Whilst many of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are proving incredibly difficult to predict, one of the more surprising has been the increase in demand for aesthetic treatments experienced by many providers. This increase in demand and restricted access has led to reports of some clients self-administering or seeking illicit treatment from unregistered individuals with no medical training; with disastrous results.

Several stories are emerging of emergency calls received by aesthetic clinicians during the lockdown where their clients have bought fillers online and attempted to inject them themselves. In doing so they accidentally hit blood vessels, affecting circulation to the face and risking serious damage to facial tissue.

With fillers lasting between 6 to 18 months and wrinkle-reducing injections lasting 3 to 4 months, it seems some clients couldn’t wait any longer and took matters into their own hands. Clinicians have been inundated with complaints from patients that “their faces were falling” or experiencing an aesthetic Lockdown Meltdown as it is now being called as the effects of their treatments started to fade. It seems that it wasn’t just the inability to access aesthetic treatments and the ageing that this revealed, but also the constant reminders on Zoom calls and the additional time to study their face which has led people to obsess over their appearance fuelling increased demand for treatments.

The pandemic has proved to be a difficult time for many people and some have found the loss of that emotional care provided by aesthetic clinicians and technicians difficult. It seems it isn’t just the physical treatment that is important but also the reassurance that someone is looking after your face and your looks. These treatments do provide clients with a sense of control which is incredibly helpful at the movement when so much is outside of your control.

The good news is that medically registered aesthetic clinics like Brigstock Skin and Laser Centre have been open since July. Whilst infection rates have been rising and greater restriction have recently been introduced it’s clear that most governments are reluctant to re-introduce full lockdowns on the scale we saw in the summer period. There have been recent suggestions that short two week lockdowns or “circuit breakers” could be introduced to help control infection rates. If restrictions do tighten further some non-medical cosmetic treatments like fillers or microdermabrasion might be prohibited. The good news is that medical treatments like wrinkle-reducing injections or laser hair removal for hirsutism are likely to be the last treatments affected by restrictions, particularly since the government has made clear it is committed to increasing routine medical treatments.

Whilst the updated infection control guidelines have increased the complexity of providing treatments with clinics now factoring in a lot more cleaning and use of PPE, it does allow for the safest possible environment for providing treatments. By closely following any updates to these infection control guidelines registered medical facilities like Brigstock Skin and Laser will be able to continue to provide treatments safely even if infection rates continue to rise.

So if you’re still suffering from Lockdown Meltdown or just want to improve how you look and feel on all those Zoom calls rest assured that the team at Brigstock Skin and Laser are here to help you. Even if its just a microdermabrasion facial to give you a bit of a pick-me-up or a more involved series of treatments to enact some significant improvements the team here will continue to work hard to ensure you have access to the treatments that matter to you. Call the centre on 020 8683 6730 or click here to request your appointment online now. The team would love to hear from you.