Every year, we like to say New Year, New You! But just how new is the question? We sat down with Dr. Kaycee Reyes Bacani of Luminisce Holistic Skin Innovations in the Philippines to get the lowdown on the cosmetic procedure trends that will be popular in 2024.
The Philippines has long been beauty insiders’ secret location for beauty vacations (a.k.a. going on “vacation” but really getting a beauty treatment instead.) Those in the know have marked the country because of its world class cosmetic and aesthetic clinics as well as the cheaper price tag compared to western countries. Dr. Reyes Bacani’s clientele range includes Filipinos, Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, and a significant number of Europeans.
Dr. Kaycee started by explaining skin quality. “Skin quality is broken down into four parts. These are pigmentation, or skin tone, texture, firmness, and radiance, or ‘the glow.’” As she explained, most patients are aiming to address one or more of these qualities, and how they address them is dependent on age.
- Gen X – Regenerative Treatments
For the Gen X patients, exosomes are the way to go. In essence, exosomes are nano-particles that naturally occur in our cells. Used for wound healing and scars, they are now used cosmetically for their regenerative effects. Dr. Kaycee predicts that they will be big for the next 30 years.
There are a variety of exosomes on the market, and many of them target all four areas of skin quality, although more so radiance and pigmentation. This makes it very popular among Gen X because they would like to get that glow, lessen puffiness in areas where they don’t want it, and add a slight lift with no downtime.
Some popular exosome treatments to look into are Sculptra, Aesthefill, and Polynucleotide (Salmon DNA).
- Millenials – Non-Invasive Sculpting
Unlike their older counterparts, millennials focus on texture and firmness of the skin. This is why muscle stimulating treatments have become the “gold standard” for them and will likely remain popular for many years. Treatments like Ulthera and Sofwave, which target soft tissue and penetrate up to 5mm into the skin, can help give that lifting effect that the millennial generation wants.
“As we age our muscles lose their tensile strength,” Dr. Kaycee explains. Getting that strength back can help someone appear more youthful because the muscles won’t sag. “This is why J.Lo still looks so young. It’s because her muscles are well toned.” Dr. Kaycee explains that guasha and face yoga can definitely help, especially if done religiously, but newer treatments like EmSculpt, which targets the elevator muscles of the face, are much better and actually 100 times more effective than Ultherapy.
“After four sessions, patients really see the lift.”
- Gen Z – Fillers and Procedures
“I love Gen Z,” she gushes. “They’re more open to trying things, and they are not shy about getting procedures or talking about them.” She notes that Gen Z is really into fillers and minor cosmetic procedures to enhance their look (ex. rhinoplasty). When it comes to fillers, Dr. Kaycee leans towards hyaluronic acid fillers since these also benefit the skin, and the body can naturally metabolize them. Hyaluronic acid is also used by the body for skin repair, wound damage, and UV damage, so with the right dosage, one can enjoy the benefits of the look for a long time.
After decades of being a doctor and almost 15 years of running her own clinics, Dr. Kaycee also recommends meditation as a beauty method. Being able to calm oneself and be at peace while living a healthy lifestyle is one of the best ways to stay youthful and beautiful.
