Everything You Need to Know About Aesthetic Medicine
Looking great keeps you feeling great, and that’s exactly the goal of aesthetic medicine. It might seem like a new age approach to health, but keeping up appearances has been part of medicine for centuries. The treatments have gotten more refined and less invasive over time, so now you can pop into your practitioner’s office for a session and leave feeling revitalized.
There’s more to aesthetics than fillers and facials, though. In this post, we’ll take you on a tour of aesthetic medicine, from what it is to how it started and what you can expect from some common treatments.
What is Aesthetic Medicine?
Aesthetic medicine includes any type of procedure or treatment used to improve your appearance. It might be reducing wrinkles in your skin, reversing hair loss, or healing acne scars.
What makes aesthetics different from its cousin, plastic surgery, is that it is typically non-invasive or minimally invasive. You won’t need anesthesia for aesthetic treatments and you won’t be going into surgery. Most procedures can be done in your practitioner’s office.
Aesthetic treatments are wide reaching, but some of the most common procedures include:
- Botox treatments
- Xeomin injections
- Micro-needling
Treatments can go so much further than just brightening or toning your skin though. At Ethos, we offer services that can address your concerns of hair loss, hormone imbalances that affect your appearance, and your quality of sleep.
5 Examples of Aesthetic Medicine
As I mentioned before, there are numerous types of aesthetic medical treatments. To give you an overview of what the industry covers, let’s take a closer look at some common treatments as well as a few specific services we offer here at Ethos.
- Botox – This is perhaps the most popular aesthetic treatment out there. Botox reduces lines and wrinkles by blocking the signal from the nerves to the muscles that make them contract. It’s often used on the forehead or around the eyes and mouth to remove fine lines like crows feet.
- Microneedling – In this treatment, tiny needles are inserted through the epidermis of the skin and into the dermis. Pain is minimized with a numbing cream so patients don’t feel any discomfort during the process. The body reacts to these microtraumas by sending blood and collagen to the area to heal the damage. This response can also heal skin aberrations such as acne scars, fine lines, and wrinkles. It’s used to help even, brighten, and tighten skin.
- Hair Restoration – Different approaches to hair restoration are another popular aesthetic treatment. At Ethos, we help men and women regrow their hair and address underlying causes such as hormone imbalances and nutritional deficiencies.
- Chemical Peel – These are an easy, non-invasive way to brighten and improve skin tone. A mixture of safe chemicals is applied to the skin to remove things like acne scars, liver spots, or freckles. Healing time is usually minimal, but does depend on how deep of a peel you’ve received.
Ensure the Best Outcome
Your practitioner can help you determine what aesthetic treatment is most likely to give you the outcome you want. But whether you’re experimenting with something new or opting for something tried and true, there are some things to consider before diving into aesthetic medicine.
- What are your goals? This might be reducing fine lines in your skin, restoring your hair or healing acne scars. The more specific your goal is, the easier it is to find the right treatment. When you share your goals with a physician, they can help you choose aesthetic treatments that will move you toward the person you want to be.
- Find the right physician. You want someone who will listen to you and who you trust. Your physician will come up with a treatment plan to help you overcome the obstacles you’re facing. This is often done through a consultation visit, where they can ask you questions and open the floor for you to voice your concerns or questions. Once they’ve devised a plan, they’ll go through it with you to make sure you’re comfortable with the course of treatment and explain how each item will help you reach your goals.
When choosing a physician, make sure it’s someone you’re comfortable being honest
and open with. You should feel heard, understood, and comfortable with them.
3 Tips and Reminders for People Considering Aesthetic Medicine
- Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions when you’re considering aesthetic medicine. Your practitioner is there to inform and guide you, so don’t feel like you have to go in feeling uneasy. They can help answer your questions or provide more resources so you fully understand the treatment you’re considering and can make an informed decision.
- Talk to friends/family or read reviews. Get feedback from people who have had the procedure before. It might be a family member, friend, or testimonials on the clinic’s website. This can give you a good feeling of how the staff and practitioner operate, what the treatment is like, and what to expect at your first appointment.
- Choose certified practitioners. Always opt for a practitioner with some type of certification. This shows they’ve done the work and know what they’re doing. Although some treatments might not be FDA approved, a certified practitioner can make sure the treatment is safe and effective.
Terms to Know
Botox – an injection used to disrupt nerve signals to the muscle so it can’t contract. Botox is used to treat fine lines and wrinkles.
Chemical peel – the process of applying safe chemicals to the face and neck area to clear away dead skin cells on the outer layers of skin, revealing the new skin underneath.
Collagen – a type of protein in the blood that aids in the healing process.
Dermabrasion – similar to a chemical peel, this procedure scrapes away dead skin from the outer layers of skin by using a pad covered in microcrystals.
Dermis – the second layer of skin that contains oil glands, sweat glands, hair follicles, and more.
Epidermis – the outermost layer of skin that is visible to others. The epidermis includes five sublayers that are constantly replacing themselves as skin cells die and repopulate.
Otoplasty – cosmetic procedures that address protruding ears and tuck them in closer to the person’s head.
Resources for Aesthetic Medicine
If you’re interested in learning more about aesthetic medicine or particular procedures, there are plenty of resources available.
- MedScape offers the latest news about aesthetic medicine.
- The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has an extensive list of information regarding various aspects of aesthetics.
- The International Association of Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPAM) offers news about the latest aesthetic treatments as well as a bank of resources specifically for consumers.
Closing
If you’re looking for ways to look more energized or restore the healthy glow of youth, then aesthetic medicine might be your answer. Aesthetic treatments are geared toward making people feel more beautiful in their own skin by using minimally invasive techniques to revitalize and rejuvenate problem areas.
At Ethos Integrative Medicine, we offer aesthetic services for men and women. Contact us today for your free consultation and more information about our practice.
