Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Articles

What beauty trends are going to take hold in 2020? To answer that question, Allure sent beauty editor Devon Abelman to Seoul, South Korea, which is fast becoming the new frontier of injectables.

An estimated one in three women in South Korea between the ages of 19 and 29 has undergone a cosmetic procedure, according to a 2015 Gallup poll. There, the idea of a woman (or man) in their early thirties signing up for regular cosmetic injections is the norm, Abelman says, which is why, increasingly, the beauty world is turning its collective attention to Korea for insight into the future of facial fillers.

Many of the most popular injectable techniques, according to Abelman, are specific to Korean beauty standards: plump apples of the cheeks, rounded foreheads, and V-shaped jawlines. “But other techniques, like using Botox to create the impression of poreless skin, or a thin hyaluronic acid filler to softly upturn the corners of the mouth, are likely to start creeping into practice in the US,” Abelman says. Here’s a look at what she spotted on the horizon.

Glass skin

It’s the term that’s come to be used for the Korean ideal of a poreless, translucent complexion. To get it, rather than being injected into the muscles to prevent and smooth wrinkles, Botox is placed just below the skin’s surface, at “about 40 to 50 sites along the jawline, forehead, and under-eye areas,” which tightens pores and, in turn, makes skin appear smoother and brighter, and excessive acne-causing sebum stops forming. The effects last between three to four months.

Cherry lips

The nickname references the lip shape this filler technique creates. “In the past, Angelina Jolie’s lips were the most requested look in Seoul (just as they were in the US),” Abelman says. “But as of 2019, Koreans prefer the more targeted plumping that many K-pop stars are known for.” A hyaluronic acid filler, like Juvéderm or Restylane, is administered to the middle areas of the upper and lower lip, enhancing the Cupid’s bow. The results last for at least six months.

Lift edge filler

Once the centers of the lips are plumped, the same filler is often injected just above the outer corners of the mouth. The technique, which is called lift edge filler, raises the edges of the lips into a soft smile. While that may sound a little heavy-handed, the area around the mouth loses volume as we age, and the outer corners start to collapse into an unintentional frown. Lift edge filler counters that droop and balances out the enhanced Cupid’s bow for six months to a year.

Booster shots

As cosmetic surgery gradually shifts from fixing a problem to preventing it, the so-called “booster shot” appears poised to become the next big thing. It’s an injection “designed to rev up the skin’s natural powers of regeneration and moisturize and brighten skin—not to change the contours of your face,” Abelman says. There are several variations currently available in Korea, where regulation is less stringent than it is here, but they all essentially function the same way, building up collagen through a series of injections over several weeks so the skin becomes plumper and acne scars start to fade.

In my last blog post, we started our deep dive into laser resurfacing treatments in an effort to pinpoint which one is right for your particular skin type and issue. We’ll wrap it up here with a look at nonablative and ablative resurfacing lasers.

Resurfacing lasers work a bit differently than true lasers. Rather than melanin or capillaries, they target water molecules within the collagen layer of the dermis. Heating them creates a kind of grid, which tricks the skin into a healing phase, triggering the production of collagen.

Nonablative resurfacing lasers

This segment refers to fractional lasers that keep the skin’s surface intact and picosecond lasers outfitted with something called a diffractive lends, which essentially breaks up the beam. They cover widespread areas, as opposed to lone spots. They’re mainly used to refresh and rejuvenate by building new collagen, helping to smooth the skin, and eliminating some of the pigmentation that results from sun damage.

Nonablative resurfacing lasers are considered safe for most skin types. As to which one is appropriate for you, that depends largely on what’s being treated. Baby fractional lasers, as they’re called, achieve a striking radiance boost, but only subtle textural improvements. (It’s a popular choice for treating melasma.) Picosecond lasers go a little deeper and, in turn, have more of an effect on fine lines, wrinkles, and scarring. And, a stronger fractional laser is effective for correcting significant sun damage on the face, neck, chest, arms, and hands.

Numbing cream may be used before baby fractional and picosecond procedures, but neither is all that painful. They feel like mild, prickly zaps. The stronger fractional lasers require topical numbing and some ibuprofen beforehand.

The treated area’s going to feel dry for about a day following the mild resurfacers. With the stronger fractional lasers, the skin will look red and then dirty for up to a week as the tarnished cells are shed.

Ablative resurfacing lasers

These lasers generate greater heat, which is then used to create a purposeful wound on the skin’s topmost layer. The ablation, and the resulting injuries, equals a more generous collagen renewal over the weeks following the treatment.

You may have heard stories about the non-fractionated ablative lasers of old. They live on in infamy for the pain they inflicted, their risk, and the significant recoveries they entailed. The latest generation of fractional ablative lasers is far safer and more predictable. (That said, they’re not recommended for dark complexions.)

If you want to smooth out deep wrinkles or delete severe sun aging or prominent scars, your plastic surgeon is likely to recommend an ablative laser.

You’ll be prepped for the treatment with numbing cream, lidocaine injections, and Percocet and/or Valium. Afterward, plan on laying low for about a week. The treated skin is going look swollen and scabby, which you’ll need to be prepared for, mentally. But, given that, the healing phase is surprisingly painless.