How technological advances are contributing to the aesthetics boom

Photo by Sam Moqdam on Unsplash

Not only is the rapid development of aesthetic technologies revolutionising the beauty industry, it is also allowing the aesthetics sector to thrive. This is according to leading South African plastic surgeon, Dr Kamlen Pillay, who notes that the Global Medical Aesthetics Market report shows that the market is expected to more than double between 2016 and 2024.

Pillay, who is also founder of the Specialist Laser and Cosmetic Institute (SCIN), continues: “Instead of invasive surgical procedures helping to keep ageing at bay, technological innovations and advances in non-surgical cosmetic procedures have become the norm, and are changing the way people approach medical aesthetics.

“As word gets out about how easy and affordable it is to, for example, get an anti-ageing injection, or to have your lips filled, or your facial creases softened, more and more people are embracing medical aesthetics.

“Technology has made the medical aesthetics industry less expensive and therefore more accessible to a wider, more mainstream audience. You no longer have to be rich to have cellulite reduced or wrinkles and facial lines filled.” Dr Pillay explains that as larger companies drive technological innovation, this helps to increase demand in the aesthetics market. “Added to the reduction in costs, new technological advancements have made procedures shorter, allowing people to get results faster. Many procedures these days are done within an hour, if not within minutes, and some are allowing patients to see rapid – if not instant - results. You can spend weeks and months putting on facial creams, hoping for some results, or you can go into an aesthetics clinic and get age spots lasered off after a couple sessions, or have wrinkles erased with anti-ageing injections, and have stubborn fat toned in a fraction of the time.”

As examples of aesthetic technologies, among many others on the market, Pillay cites electromagnetic technology for muscle toning and fat burning, and devices that use radiofrequency combined with ultrasound energy waves for slimming and skin tightening.