YOUTH CLUB

Face up to a new era of skincare treatment technology that promises you'll still look like you - just better

- MARY CLEARY

I recently interviewed a well-known name in the beauty industry. I knew that he must be over 30, but beyond that, his age was impossible to discern. It wasn't so much that he looked younger, but his skin was so poreless, so wrinkle-free, that it wasn't a version of a thirtysomething I had ever seen before. It was like a Roman sculpture come to life, marble smoothness in human flesh form, an image of youth that existed in no time and eternal time. Here was a man, pickled.

We may soon be encountering people like this on a daily basis. We might even begin to look this way ourselves. That's because the next ten years will see a significant shift in the skincare industry, a shift fuelled by advancements in treatment technology, the rise of GLP-1 weight loss medications, a growing fatigue with fillers and Botox, and a desire for a unique, 'authentic' appearance in a culture increasingly dominated by AI.

If beauty ideals of the past decade were typified by 'Instagram face', its exaggerated volume and feline features achieved through plumping and freezing methods, the next decade will see the emergence of an ideal manifested through subtle restorative treatments that respect the face's natural architecture and place a primacy on skin health.

Melinda Farina, often called 'the beauty broker', is known for connecting famous names with the world's most skilled plastic surgeons. Based on what her clients are asking for now, she predicts that the most aspirational look of the future will be one that 'appears lifted, energetic and youthful, but without signs of manipulation' and focuses on 'natural contours, strong mid-face support, refined jawlines, and exceptional skin quality'. Essentially, the hope is to look like yourself but better, in a way that is difficult to place.