Beauty trends pre-date common sense. Let’s be real for a moment. The ancient Egyptians used kohl and green malanite, naturally occurring minerals, with a heavy hand. Both male and female Egyptians would heavily line both the bottom and the top of their eyes with the black or green substance, not necessarily for the sake of beauty, but because they believed it would prevent disease and, at the same time, bring the favor of the gods upon them. Something along that line must have occurred because eventually, they added lead to the compound.
Calm down. As it turns out, the mixture of lead and kohl was not toxic; it was beneficial to the body when not ingested.
And that can certainly be no worse than the corseting trend of the Victorian era. Corsets, which still have a place in the fashion world, were made of whalebone, and the goal was to tighten the corset with enough fervor that the breasts appeared larger because the waist appeared smaller. The best way to get the desired look was to break the lower ribs or displace organs for that nip-and-tuck sashay.
Victorian women didn’t swoon because of Victorian men; they swooned due to a lack of oxygen, blood flow, or possibly a ruptured spleen.
But then, there are some trends that, when examined, make reasonable sense. Men now have cosmetic lines designed especially for them: hair pomade, skin care, beard care, and nail care. The power of hyaluronic acid finds women practically bathing in it. Exfoliation for everyone! The technology of lasers that can remove unwanted hair and help cultivate new follicles for those who are losing their hair is ironically fascinating.
Some may question what this has done to or for society; there are still plenty of purists out there, but in an unexpected way, it has brought us all together in a revelation that health and wellness are a package deal. It’s much easier to be confident about yourself, your presence, your persona, and your personality when you feel good about yourself.
What Millennials Know About Aging
Ah, the Me, Me, Me generation. Just five short years ago, we were worried. They couldn’t hold down jobs, were unhireable, and were entitled. On and on and on we ripped at this generation that we raised that seemed to care about nothing but the cell phones in their hands, Vera Bradley cross-body bags, and capturing their memories by taking photos of themselves. But now, that worry has faded to wonder. They have merged into life as a global situation. And they are changing our society in a big way.
Seeing the world the way they see it can be a challenge. But there is one thing they are doing that is probably one of the smartest, most practical actions imaginable. They are using aesthetic procedures to push back time. What other generations have viewed as something that could make one appear younger, drastic changes after the fact, this generation is using as preventative. In other words, 50 may be the new 30, but 30 is the new 18. This generation is not wearing their age on their face. They are having fillers and resurfacing procedures in a successful attempt at preventing the appearance of aging rather than waiting and hoping to reverse it.
They are being proactive, and it is working. Nearly 40 percent of male and female Millennials have considered having a non-invasive procedure to maintain their youth. And it is working for them. Preventing fine lines, removing dead skin, and ensuring their collagen remains at a youthful production rate all point to a rise in the use of “prejuvenation” tactics.
The Responsibility Factor
The problem with a growing industry in a new demographic is that there are always those that will go rogue. Millennials can hop on a computer and find a wealth of information for themselves, but they have a tendency to select which information is important and ignore the rest. For example, generic Botox can be purchased online. It has to be shipped from overseas, but for $94, anyone can buy a bottle of botox. Syringes can be purchased at any local pharmacy. A $500 procedure vs. a $100 DIY? That is where it is going south.
Millennials are asking their general practitioners about Botox and other fillers. They are asking them for these procedures. There is a danger that Botox for migraines would be viewed as Botox for beauty. And no one knows better than an expert in the field what a misguided placement of filler or demobilization substance can do to a patient. Pain, lack of results, and those are just the not-so-bad results.
So we come to the question, who is responsible for making sure that this growing trend is being handled responsibly? The answer is the plastics and aesthetics industry. Think of it as a public service. A patient who needed a cardiologist would not come to a plastic surgeon for treatment. That is the message that needs to be out there. While marketing to Millennials will draw them to your office, educating them on why these procedures must be done by someone who has the training and skill and medical license to do it correctly will definitely become a component of that marketing. Perhaps there has not been, in the history of elective surgery, a better time to exploit your expertise in your area.
Marketing Information and Products Simultaneously
Long ago, when everyone watched the same three networks, there were 30-second commercials that marketed nothing but the best choice. A Native-American man with a tear running down his wrinkled cheek as he stood in a bubbling brook full of trash and litter relayed to us the higher moral ground of not littering. These were called PSAs or Public Service Announcements and sponsored by the Ad Council. Smokey the Bear, McGruff the Crime Dog, and those loveable characters were created to appear as entertainment or emotional call-outs; in reality, they appealed to our ethics system.
Blending a health warning with a call to action that will benefit your practice, especially after a pandemic, seems harsh. But that is what has to be done. If you want to reach this growing marketing of prejuvenation, it will take a completely different type of marketing, primarily in the content area, then most plastics and aesthetic physicians or practices have experienced.
We encourage you to reach out to this demographic.
It is a brilliant use of your products on your shelves, and it will increase bookings. But more importantly than preventing aging, it will prevent errors in judgment. If you need someone to help with the content for this marketing specification, please contact Caledon Virtual. We have a strategy team that has been studying this growing trend and understands that this is not just a way to make more money. This is a way to prevent injury and bad decisions. But even more than that, it is the opportunity to create a long-time patient/practitioner relationship that benefits you both.
