Double board-certified plastic surgeon, P. Daniel Ward, M.D., shares the inside scoop on post-vaccine medical spa trends:
Botulinum toxin (Dysport, Botox, Xeomin, or Juveau) in the masseter musculature: This procedure has been done for a long time, but more and more people are enjoying the good improvement in facial contour as well as a reduction of facial pain and tension that comes through relaxation of these muscles. By placement of the injectable in these muscles, the size of the muscles is reduced, leading to a slimmer face. In addition, a lot of us carry tension within these muscles, and release of this tension can lead to improvement in headaches, facial pain, and even migraines. It is commonly requested and many patients feel that this is their most popular area to be injected. I think this procedure has increased in popularity during the pandemic likely due to the increased tension we have all experienced with all the uncertainty related to COVID and its effect on our families and livelihood.
Placement of fillers, such as LYFT, to the different parts of the mandible: The mandible or jaw bone, includes the chin as well as the jaw line. One of the key features that helps create an attractive facial profile is a nice jaw line. By adding filler to both the chin as well as the mandibular angle, we are able to help create a nice contour that separates the face and the neck. This procedure, which we helped introduce and popularize, is highly sought after. It is especially powerful for those with weak jowl lines or for those who like the improvement in facial appearance they get when they pull the skin back as in replicating the actions of a facelift, but are not quite to the point where a facelift would give them full benefit. Adding some volume into these areas with filler can be a transformative process and is very safe with minimal to no recovery time. This procedure has been increasing in popularity over the past 5 to 10 years, but really increased during COVID because of the use of masks. The risk of bruising and swelling is very low with this procedure, but it can still happen and I think that people felt better knowing that they had the security of being able to wear a mask to help hide any effects of the treatment. In addition, COVID also increased the popularity of this procedure, because more and more people were seeing themselves on screen or on camera. They didn’t like the jowls that were showing up or how their cheek went straight into the neck without any differentiation between the two structures.
Nonsurgical treatment of the nose through injectable treatments: This procedure, which can take less than about 15 minutes, can lead to dramatic improvements in the appearance of the nose. It can help decrease the appearance of a nasal bridge dorsal hump, narrow the nasal tip, and lift the tip of the nose. The result can last anywhere from 6 to 18 months and recovery is minimal. it is extremely popular because it avoids surgery and the downtime associated with surgery. This procedure, though, can be extremely risky and should only be performed by those with extensive knowledge of the complex anatomy of the nose. With any filler injection, there can be a chance of the filler getting into the blood supply of the face for skin and causing skin and other facial fish to become necrotic and die. In addition, there are numerous case reports of filler somehow migrating through the vasculature into the ophthalmic vasculature and leading to blindness. A recent publication reviewed the incidence of blindness with filler injection and found the nose to be the most common site of injection that can lead to blindness. My advice is to seek out an experienced injector for the nose and don’t think that simply because you are avoiding surgery that you are avoiding risks. In fact, you may be enhancing the risks by avoiding surgery. This procedure has also increased in popularity during the pandemic due to the use of masks. In addition, I think people are more aware of the facial features that they do not like. Perhaps while on video teleconference calls, they may be noticing their wide, droopy nasal tip or their dorsal hump and finally decided to do something about it while they were still wearing a mask.
Rhinoplasty: Rhinoplasty in my practice was already the most popular procedure that we perform. As an internationally recognized surgeon and educator on rhinoplasty, my practice already had a high specialization in rhinoplasty. The pandemic only boosted that. I think it related to the fact that people were noticing the things on their noses that they didn’t like when they were on camera for video teleconference calls and they have the time to finally do something about it. Almost all rhinoplasty patients that I see have been bothered by their noses for years and COVID with its associated use of masks and ability to work from home has allowed people to take care of this nuisance that has affected their lives for years. It has been an interesting time as a rhinoplasty surgeon. We have seen people stressed and anxious about the pandemic, but I’ve also seen some of the happiest and most overjoyed patients as they have finally had the time to devote to themselves and get the nasal feature that they felt detracted from their overall attractiveness is taken care of once and for all.
Facelift: The facelift is a procedure that has dramatically increased during the pandemic. For many of the same reasons, people of been bothered by their jowls, sagging neckline, etc. for years and the pandemic offered them an opportunity to finally do something about it. In addition, seeing the saggy neck, droopy jowl line, etc. have also provided some motivation for some patience. This procedure, which has a downtime of 2 to 4 weeks before patients are “socially presentable“ again is a prime procedure for these days of wearing face masks. Being able to hide the swelling or the redness of the incisions as the heel has made people feel a lot more secure about getting these issues resolved.