In Focus: Trends & innovations

Merz Aesthetics Seeks Inventive Ideas for Upcoming Innovation Forum

Merz Aesthetics is calling for the next generation of researchers and clinicians to submit their most creative and inventive original abstracts for possible presentation at the second annual Innovation Forum. Selected submissions will be presented on the main stage of the Merz Aesthetics Expert Summit (MEXS).

Submissions can range from pre-clinical or clinical work to innovations in the field of anatomy or novel observations from daily clinical practice. A panel of independent international experts will review submissions. Submissions will be accepted through April 17, 2022

“The Merz Aesthetics Innovation Forum provides medical aesthetics experts everywhere with the opportunity to come together to spark creativity, encourage unique thinking and drive innovation within our field,” says Terri Phillips, MD, Chief Medical Affairs Officer, Merz Aesthetics. “We are delighted to offer this opportunity to aesthetics professionals, independent to their experience, and highlight the future of the industry on a global scale.”

Submissions will be categorized based on the candidate’s years of experience in aesthetics, either more or less than five years working in the field. For each category, five finalists will be selected in May 2022 based on their abstract’s level of innovation, practical relevance, scientific rigor, potential and applicability. Selected finalists will then have the opportunity to create a video about their submission that will be uploaded to a Merz Aesthetics platform for the aesthetic community to watch and vote for their desired winners per category. All finalists will be invited to the next Merz Expert Summit where the winners will be announced. They will be invited to present their work in-person during a break-out session on cutting-edge science.

Lights, Camera, Botox!

Allergan Aesthetics is hosting an open casting call seeking people who would like to share their Botox Cosmetic Story. Do you have patients who have been very pleased with their Botox Cosmetic? They may want to show off those results.

Building on the success of its original “See Yourself” campaign, launched in 2021, Botox Cosmetic, is launching its first ever open-casting call, which will bring together new and existing patients to share their personal stories and treatment journeys in a national advertising campaign.

“We continue to be inspired by the individuals who use our products. We know that everyone has their own unique reason for receiving Botox Cosmetic, and we want those authentic faces and voices to be a part of our campaign,” says Carrie Strom, President, Global Allergan Aesthetics and Senior Vice President, AbbVie, in a news release. “Our goal is for people to see others like them and be empowered by their lives and their decisions. ‘See Yourself’ demystifies treatment, encourages transparency, and reflects our consumers in all of their beautiful forms, genders, and colors.”

“The ‘See Yourself’ campaign featuring real people, reached almost one billion adults in 2021. This year, our goal is to reach even more people,” adds Jasson Gilmore, Senior Vice President Digital & Consumer Marketing, Allergan Aesthetics. “The finalists from the open casting call will be asked to share their experiences as part of our nationwide advertising campaign set to go live across TV, social media, and other digital channels later this year.”

The Botox Cosmetic open casting call will remain open through March 2022. Anyone interested is encouraged to apply by submitting their application at BotoxCosmeticCasting.com.

RealSelf Unveils Most-Loved Aesthetic Procedures

RealSelf shared the 2022 Most Worth It Honorees—the year’s most-loved aesthetic procedures for every body area and concern, according to the RealSelf community. The comprehensive list of the Most Worth It Honorees is determined by Worth It Ratings from real patients on RealSelf from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. The RealSelf Worth It Rating is a proprietary consumer satisfaction score based on reviews from consumers on RealSelf.com who, after undergoing a treatment, rated it as “Worth It” or “Not Worth It.”

“Back for the fifth year in a row, our 2022 Most Worth It Honorees are truly consumers’ votes and are based solely on their input and feedback,” says Hailey Sullivan, RealSelf Chief Marketing Officer, in a press release. “Our RealSelf community continues to tell us that the Most Worth It Rating is an important signal when deciding whether to invest their money and time in a procedure. Additionally, the thousands of real, unbiased reviews on RealSelf provide notable value to our doctors and specialists, and our brand partners.”

Two surgical facial procedures top the annual list:

Deep plane facelift, designed to treat drooping cheeks, along with the lower face, jawline, and neck, is a clear favorite earning a 100 percent Worth It Rating.

Forehead reduction surgery, a newcomer to RealSelf’s Most Worth It honoree list, also achieved a 100 percent Worth It Rating. Designed to create a more balanced facial proportion, the procedure has been hailed as “a dream come true” by one RealSelf member.

Two body tightening procedures also garner high votes:

Body lift surgery, considered the gold standard of body-tightening procedures that RealSelf members “can’t say enough positive things about,” earned a 98 percent Worth It Rating.

The mini tummy-tuck, which one RealSelf member says, “gave me my confidence back,” also achieved a 98 percent Worth It Rating. A mini tummy-tuck is less extensive than a full tummy-tuck and the surgery happens below the belly button—the navel is not touched or moved as it is with a full tummy-tuck procedure.

Breast surgeries continue to deliver high consumer satisfaction year over year:

RealSelf saw more than 5,000 Worth It reviews of breast related procedures in 2021.

Reported satisfaction of breast augmentation continued to be very high—with more than 2,700 Worth It reviews, the procedure earned a 97 percent Worth It Rating.

Motiva breast implants (96 percent Worth It) and Mentor breast implants (96 percent Worth It) were the top-rated implant brands among RealSelf community members.

Breast implant removal took home a Most Worth It ranking of 97 percent. Breast implant safety remained on the minds of RealSelf community members and breast implant removal was also an overarching celebrity plastic surgery trend of 2021—common reasons breast implants are removed include a desire to address health concerns, implant failure, or complications, though some women are just ready for a smaller breast size.

Nonsurgical options for smooth, radiant skin consistently rank high:

Injectable neuromodulators that smooth fine lines and wrinkles were among the most popular procedures in this category. This year Botox (96 percent Worth It) slightly outranked Dysport (95 percent Worth It).

Dermal fillers work in an entirely different way than injectable neuromodulators and are a RealSelf community favorite with a 93 percent Worth It Rating. These versatile injectables are used to plump lips, smooth wrinkles and folds, and fill in the under-eye hollows known as tear troughs.

Additionally, temporary dermal fillers can be injected into the soft tissue in the chin to give a weak chin more definition, balance facial features, restore lost volume, smooth wrinkles, or fill in a cleft.

BTL Announces New EMFACE Facial Device

BTL has announced its latest technology innovation, which the company says is the result of combining many years of institutional knowledge of the simultaneous emission of radio frequency and electromagnetic energies. EMFACE utilizes a patented technology of muscle contraction and skin tissue heating.

“EMFACE presents a paradigm shift in facial treatments,” says Yael Halaas, MD, in a press release. “EMFACE will do for the face what Emsculpt did for the body.”

“We are thrilled to enter the facial aesthetics market with this breakthrough technology, with launch plans for later this year,” adds Ron Borsheim, VP of Business Development at BTL.

Scott Mills, Vice President of Sales, says he sees the EMFACE technology as a natural evolution of BTL’s existing muscle building therapies. “We promised our stakeholders there was a vision behind our muscle building technologies. As we round out our portfolio, we are deeply committed to each market we serve. We will continue to invest in establishing trusted brand names that provide a two-for-one benefit in terms of form and function.”