THE BOOM OF ANTI-AGING INJECTIONS – DR DEV PATEL GIVES US THE LOWDOWN

Cosmetic expert, Dr Dev Patel, delves into why so many are yearning to see their younger self

Over the last 20 years, the demand for cosmetic surgical procedures has doubled. However, non-surgical procedures have increased 6-fold. We spoke to one of the UK’s leading aesthetic experts, Dr. Dev Patel, founder of the multi-award-winning clinic, Perfect Skin Solutions, and of the newly launched skincare brand, CellDerma. 

So why the massive rise in demand? “Put succinctly….the Internet. The last two decades have seen the world become so much smaller and today, with our smartphones at the ready, we can access the lives of hundreds of human beings in a day. Narcissism has become increasingly acceptable and we have all become immersed in the millions of images of each other, uploaded to the world wide web every day. We take selfies without any of the embarrassment we would have felt some years back. Our personal vulnerabilities have been compounded by these factors, decreasing our self-esteem in the process. People have become more critical of themselves and others. At least, this is my opinion,” says Dr. Patel. He continues: “In a more general sense, society is on a path of constant evolution, and cosmetic procedures have become increasingly acceptable to the masses. When it was just the wealthy few having cosmetic procedures (including non-surgical treatments like dermal fillers), even the experts were naive to what really does enhance beauty. People were left with unnatural results and over-done faces. The last 30 years have seen a phenomenal amount of research into the psychology of beauty. I make it a point of studying this research as often as I can. This, paired with the latest knowledge in techniques and facial anatomy, allows me to achieve results I could not have imagined 10 years ago.”

What has changed? “This has to be the fastest evolving medical specialty there is. Techniques have developed as have the products we inject. Would you believe, even the anatomy I was taught at medical school was not actually accurate? A landmark paper published by Rohrich and Pessa in 2007, changed the course of dermal filler work forever. This concluded that facial fat previously considered to be one confluent structure was actually partitioned into many compartments. Thus, by applying this theory to the patient before me, I can assess the changes (and genetic deficit) that have occurred in their face. Intelligent use of dermal filler (for example, with the OGEElift approach) can then allow me to add support where needed for natural beautification. With us being able to deliver better and better results, more of those who have been fearful of looking unnatural, have made the leap into facial injectables. Furthermore, we now have other injectable options which simply work on skin rejuvenation, stimulating collagen and elastin production. This concept sits easier with some who are more anxious about dermal fillers or anti-wrinkle injections. As we move to an era where more people understand the importance of subtle beautification, such treatments are growing in popularity.”

What do the needle-phobics do then? “I actually inject a number of needle-phobics and we have some very useful techniques to get them relaxed and many can’t believe how easy it was for them. However, there are now incredible non-injectable options that deliver quite exceptional facial rejuvenation. We can literally take the skin quality back 10-15 years in just a few months. I remember a time when patients used to ask, “can you make me look 10 years younger” and I would reply, “probably not”. Now I say…probably…but definitely 10 years ‘better.’”

For more on Dr Dev Patel or his clinic, visit www.perfectskinsolutions.co.uk or follow on Instagram @drdevpatel1 and FaceBook @Dr Dev Patel.