Skincare trends for 2016 involve safer, more effective combination treatments with less down-time:

Mesotherapy, peelings and the cosmoceuticals are likely to be big this year.

Mesotherapy

Clinicians will make use of ready-made cocktails of active ingredients, administrated by means of a sterile ampoule that is injected or by aquaphoresis, which uses laser technology and specialised electrical waveforms to administer the ampoule. A dramatic result can be seen by doing just one side of the face, and making a comparison. People tend not to enjoy the needles used in this treatment, despite the use of anaesthetic cream to numb the face beforehand. For this reason, no-needle mesotherapy has become more popular, added to the no downtime, it will continue to gain ground in 2016 and beyond.

Peelings

The way medical aesthetics is going is to make peelings customisable to each individual patient. Each patient has a unique set of skincare requirements, i.e. a unique complexion, and in this way a peeling treatment can address each of their issues simultaneously in a customised regime.

Professional treatment protocols focus on penetrating the stratum corneum to nourish the underlying epidermis and dermis, as opposed to simply stripping away the surface, which many peels still do, causing unwanted trauma. Peels are not timed, neutralised and removed from the skin, but rather left on, the only exception is with masks.

Furthermore, the depth and strength of the peel is based on the number of layers applied during treatment, making these aspects easy to control. Following a peel nourishing topicals, calming and retinoid boosters are applied to the patient’s skin, followed by a broad-spectrum protective SPF. The patient leaves the clinic with a glowing healthy complexion, which makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable and pleasant for both clinician and patient.

Cosmoceuticals

Regarding retail products, the new trend will focus on those that enhance the active ingredients by means of the delivery mechanism. The PCA Skin laboratory in the US, for example, is currently exploring a multitude of novel ingredients and delivery systems that will make a huge difference in the efficacy of both existing and novel ingredients when administered in the future.

Other significant innovations we can expect include work on global rejuvenating products involving dyschomias (discoloration of the skin), and work on perfecting the effects of both brightening / pigmentation and volumising / contouring products as the latter two issues are to be found at the very base of visible ageing.