South Africa and internationally.

Dr Nikolic is one of the founding members of the South African Allergan Medical Aesthetic Academy and chaired its inaugural launch in 2012. The Allergan Academy provides essential training to keep up with the latest technology in aesthetics. Dr Nikolic holds the advisory position of Allergan Local Country Mentor in Facial Aesthetics and is the Allergan Advanced Botox and Dermal Filler Trainer. He is chairman of the Western Cape Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Medicine Society of South Africa and of the Western Cape Aesthetic Review group.