Trends can be hard to predict, especially in an area like aesthetic and cosmetic medicine. Trying to get inside the minds of consumers, in advance of their decisions to spend their money on elective procedures, is not easy. There is a certain amount of PR that can help to drive the market and staying abreast to what research and development is happening is key. However, in some cases you just can’t be certain of what is around the corner; who is going to be touting what in celebrity news and what product or procedure is a social media influencer going to be raving about. On the other hand, they may also be sharing their disappointment in the results of a product or procedure. These can shift a trend dramatically.

That said, there is not a lot we can do to steady for those unpredictable moments. But what we can do is to have our ears to the ground and be paying attention to what the biggest industry trade groups and researchers are telling us. The best way to look for these trends is to track what has been popular for the last couple of years and cross reference it against new technologies. Trend lines can show what is emerging, and what will hold steady, to allow you some predictability.

When you attend SCALE 2019 Music City much of the future of aesthetic medicine will be on display.

Based on 2017-2018, some cosmetic procedures look as though they are going to continue solid growth into 2019. There are others that have been just a blip on the radar screen of most doctors and aestheticians.

Sexual Rejuvenation

Broadly speaking, any new technology that emerges, that is safe, and proves to make people look younger is going to be sought after. For example, Practical Dermatology called vaginal rejuvenation one of the top trends to pay attention to in 2017 and beyond. Not quite 2 years later we have seen this boom in Hollywood, being called “the latest cosmetic trend” by The Hollywood Reporter in 2018.

The report relied on data from Real Self:

RealSelf released its first U.S. Laser & Energy Report on Thursday, and, surprisingly, four brands of vaginal rejuvenation treatments were named the most “worth it” branded laser and energy device treatments, meaning they had a high ratio of positive to negative reviews. Beauty-savvy consumers rated diVa Vaginal Therapy 98 percent worth it, FemiLift 94 percent worth it, MonaLisa Touch 92 percent worth it and ThermiVa 91 percent worth it, all making the top 10.

DiVa Vaginal Therapy is a laser treatment to combat changes that are caused by childbirth or menopause. It is also used to treat side effects of chemotherapy or a hysterectomy. RealSelf notes that the company also offers diVaTyte to tighten the outside of the vagina using infrared energy to heat the region.

The vaginal rejuvenation category in particular has experienced major disruption. Just in the last five years there have been considerable investments in new technologies,” says RealSelf CEO Tom Seery in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “These new-to-market devices are not just gaining popularity [interest in the category increased by 17 percent on RealSelf from 2016 to 2017] but more importantly, they are ranking high in consumer satisfaction.

Hamilton Fraser concurs that sexual rejuvenation will be one of the biggest treatment trends of 2019, expecting both surgical and non-surgical procedures to hit high marks with consumers. In addition to vaginal rejuvenation for both cosmetic and sexual purposes, they note that there is a dramatic growth, at least in the UK, for male sexual rejuvenation as well. There are multiple companies focusing their technology in this area, indicating that there is sure to be a growth in 2019, for both women and men’s sexual rejuvenation.

The Rise of Men’s Cosmetic Procedures

There is general agreement that 2019 will see a continued rise in men seeking out aesthetic procedures. In particular, more men are likely to opt for plastic surgery. The CISION Pr Newswire predicts, “High-definition abdominal liposculpting (liposuction and body sculpting with fat transfer) will likely continue to rise in popularity next year as men seek solutions for their ideal physique.”

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons latest statistics show that currently men only make up 13% of all cosmetic surgeries and 8% of minimally invasive cosmetic procedures. While the total percentage may not even out between men and women, there is distinct growth in the total number of procedures that men are getting. In particular, there is growth among men getting botulism toxin and chemical peels, as well as eyelid surgery and liposuction. (Source).

Women Want Non-Invasive, Not Synthetic, and A Natural Look

There is more to say about this topic than can fit inside of this article – but suffice to say, even the cosmetic surgical enhancements that the large majority of women are seeking are meant to not look dramatic. This desire for ‘subtle, conservative outcomes’ is driving a trend away from ‘glam’ and a stronger interest in ‘smaller breast implants, or even explantation, and non-implant-based breast augmentation.’ Use of the patient’s own body fat in these enhancements, or implanted in their face is significantly on the rise, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. This trend carries forward into the growing trends of Platelet Rich Plasma injections and non-surgical nose jobs – both of which show up on the list of trends to watch from the International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine. They also list laser resurfacing facial treatment, lip injections/fillers, and sculpted/defined abs as trends that will be big in 2019.