Vampire facials and ‘brotox:’ beauty trends for 2023

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After three years of physical, economic and social turbulence, many are looking to face the world anew in 2023.

With luxury procedures available to literally renew the face, reports indicate that well-to-do individuals are undergoing facial rejuvenation and cosmetic procedures significantly more now than before the pandemic.

For women, it’s the “Vampire Facial” made famous by Kim Kardashian, and for men, an increase in upper-eyelid lifts is the new normal.

Here, facial rejuvenation and cosmetic surgery experts discuss what is up-and-coming in procedures for 2023.

Douglas Grace, plastic surgeon, founder and chairman of Burlington, Ont.-based GraceMed

Facial rejuvenation has increased substantially over the past year or two. Why is this happening?

“Overall, facial rejuvenation has increased dramatically across all of our GraceMed clinics. When discussing with our patients, we learned that there are three main drivers.

Firstly, patients have been spending a large amount of time working from home or remotely on video calls. Studies have shown that people spend almost 60 per cent of an online video call looking at themselves projected on the computer screen. This has caused patients to seek out professional skincare products such as ZO or the chemical peels that give significant improvements to people’s overall skin and texture.

Secondly, working remotely has increased recovery time at home. This has allowed people to get more dramatic results from lasers such as Halo or microneedling and not need to take time off from work.

Thirdly, the increase in the quality and outcomes from medical-grade skincare such as ZO at GraceMed now give laser-like results without the downtime.”

What are high-end clients looking for?

“Botox is way up. Sales in Ontario increased by 45 per cent, which is just massive. We’ve seen similar uptake at our GraceMed clinics with larger numbers of patients wanting a more natural look but with the softening of problem areas using Botox – such as the angry forehead “11’s” or the lines around the eyes.”

Are you finding self-care trends beyond cosmetic procedures?

“Many studies have shown that the way a person feels about themselves and their appearance is related to their resting stress level and inner harmony. Many of our GraceMed patients have also taken the time during and after COVID to re-evaluate what is important to them, and they are taking time to address issues that have made them too busy in the past to make time for themselves.”

What are high-end male clients looking for?

“Three big trends.

One and two – Botox and medical-grade skincare – both can drastically improve and decrease the overall skin age of patients.

GraceMed uses a device – The Visia Skin Analyzer [imaging system] – that all our clinics provide for aesthetic consultations. This … allows us to track the improvement of their skin throughout the rejuvenation program. In addition, GraceMed’s technology can track the patient’s skin age and health compared to their peers. With our individualized treatment plans, which include skincare and the occasional laser, GraceMed has helped many men achieve a decrease of five-to-eight years in their skin age.

The third trend is non-invasive body contouring – at GraceMed, we’ve found that CoolSculpting [fat-cell freezing method] works well with decreasing fat, while Emsculpt [electromagnetic-pulse muscle contracting method] works well with building muscle in the abs and buttock. This is achieved through stimulation of the muscle: 20,000 supramaximal contractions in a 30 min session. It is pain-free and causes the muscle to grow in size and strength.”

Ashraf Eleish, founder and CEO of Toronto and Hollywood-based Beauty Bar Medical Clinic

Facial rejuvenation has increased substantially over the past year or two. Why is this happening?

“With the COVID-19 pandemic, along came the ‘Zoom Boom.’ Video calling and conferencing has become the main platform of communication for the vast majority of businesses. This ‘Zoom Boom’ has increased the time people spent looking at their own faces, and in turn has increased the need and want to explore cosmetic and aesthetic treatments and services. People have become far more critical of their appearances on-screen, noticing imperfections, areas of improvement and a decrease in self-confidence.

Social media has also played a huge role in the way we see ourselves. With lockdowns and restrictions in place, people would turn to social media to keep in touch with friends and family. With the increased use of social media, many people have developed insecurities due to heavy exposure to filters and edited images and content. The constant self-comparisons to what we view in the media and online, has directly impacted our self-esteem and what we consider as a standard of beauty and attractiveness.

Simultaneously, social media shed light on the cosmetic and aesthetic industry overall. With just a click of a button, people can easily research large varieties of treatments, testimonials, as well as before-and-after images. Some celebrities have even opened up about things they do to maintain their youth, increasing “trending” beauty treatments worldwide.

Popular and inexpensive treatments have gained immense traction by others sharing their experiences online. People have become far more open, and we have seen a widespread acceptance of preventative self-care beauty treatments.”

What are high-end clients looking for?

“We find that clients are looking for preventive treatments, that are quick. Our most popular treatments include Morpheus 8 Radio Frequency [microneedling], PRP Vampire Facials [reinjecting separated platelets from your own blood], Botox and hyaluronic acid fillers. Clients are seeking immediate results with minimal down time and treatments that can highlight their natural features.

We find that most clients are steering clear of invasive surgeries with long recoveries and are opting for a series of treatments that can be done on their lunch break to enhance their overall appearance.”

Are you finding self-care trends beyond cosmetic procedures?

“People have started to acknowledge the importance of self-care and how it can mediate stress and well-being. Spending a little more time at home and really analyzing day-to-day routines, people really have taken an active role in their own care to improve their overall psychological health.

A positive self-image can boost our physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual well-being. With lifted mask-mandates and re-entering the social aspects of our daily lives, people are more and more eager to present the best version of themselves.”

What are high-end male clients looking for?

“Starting with a little bit of ‘Brotox,’ men seeking self-care treatments is now more acceptable. With the stigma quickly fading away, more men are embracing cosmetic and aesthetic procedures. Professionally, men are wanting to look and feel their best to remain competitive in today’s economy and job market.

Another motivating factor driving the increase of men exploring cosmetic treatments is the influence of significant others and friends. If a partner or spouse uses cosmetic treatments to maintain youth and feel good, there is often an increased pressure for the other partner to do the same. Men don’t want to feel like they are aging more quickly than their partners.

Returning to work, men are noticing other coworkers who have explored treatments, deeming self-care treatments for men socially acceptable and normal. Our high-net-worth male clients are seeking Botox to treat fine lines, fillers for a refreshed ‘rested’ appearance, facials and skincare, PRP Hair Restoration [platelet-rich plasma reinjected from one’s own blood into the scalp], CoolSculpting to target stubborn fat, and laser hair removal.”

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

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