Compared to 10 years ago, a new sense of appearance consciousness means people are opting for non-invasive procedures without downtime. (Illustration by Suvajit Dey)
It’s a water-themed party like no other, the skin glistening under the strobes on the dance floor. There are plenty of cocktail shots going around — a speciality called Vampire being the crowd favourite — and pink lips are dominating selfies. The bride, Annie Gonsalvez, 28, is a photographer’s delight as her angular face plays with the lights and shadows. Her newly-minted husband Andrew looks handsome, his beard all trimmed in a neat line.
Get up close and you would know that cocktail and vampire shots are nothing but water-based skin fillers that they took to look their best on their wedding day. These are what made Annie’s round face look oval while Andrew went in for a beard graft. In fact, Annie attempted self-correction six months ago, when she walked into the cosmetology clinic of Dr Krithi Ullal, senior consultant and its medical director. The Kochi-based dermatologist’s hands are full these days as she helps brides get flawless and plumped up skin without expensive invasive surgeries. As she advises an aspirant bride to begin with “face wash, sunscreen and vitamin C cream” routine daily, she looks closely at a young woman’s skin pores, wondering whether a monthly peel would cover her pigmentation and breakouts. “Everybody, be it the bride or groom, is looking for an Instagram moment. These procedures are safe when done by trained dermatologists and can last up to a good six months, enough to get the first flush and glow of marriage,” she says.
Why non-invasive procedures are in demand
Compared to 10 years ago, a new sense of appearance consciousness means people are opting for non-invasive procedures without downtime. “They don’t have to take leave from work — a procedure can be done in under an hour — and there is no pain or sutures. Costs are cheaper than surgical procedures,” says Dr Richie Gupta, director and head of the plastic and reconstructive surgery department at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh.
There’s a rush for imported botox and fillers, from the US, Australia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and South Korea. (Express)
Dr Ullal’s current hits include the vampire facelift, which builds up collagen, a protein which holds up our skin. This procedure involves using your own blood for anti-ageing. “Your blood sample is drawn, then the plasma rich in platelets is extracted and injected into your face or scalp. For immediate results, your dermatologist may also inject a filler,” says Dr Ullal. Hyaluronic acid fillers top the wishlist of both men and women. Did you know that a quarter-teaspoon of it is equivalent to three litres of water? That’s because it has polymers that bind water molecules under the skin, hydrate it from below and dilate blood vessels. This absorptive capacity helps the skin stretch and flex, reduces wrinkles and dark circles under the eyes. Since it has chain-like molecules, it even allows other tissues to grow on it for faster healing. “Hyaluronic acid fillers work best for the 25-30 age group as their first skin care routine,” says Dr Ullal.
She works with serum fillers for hydra facials, which use a suction pen to exfoliate dead skin and infuse serums into it. But most young people are majorly into face contouring. “If cheeks are heavy, then we put fillers on the highest part of the cheekbone and the chin to give an elongated look. A woman patient of mine had asymmetrical cheeks that we rectified,” explains Dr Ullal. She even uses choline injections to melt fat and get rid of double chins.
As for crow’s feet, wrinkles and undereye troughs, Dr Ullal goes for the powerful antioxidant glutathione, which suppresses melanin that causes pigmentation. “Intravenously, begin with 10 mg per kg of body weight but do not go above 1,000 mg per week. I feel a weekly dosage of 600 mg is okay too with vitamin C and B 12 shots. These are called cocktail shots and increase absorption of nutrients the skin needs,” she says.
Botox for everybody
Up north, in New Delhi, it has been a hectic month for Dr DM Mahajan, Head of the Dermatology Department at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. “It’s just the beginning of the wedding and party season and procedures have increased by 25 per cent,” he says. While botox fillers — toxin shots that paralyse a muscle for a limited time and hold up a droopy part of your face — are top draw, there is an increasing demand for non-invasive rhinoplasty and laser hair removal. “Instead of a full nose job, many youngsters want a quick fix. So we use dermal fillers to reshape the nose. A woman wanted to enhance the tip while another wanted to camouflage a bump on the bridge of the nose. The other day a groom wanted to straighten a slightly crooked nose,” adds Dr Mahajan.
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These results are even encouraging the older generation to go for a temporary fix. “Recently, a couple gifted their 50-plus parents a package of chemical peels and hydra facials,” says Dr Mahajan. Even reluctant elderly women are shedding inhibitions. For slightly longer skin-tightening treatments that may last up to a year, he does the HiFu (High-intensity Focussed Ultrasound treatment). A device transfers ultrasound waves deep into the skin that remove fat cells and stimulate collagen and skin repair.
The familiar botox has acquired pedigree too. Ever since UK royal Kate Middleton has chosen a needle-less “botox in a bottle” face serum, the procedure has found wider acceptability. And there’s a rush for imported botox and fillers, from the US, Australia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and South Korea.
What men want
Men are not shying away either but their concerns are mostly about pigmentation, covering wider skin pores and hairlines. Dr Gupta has grooms wanting to get their beard line synchronised because of patchy and uneven hair growth. “We harvest individual hair follicles from the donor area (usually the back of the scalp) and implant them through tiny incisions in the recipient beard area. This is a delicate process as it has to be aligned to the density and direction of the existing beard hair,” he says. For stimulating hair growth in the scalp, Dr Ullal uses platelet-rich plasma from the patient’s own blood, which is then enriched with growth factors and injected into the hairline. “Most men also insist on lightening their lip colour before the big day,” she says.
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Of course, there’s a price to be paid. A millilitre of lip filler from a good company costs around Rs 20,000. And since some makeovers may need more injectables, a minor filler job would require Rs 50,000-60,000. For intensive treatment, the bill could go up to lakhs. Peels at Rs 5,000 are cheaper. Question is how many are willing to be comfortable in their skin, original or acquired?
