Not only do we stay on top of cutting-edge skincare here at HDC, but we also love to keep ourselves up-to-date with all the global beauty trends ranging from makeup, hair, nails and everything in between. From Dr. Honet to all of the staff, we are constantly answering beauty questions whether they come from our patients, family, or friends. Queries can be about the latest and greatest products and procedures, or as simple as choosing the best facial moisturizer or sunscreen. We are always excited to help and share our findings and little skincare secrets. With January almost here and gone, we have been busy exploring the “new kids on the block” of the 2017 skincare and beauty trends, ranging from global picks to ones right here in our good, old USA.
Let’s start with skincare. The “K-Beauty” market is making a huge breakthrough this year. “What is K-Beauty?” you say. Don’t worry. If you haven’t heard about K-Beauty, you are not alone. I stumbled into the world of K-beauty about a year ago, but Dr. Honet has been aware of K-Beauty forever. K-Beauty is an umbrella term encompassing all the new and tried-and-true makeup, skincare, bath, and beauty products emerging from South Korea. It is well known to the rest of the world that South Korea is the cutting-edge authority in the beauty industry, but it hasn’t been until recent years that K-Beauty has hit the American market. The incredible and vast scope of K-Beauty is due to the fact that in-the-know South Korean women have always demanded tremendous cutting-edge research and innovation for their skincare. From cool, unique ingredients to effective formulas, they are easily 10-15 years ahead of the skincare world here in the western hemisphere. Keep a lookout for some 2017 Korean skincare trends like formulas that contain yuzu, birch juice, royal honey, and bamboo sap. Plus Korean skincare has always been about natural and organic for those of you who are having difficulty finding them in our usual American retail market. Websites like Soko Glam, Glow Recipe, and Peach & Lily are all about getting these innovative, elegant Korean products more accessible to you, because easy access to wonderful skincare like amazing sheet masks, cleansers, creams and serums means beautiful, glowing, healthy skin for you! Plus, we all know what a tremendously lucrative and global business skincare is. Spreading skincare love across the world is what K-Beauty is all about.
My personal favorite K-Beauty ritual is the simplified Double Cleanse method. (I say simplified because this should not be confused with the Korean 10-step Skin Care Routine or the Korean 7 Skin Method.) This double-cleansing method uses a cleansing oil as the first step to remove any of the day’s makeup, oil, and dirt that have built-up on the face. Then, the second layer of cleansing is using your favorite cleanser, whether it is foaming or non-foaming, to wash away the last vestiges of grime, makeup and oil that may potentially clog your skin and block the effective, nourishing skincare ingredients to follow. This dual-step process is vitally important since the oil in the first cleanser is attracted to oil on your face, providing a deep cleaning effect and allowing your second cleanser to really work its best magic. I really love using Avene Micellar as my oil-in-water based cleanser, which is my first step. I then follow this up with my Restorsea Reviving Cleanser to reveal the perfect, fresh, clean finish. By the way, we sell both in the office, so I never ever have to worry about running out. Since I’ve started doing this I’ve really noticed a big difference with my skin because all my topical serums and creams absorb more effectively into my clean and prepped face. It certainly makes sense when you think about it. Starting with a clean canvas so that your serums and creams can get direct access to your skin cells makes total sense. Of course, it is not surprising that Dr. Honet has been doing this cleansing method for her face forever. And we all know how Dr. Honet feels about the horrifying skin sin of going to bed with our makeup on!
Eyebrows made their huge comeback in late 2016 and are going to continue to remain popular in 2017. From pomades, pencils, gels, powders made and everything in between, chances are you will find your favorite product for perfecting the brows. The “new” beauty procedure for brows is microblading. Although the concept and practice have been around for a long time, the technique was perfected in another Asian country of Japan in 2001 and has just recently really gained popularity here in the U.S. This is an interesting, innovative solution to having to constantly draw in your brows, especially if you have very sparse ones. It is a procedure somewhat similar to cosmetic tattooing, but uses many small needles to form a blade. This blade is then used to deliver and imbed a permanent ink solution, which is “brushed” into your eyebrows, creating a natural soft look. It is often time-consuming to have done and may last only 2-3 years, which requires touch-ups, but for those of you who have very sparse or missing eyebrows, this can create a very natural, long-lasting look. As with any procedure you’re interested in it, it’s important to find a well-trained professional technician, who also practices safe and hygienic techniques. Remember that microblading isn’t appropriate for every skin type and some skin types take to it better than others, but this may be an effective, natural-looking option to explore.
The newest addition to Honet Dermatology|Cosmetic is PRP or Platelet-Rich Plasma treatment. This may be a great alternative method to attaining a fuller brow look. This procedure is done in the office by Dr. Honet and stimulates new hair growth, using your own, native platelet-rich plasma. The theory behind PRP is that by harnessing your body’s own growth factors to inject into your skin, healthy new hair cells are effectively stimulated to grow more hair. PRP can also be used to treat wrinkles, volume loss in the face, and hair thinning on the scalp. When treating the eyebrows with PRP, a series of monthly injections can stimulate a thicker brow, which is the look everyone is going for today.
Lips are another major area of focus in the cosmetic world, and Dr. Honet’s recent blog about lips opened the floodgates for questions about the options for lip care. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, but I do love my Restorsea LipMagic. I always have it in my pocket and whip it out whenever I get a chance. I would say that I am a little obsessed with it. But, the recent colder weather has pushed me towards another of my favorites, EpiCeram-L Lip Care. This prescription-strength lip balm is a perfect addition to your lip-care routine. In place of a typical lip balm, EpiCeram Lip Care contains three fundamental lipids that deliver protection to your lips and lock in hydration. Everyone from our teenage acne patients to our adult patients loves this. Another lip product with a huge buzz in the makeup world is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Palette. This awesome palette has 18 colors, including primary colors, bolds, and neutrals, that you can mix like an artist and create your own custom lip color. It even includes a mixing palette and brush so you can indulge the inner painter in you.
Whether it’s about the care of our hair, skin, or nails, we like to keep one step ahead of the global trends to keep you in the know and to keep our own skin glowing. Rest assured that we are always trying out new products, but we are going to hold onto our old favorites and stick to our newer tried-and-trues. Mixing and matching create not only a customized approach, but maximize that skin-glow potential which we all want! Do you need some refresher advice about general skincare? Or do you want to know all about the cutting-edge rejuvenation trends? Or maybe it’s as simple as wanting to get back to basics and know about our favorite moisturizers and cleansers. Whatever your dermatologic curiosity or inquiry, we are here to help you navigate the intricate skincare world.
–Senada and Dr. H
