Indian Cosmetic Beauty Industry

• Comment on the current scenario of Indian cosmetic beauty industry.

I see a lot of awareness in the field of Aesthetic medicine. Whereas this area was once dominantly for celebrities and the socialites, today I see most demand coming from the common man. Certainly aspirational crowd is lapping it up be it Laser Hair Removal or Peels or Botox etc.

People are moving away from plastic surgery and other invasive techniques whenever possible. Non- invasive cosmetic treatments are not only safe, effective, requiring little or no anesthesia and recovery period. There is lesser risk and the procedures are often done as lunch time treatments which allows them to resume work immediately afterwards.

I also see more and more men come up and ask for pigmentation removal, acne scar reduction and Laser Hair Removal. Mothers are exposing their daughters to laser hair removal quite early as we now have enough evidence on how safe these treatments are. Similarly not only teenagers embarrassed with acne but people from all of the society are seeking treatments early.

WE have more knowledge about signs and symptoms of ageing which allows us to correct the precise underlying problem so it is possible to lift sculpt and shape an ageing face through Botox and Fillers. These treatments are also increasing in popularity greatly with socialites and celebrities

• What are the top five cosmetic beauty treatments that were quite popular in 2013?

Laser hair removal: a permanent reduction of unwanted hairs on the face and body achieved with 6-8 sittings with the latest laser hair removal systems are safe, effective and also painless

Peels: A peel when applied to the skin, causes the outermost skin layers to peel away. The new skin underneath has lesser pigmentation with improved texture and tone. Peels can reduce and remove spots, tan, pigmentation, uneven skin tone and dullness. They are also used to control acne along with medication.

Botox: Botox injections correct wrinkles and lines on the face and are popular worldwide. Apart from celebrities, the common man is also interested and aware of what it can achieve. Typically done over the forhead and by the outer corner of the eyes for frown lines and crows feet, Botox is also being used increasingly in the masseter area, jawline , mouth and neck to lift,contour, shape and erase folds etc.

Fillers: One loses collagen, an important supporting structure in the skin as one ages. This makes skin sag and look older. Dermal Fillers are injections of hyaluronic acid that are used in areas of volume loss in the face to fill , lift and contour lines and folds. They can be used in the nose to mouth lines, in the lips to augment, in the cheeks to fill and lift, to give a definition of high cheekbones, in the jawline, nose , to lift eyebrows etc.

Medi-Facials: Medi-facials and photofacials are increasingly being recognized. These attempt to rejuvenate dull looking skin with either a mild peel or with a laser or a radiofrequency device.

• Tell us about the growing demand. What cosmetic treatments are popular among your clients?

There is a great awareness and consciousness amongst the younger generation today for cosmetic treatments. The media plays a big role as well as the social media websites. Slimming and beauty are big industries that are driven by one’s constant need to feel good and look good. The desire to be the best, to excel at work places, the increasing ageing population, medical advances in technology, non-surgical aesthetic treatments and easy availability of information on the internet, magazines, TV , Radio etc are all fuelling this demand.

The rate at which cosmetic treatments are growing is more than 20% every year. It’s not just socialites, celebrities and entrepreneurs but we see an aspirational segment of the society increasingly asking for such treatments. Staff nurses, doctors, students, teenagers, corporate sector employees, IT professionals, media professionals, housewives and front line staff all come to seek treatments. This just goes to show the level of acceptance of these treatments today.

Further, the world is moving towards non-surgical treatments more and more as there is hardly any downtime; they are safe and are often performed in just 30mins-1 hrs without the need of any anesthesia. Cosmetic Dermatology is such a field where there are constant developments in the technology and equipment. The latest gadgets and lasers seek to provide minimum downtime with very few side effects.

There is increasing competition at work place so a one upmanship in the looks department can build immense self-confidence amongst people. It is a recognized fact that skin disease like Acne or psoriasis affects people psychologically just the same as any major lung problem or similar chronic medical illnesses. A skin problem could lead to depression, social withdrawal, lack of self confidence, sexual problems and can also lead to people being harassed and work inefficiency. Similarly some people can be withdrawn about their pigmentation, their sagging skin etc. correcting this or improving the condition of the skin can be a major confidence booster.

The cosmetic treatments most popular still remain laser hair removal and peels in the Indian market. Asians are very concerned about unwanted hairs and pigmentation problems.

• Over the years we have seen advance technologies in cosmetic beauty industry such as laser, botox, and face lift. According to you what is the upcoming big thing that we are going to witness in 2014 in terms of cosmetic beauty treatments, therapies and technology?

Facial sculpting and contouring through the use of botox and fillers is also called liquid facelift. Plastic surgery to tighten facial skin can give a pulled look if not done carefully. Today we recognize that ageing leads to a loss of facial volume , a loss of collagen. We have moved away from pulling skin tight to filling and volumising an ageing face. Facial fat is necessary to make it look youthful and when this is lost, it leads to tiny depressions in the skin, lines and folds and later on sagging of the skin. There is increasing awareness of what Botox or Filler does to reverse the signs of ageing and I do see a rise in trend.

Lasers and Radio Frequency devices work by generating heat inside the skin that helps to generate collagen tighten facial skin.