What can you expect from skincare in 2023? BIG question. I don’t think anyone can really pinpoint the potential beauty trends (don’t claim you saw vampire skin coming), so instead we’ve decided to lean into the timeless. We called on one of Australia’s biggest names in skincare, Melanie Grant, Skin Health Expert and Founder of Melanie Grant Skin, to zero in on the treatments everyone needs to try this year.
Here are Melanie’s top five recommendations, a brief low-down on what each treatment involves - looks as though lasers are definitely here to stay - and the super glowy results you can expect after each session.
LED Light Therapy
LED Light Therapy uses a variety of wavelengths of light (most commonly Red 633nm and Near-Infrared 830nm) to stimulate cell renewal in the skin. It's a safe, non-invasive and proven approach to promoting collagen and elastin, boosting circulation and hydration, reducing inflammation and accelerating wound healing.
“LED Light Therapy offers true, noticeable results both instantly and cumulatively with frequent application over time. It provides a non-invasive option to effectively treat a myriad of concerns from fine lines and laxity, to sensitivity and rosacea, acne, eczema, dermatitis, dryness, mild pigment, dullness and devitalisation.
Because LED supports healing and recovery at a cellular level, it's a wonderful complement to more corrective treatments, like Collagen Induction Therapy, peels and laser. LED Light Therapy promotes a stronger, more resilient and radiant complexion all without discomfort or downtime, the best part being that results are cumulative, so the more the merrier!”
Cosmelan
Cosmelan is a depigmentation treatment that combines the application of a professional peel in clinic with a follow up home-care maintenance cream. It's designed to target existing pigment inconsistencies like melasma, sun spots and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that occurs after blemishes or acne have resolved, while also reprogramming the way that the skin continues to produce and hold onto pigment going forward.
“Cosmelan is one of the most comprehensive treatments available (at Melanie Grant Skin) when it comes to evening out skin tone. It works to break down existing pigment irregularities without the need for lasers or heat, which can often exacerbate the concern, particularly for hormonal pigment like melasma.
Cosmelan uses a combination of licorice root, kojic acid, vitamin a and niacinamide among other patented actives to break apart pigment over several hours after an initial application in clinic. Over the next 7-10 days, this pigment is discarded by the skin through a process of peeling and shedding that makes way for clearer, more even-toned skin cells.
The second element to the treatment (the previously mentioned home-care cream) works to maintain results by preventing the melanin transfer from the deep dermis to the superficial layers of the skin where it would otherwise become visible again.”
It’s important to note that as this treatment is corrective in nature, and requires roughly a week of social down time, it’s best to plan ahead and ideally carry it out during the cooler months. Sun exposure is far less of a risk at this time of year too! (But that doesn’t mean you should skimp on the daily sunscreen application.)
Picoway
Picoway is an innovative type of laser that works with light but without heat, making it a safe and effective option for darker skin tones who may be contra-indicated to thermal lasers, or for those concerned with hormonal pigment (that can actually be triggered by heat). It works by shattering pigment and retexturising the skin using a unique handpiece that targets the skin at 1 trillionth of a second - a picosecond! This application technique disperses pigment to be metabolised by the lymphatic system or to be sloughed away and discarded by the body.
“Picoway offers a safe, effective treatment option for targeting acne scarring, pigment inconsistencies, laxity, fine lines and dullness in a broad range of skin tones - from Fitzpatrick 1-5. It provides an alternative for those seeking brightness, lift and an increase in skin density minus the downtime normally associated with other lasers. Picoway is praised not only for its ability to effectively remove tattoos, and hormonal, sun-induced and post-inflammatory pigment, but its ability to rapidly stimulate collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans to leave the complexion supple, firm and with a restored youthful texture.”
IPL
IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light. A tried and true treatment, it combines light, heat and can also include radiofrequency depending on the device, to target a multitude of skin concerns. IPL works to move stagnated blood through broken capillaries to help reduce appearance of redness in the skin - commonly seen on the cheeks and around the nostrils. To comprehensively target sun-induced pigment across the face, neck and decollete, light and heat are drawn to melanin inconsistencies in the skin, raising it to the surface to be desquamated or sloughed away during the healing process. Aside from its corrective nature, IPL is a great option for rejuvenating the complexion by stimulating collagen production to plump and pad fine lines while adding density to the overall complexion.
“IPL is a proven and effective treatment for addressing concerns like redness, rosacea and broken capillaries that can be difficult to target correctively with home care products alone. It's a really reliable modality for rejuvenating a sun damaged complexion, both by breaking apart and removing pigment inconsistencies and by stimulating the renewal of collagen and elastin in the skin. For the right skin tones, a regular course of IPL can lift and tone the complexion while improving skin radiance, clarity and luminosity. Though there is some social downtime, with the sensation of a mild sunburn for 1-2 days post treatment, the results are long lasting.”
Microdermabrasion and Peels
Microdermabrasion uses a fine diamond tip head coupled with a gentle vacuum to abrade the surface of the skin, clearing off keratinised (or dead) skin cells, while decongesting the pores. The vacuum action also aids in lymphatic drainage of the skin by flushing toxins to the lymph nodes for excretion while promoting healthy blood flow to the surface of the skin. When coupled with gentle peels, the pair provides a comprehensive but respectful approach refining the complexion, boosting cell metabolism and allowing for an increased rate of absorption for actives to follow, both in treatment and at home.
“Combining microdermabrasion with gentle peels is one of the most immediate ways to completely revive a dull, dry, devitalised or even congested skin without any associated downtime. It's a great way to offer clarity, refine the texture of the skin and help pores to appear less visible, without the risk of micro-tears, barrier impairment, redness or reactivity from harsh or abrasive scrubs. Because the outermost layer of the skin is desquamated with a very fine diamond tip, followed by a solution that simply dissolves any remaining debris, hydrating, plumping and barrier reparative formulas applied after are able to better penetrate, ensuring that actives are reaching the layers of the skin they are intended to and the skin is left radiant and nourished.”
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