Skincare

People have realised that caring about your skin is actually maybe more important than caking on foundation and hoping for the best. Consumers are more interested and more educated in what goes into their skincare, how they’re made, transparency of brands in disclosing their actives efficacy. In this blog, we will be talking about the popular skincare trends currently in 2020.

Microbiome & Probiotics in Skincare

What are they? According to Dr Ho, the human skin contains approximately 1000 species of bacteria, most of which do not harm the skin. These bacteria are also called commensals and are regarded as ‘good bacteria’. Pathogenic bacteria (‘bad bacteria’) commensals protect the skin again and keep the skin’s immune system in balance. This micro-ecosystem of the skin is called microbiome. Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer benefits to the skin. 

“Microbiome skincare was one of the breakout skincare ingredients of 2019. In 2020, microbiome skincare will continue to be popular because of the preference for ‘natural’ and ‘chemical-free’ products,” she says.

Dr Ho explains further, “Topical probiotics have been shown to balance the skin’s inflammatory responses and enhance the skin’s barrier function by increasing ceramide levels. These benefits are useful for patients who have conditions who have inflammatory skin conditions like atopic dermatitis (eczema).”

Better body treatments

When it comes to the aesthetics arena, Dr Melvin Tan of Epion Clinic reckons it’s going to be an exciting year for body treatments. “Coolsculpting has been an industry gold standard for several years already. The FDA recently approved it for treating fat above the knees. We now also have several effective solutions for cellulite reduction (Deka Onda, BTL Xwave, Velashape), muscle building (Tesla Former, Emsulpt), and stretch mark removal (Sublative resurfacing).” 

Dr Tan adds, “I have also noticed a rise in patients requesting for injectable body contouring treatments. Calf reduction using Botox has been making a resurgence, and Trapezius muscle Botox, to achieve a longer, leaner neck and more feminine shoulder line has also been popular.”

Electrolytes

You’ll be finding electrolytes in a lot more skincare launches this year. Ingredients like calcium, potassium, and magnesium which work together to help skin health, especially when it comes to maintaining hydration levels.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide aka Vitamin B3 isn’t a new ingredient but if you haven’t paid attention to it, it’s time. This ingredient is often overshadowed by Vitamin C, but it may actually have more benefits. It is a vitamin B3 derivative that assists to revitalise, firm, and smooth skin, while minimising the appearance of large pores. At the same time, this hard worker also works to stimulate new tissue growth and collagen production, while simultaneously calming redness, fighting off free radicals, and evening out skin tone. 

Prejuvenation

Prevention is better than cure.  Dr Rachel Ho says that this is something to expect coming up this year, and beyond. “Patients seeking aesthetic and beauty treatments are getting younger and more aware about the health of their skin. We are seeing the rise of prejuvenation (the term coined to describe a cross between prevention of visible aging and skin rejuvenation) in younger patients. Besides adopting skincare routines for anti-aging, these patients are seeking treatments to delay these signs of aging. Preventive botox is one example of such treatment. In preventive botox, botulinum toxin is used to treat hyperdynamic muscles that will inevitably form wrinkles if left untreated.”

Adapted from:

https://www.femalemag.com.sg/gallery/beauty/korean-beauty-brands-singapore-iope-tamburins/