These 5 Skincare Trends Are the Wave of the Future, and You'll See 'Em Everywhere in 2020

Remember those vampire facials Kim Kardashian made popular circa 2013 (then regretted swiftly thereafter)? The procedure involved drawing blood from the arm, using a machine to separate the platelet-rich plasma from the platelet-poor plasma, then smearing the blood all over the face before pressing it into the skin using tiny needles. That was so then. "We are only just beginning to unleash the power of the growth factors within our own platelets," said dermatologist Lilly-Rose Paraskevas, MD, FAAD.

Until now, platelet-rich plasma has been "underutilized in cosmetic dermatology," said dermatologist Caren Campbell, MD. "Applying a patient's own platelet-rich plasma post laser treatments or blending it with filler is one of the best new ways to shorten downtime and improve results." The difference that experts are excited about for 2020, however, is that the protocols for using platelet-rich plasma have since been fine-tuned for better benefits.

"Well-designed clinical trials are being published in cosmetic journals, clarifying the mechanism of action and establishing injection protocols," echoed dermatologist Rita Linkner, MD, of Spring Street Dermatology in New York City. "Platelets have the capability of acting like a stem cell when placed back into the body. This is how dormant hair follicles are jostled awake with scalp injections of PRP. This is why PRP is being used adjacently to microneedling laser treatments where thousands of pores are created in the skin to provide channels for the platelets to penetrate into the papillary dermis, which is where new collagen bundles are born. The use of PRP with small amounts of additives like neuromodulators and hyaluronic acid delivered with handheld microneedled chambers to provide meso-therapy to the superficial structures of the skin. This is an immediate complexion-boosting concoction that eliminates pore size [and] fine lines and provides an instant glow — all without any downtime or need to be topically numbed."

Campbell added: "PRP can be used for undereye circles, blended with other collagen stimulators like Sculptra and your traditional HA fillers like Restylane Lyft to get less bruising [and] swelling and increased collagen stimulation, leading to younger-looking appearance."

Call it the Kylie Jenner effect all you want, but the truth is, fuller lips aren't going anywhere in 2020. The biggest difference? People will be looking for a longer-term treatment. "One in four of my patients today come into my office searching for a permanent solution to lip enhancement — from patients in their 20s to patients in their 80s," said facial plastic surgeon Andrew Jacono, MD, FACS. "My younger patients are most frequently looking for more pouty, fuller lips, which can be achieved with a stand-alone lip lift procedure done under local anesthesia."

Dermatologist Priya Nayyar, MD, agrees. "The lip lift, which is a 30-minute surgical procedure where a small incision is made right under the nose and lifts up the lip, is going to gain popularity in the new year," she said. "It yields permanent results and eliminates the need to use filler to plump up the lips."

"It's a no-brainer that the marriage of tech with personalized skin care is the most innovative and exciting trend for 2020," said dermatologist Matthew Elias, MD. (If you need a refresher, we first saw this trend pick up steam in 2019, and it will only get bigger in the new year.) It will be the first real deep dive into the personalized skincare market, said dermatologist Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, FAAD. "We are already seeing it a lot in dermatology, but it's starting to get legs elsewhere. The end of the decade will be more genomics — think blood tests and appropriate regimens will be 'prescribed.' In the next two to three years though, more and more consumers will demand specialization to them, not necessarily mass-market options, and we are already starting to see the leaves on the trees."

For now, you can find an uptick in products that tailor to your individual skin needs. "Products like Shiseido's Optune, which measures your skin daily and generates a personalized daily regimen from 80,000 possible combinations based on the artificial intelligence measurements, to Foreo's FoFo device (shown here), which is constantly analyzing your face and changing your cleansing regimen based on AI. All the big brands have similar tech, some of which have assorted products like Neutrogena's Skin360 and MaskID or La Roche-Posay's sensor tech for UV damage. The brands will further integrate these into their offerings."

This is also evident in the use of the aforementioned trend, PRP treatments. "Companies are figuring out ways to utilize a patient's own platelets within their skincare products that they cultivate in office and then take home to use for 12 weeks," Dr. Linkner said. "The idea of using stem cells with your own DNA to heal and antiage your skin seems futuristic and, in 2020, will become a reality."

The forehead-freezing treatment Botox certainly isn't new (the Allergan-owned company just celebrated its 30-year anniversary on the market, in fact), but you can expect something new in the market of neurotoxins. "On the horizon are technical advancements of neuromodulators that we're calling 'Super Botox,' which will have a faster onset of action and last longer," said dermatologist and founder of Spring Street Dermatology Sapna Palep, MD. "They will also have more flexibility to achieve a more natural look." Dr. Linkner agreed that we'll be seeing plenty of "Super Botox" in the new year, adding: "More and more, I'm seeing people who don't respond or metabolize the current toxin options faster, and rest assured this new product should correct those issues."

New injection methods are also going to be utilized more frequently in 2020, especially in trickier-to-treat areas like the chest. "I'm excited about using micro or mini Botox/neurotoxin injections on chest wrinkles in combination with microneedling and dilute filler injections like Radiesse," said dermatologist Brenda Dintiman, MD. "This can miraculously rejuvenate the sun-damaged skin and sleep lines on the chest."

"Now more than ever, there is an explosion of new cosmeceutical ingredients that are advancing skin care," said dermatologist Divya Sadhwani Haryani, MD. "I am most excited by ingredients such as cinnamomum tamala extract, which is being touted for being a rich source of phenols and flavonoids. In a study published by the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, this extract was shown to decrease skin melanin, erythema, and excess sebum."