The DermStore recently published an article titled: 8 Skin Care Trends That Will be HUGE in 2019. Their #7 and #8 should make our industry sit up and take notice. These were “Light Therapy Continues To Be Huge” and “More People Will Opt Into Professional Skin Care.” Normally paying attention to what an e-commerce site reports would be irrelevant to dermatologists, plastic surgeons, oculoplastic surgeons, aesthetic physicians, aestheticians and their office staff – however in this case it is well worth taking note.

The DermStore is actually the second largest skincare and beauty site in the world. It is an e-commerce site, selling product to people world-wide, which makes its news, or blog, influence enormous. Basically anything published on this site gets at least as much exposure as Fox News or CNN. That is a lot of people paying attention. And don’t kid yourself, these reports of trends drive real trends.

So what can we do to optimize the opportunity? Pay attention to the new technology and ride the wave of the trends.

By 2014, Energy Treatments were in the mainstream. Even Forbes Magazine, which typically only talks beauty trends as it relates to money, was writing about how light, heat, and other energy treatments are the secret to perfect skin. Their take was that these treatments, when received in luxurious spa-like environments, are relaxing, effective and worth the investment. While the treatments discussed in the article are no longer the latest and greatest of cutting edge technology, they are for the most part tried and true. That said, there are many new Energy-Based treatments that are just coming onto the market and your ability to provide them to your clients will help you stay relevant and your clients attractive.

Tixel

This has been called ‘the revolutionary technology in medical aesthetics’ and is emerging world-wide as one of the fastest growing trends in energy treatments. Reported to be amazing for the decolletage, this thermal energy treatment hits the skin at approximately 400°C. While it causes an immediate sunburn-line irritation, the pain can be controlled through antiseptic cream and only lasts a day or so. Tixel heat comes from a titanium head about the size of a postage stamp made up of a number of tiny pyramids, the tip of each is only 120 microns. These points are smaller than a hair and deliver heat quickly and precisely to penetrate the skin in less than a second. This cooks the skin immediately, but the size and scope only causes damage small enough to elicit a healing response – stimulating fibroblasts, which produce collagen and elastin, resulting in softening lines and tightening.

While much of the media and hype surrounding Tixel is out of Europe, such as this testimonial by Skin Qure (UK), beauty-seeking Americans are taking note.

The new heat-based skin rejuvenation system, TIXEL, continues to impress practitioners and clients, proving that you can now combine excellent skin rejuvenation treatment with impressive results, superb safety and practicality.

Thermi 250

In the same way that your clients and patients are looking for a solution to their aging decolletage, they also may be looking for the best way to eliminate tell tale signs of age from their hands, as well. These include liver and age spots, as well as ‘crepey skin’ and wrinkles. The skin on the hands is a little bit tougher than the delicate skin of the face, neck and chest area, so it has to be throught about a little bit differently. And while there are other potentially fantastic uses for this Thermi 250 technology, right now hand treatments are the best.

The sensation according to those who have used it, is a warm tingle, not a burn; however, like any energy device it may come with some immediate redness that will go away on its own in a short period of time and can be helped with a good lotion. The technology delivers a radiofrequency to the skin at about 4 cm below the epidermis layer. This deep delivery is what helps make the treatment so effective, as it is causing a deep injury to the skin, instigating the production of collagen and elastin as natural healing agents. The treatments are usually half an hour long and excellent results are usually seen when there are 4-6 treatments a week apart. The Thermi250 device itself is small, taking up very little space in a clinic or medical spa.

Black Laser Peel

This spa treatment combines the technology of a facial and a procedure into a blackhead eliminating, pore cleaning and tightening strategy to help your clients and patients look and feel their best. It works as follows: First the face is cleaned; then a charcoal gel mask is applied to the face. The mask helps to pull out impurities from the skin, such as excess sebum and dirt that has built up. Following this, a specially calibrated laser is then slowly moved over the face. It is delivered in short energy pulses. The light is attracted to the charcoal pigment, and when it reaches areas that have impurities, the heat/chemical combination lifts those impurities out of the skin – a technique that has been used by celebrity A-Listers like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston. The mask is wiped off, along with the dirt and oil that was pulled out, revealing skin that looks polished and younger. Dead skin is gone, pores are small, and imperfections non-existent. And while the skin will look pink and feel inflamed for a few hours, it is not so severe that the client cannot return to their normal business for the rest of the day.