The Aesthetic Meeting, from The Aesthetic Society, is always the biggest aesthetic meeting of the year. However, the 2022 meeting, held in sunny San Diego, CA, had an especially unique energy to it as one of the first large-scale conferences in person since the pandemic. Experts were excited to share new launches, new findings and new trends from the past year and eager to reveal what’s to come in the future. While at the meeting, we spotted a few trends worth noting.
Minimally invasive cellulite procedures
Stubborn cellulite has always been something people are striving to solve, but until recently, there were hardly any effective, non-invasive options. Now there are a couple of procedures to choose from.
Qwo, the first and only FDA-approved injectable option to help improve moderate to severe cellulite on the buttocks in women, has shown amazing results. Additionally, at the Aesthetic Meeting, Revelle Aesthetics introduced Avéli, an innovative FDA-cleared device that reduces the appearance of cellulite on the buttocks and thighs temporarily.
Micro channeling
The singular session dubbed a “hot topic” was “Microstamping and Micro-Injections – A Review of Techniques and Devices Available.” The session took doctors through the process of how to administer a micro-channeling treatment. Some of the benefits outlined in the session included improving skin’s appearance, promoting cell stimulation, refining pores, hydration, reduced sebum production, improved acne scarring and brighter skin. Micro channeling is painless and personalized and requires minimal downtime.
A spike in body procedures
As many friends and colleagues came together for the first time in years at the conference, they reflected on how the industry has changed in the wake of the pandemic. “If you talk to any plastic surgeon across the country, they mention that practices are busier,” New York plastic surgeon Mokhtar Asaadi, MD told us.
He noted that, at first, he thought endless Zoom meetings were the cause as more people were staring at their face on screen all day. However, experts have also seen a spike in body surgeries, with the Aesthetic Society reporting that there was a 63 percent increase in body procedures since 2020. Now Dr. Asaadi said he surmises that the increase in cosmetic surgery is a result of people having the ability to stay home and recover. Regardless of the cause he said his practice has never been this busy in the past 40 years.
