Emerging Trends, According to Recent Industry Conferences

By Mala McAlpin, Dermal Clinician & Freelance Aesthetic Writer

As an industry so largely driven by trends, we are all (for the most part) forever trying to stay ahead of the curve. One of the most effective and beneficial ways of doing this is through attending our industry conferences, of which we are blessed with many.

So many, in fact, that it can be near impossible to attend them all. So, in case you missed them, we’ve put together a summary of key findings from two of our industry’s most recent conferences (November 2022) both of which were dedicated completely to emerging trends across the skincare, aesthetic, and cosmetic dermatology sectors.

Emerging Trends in Cosmetic Dermatology, ASDC (Australasian Society of Cosmetic Dermatologists)

As the title suggests, this was hosted predominantly for dermatologists specialising in aesthetics, but was equally relevant to any professional working with skin. Any attending clinicians with beauty or dermal backgrounds may have found much of the information (particularly on cosmetic products) as not particularly new, however, it did highlight a very important concept.

And this is that the approach to skin; when provided by medical professionals, is finally shifting towards a greater acknowledgement of, and emphasis on, long-term skincare regimes and solutions that incorporate key cosmetic ingredients - as opposed to simply reaching for a prescription retinoid or topical steroid. Many treatments and products that have historically been thought of as ‘fluffy’ are now beginning to be considered as integral parts of the skin health journey.

Additional key mentions throughout the day included the following:

1. Assisted drug delivery, and the use of energybased modalities to increase the penetration and absorption of cosmeceuticals in order to treat specific indications.

2. Superficial fillers and micro-toxin injections to achieve overall skin rejuvenation were projected to grow in popularity in upcoming months.

3. Chemical peels, vitamin C, and Niacinamide received a high number of mentions and accolades. In particularly, vitamin C’s integral role when treating pigmentation, and Niacinamide’s strength in dealing with dermatitis.

4. Skincare treatments and products were highlighted for their importance during postprocedural care, for example, using quality skincare to significantly improve skin healing and reduce downtime after ablative laser treatments.

SkinCon ASDC (Australian Society of Dermal Clinicians)

The field of Dermal Therapies is undoubtedly growing. The intakes of all of our dermal colleges are on the rise, and the interest in undergoing further studies in dermal after beauty is palpable. However, in the grand scheme of our industry, dermal Therapies is still a relatively new field. The first course was created in 1999, and our industry’s dedicated body for Dermal Clinicians; the Australian Society of Dermal Clinicians, was only formed in 2001.

Since it is clear that skin health and function is becoming increasingly important for cosmetic medical professionals, Dermal Therapists & Clinicians will continue to play an increasingly pivotal role, bridging the gap between beauty and medicine. SkinCon paid tribute to this, hosting only the second event of its kind this year.

The hybrid event was open to Dermal Clinicians, Dermal Therapists, Dermatologists, Cosmetic Nurses, Beauty Therapists, and essentially anyone with an interest in skin. The programme was as diverse as the crowd it was designed to cater to, with some interesting points of difference on the agenda.

1. One of the most highly anticipated components of the two-day programme was the collaborative workshop. This involved breaking up into groups of 4-5, and being presented with a client/patient case study.

Details such as age, gender, medications, home environment, occupation, family history, and images were shared with the groups, who then discussed what the cause of the problem could be and what they would do to resolve it. Groups could opt to share their diagnoses and treatment plans throughout if they wished. This made for an extremely interactive segment unlike any other aesthetic conference content to date, and provided an incredible learning opportunity filled with shared experiences and new perspectives.

Perhaps we may see more exciting activities and interactive segments as part of next year’s conferences, as event providers aim to keep things fresh and exciting.

2. This theme of interprofessional collaboration was shared throughout the speaker content, and in itself may be an emerging trend to watch. SkinCon provided a broad spectrum of practitioners speaking on stage, from plastic surgeons and psychologists to dermal clinicians and new graduates.

Interprofessional collaboration is, according to those in healthcare, best practice. Patients receive better care because they are exposed to a variety of practitioners, all having different levels of training, experience, and approaches - and this means more options for the patient. This seems to be the direction we are headed towards.

3. Energy-based modalities were of course a major component of the SkinCon weekend. The takeaway was perhaps that laser technology is ever-changing, and we can expect to see many more new releases to come. A brief mention was made of a new wavelength soon to hit our shores that will allow us to target active acne, with lipids as the new ‘fourth chromophore’. Best practice in laser will continue to evolve too as we, the practitioners, continue to discover new combinations of our current parameters.

4. Body sculpting is still being forecast for continued growth into the new year. And now, so too is facial muscle sculpting. There is major movement happening among the consumer market, with FaceGym finally coming to Australia as part of Mecca. Also making waves in the professional space, multiple new devices are launching to market that are set to offer clinics a non-injectable facial lifting/sculpting alternative for their clients. the technologies space.

But above all, it is our personal skills and our relationships with other practitioners in industry that seems to be experiencing the biggest shift - and seemingly for the better. We can only hope it continues to move in a very positive direction, working with others to enhance our skills and improve the results we get for our clients & patients. After all, isn’t that why we are all here?

Mala is a freelance writer creating feature articles, copywriting, and social media content for the beauty and aesthetics industry. For more information visit malamcalpin.com.au