Minimal to non-invasive treatments can achieve wonderful results or be complementary to surgical interventions. In some cases, they could even be more beneficial than surgery, especially in younger patients with a desire for subtle improvements. However, in patients with moderate to severe aging or younger ones looking for more substantial results, surgery is still the gold standard.
Aesthetic plastic surgery has been performed for decades, and the number of people having it is not decreasing because it works and has a high satisfaction rate. Surgical techniques have evolved and have been constantly improved over the years. In contrast, most medical devices come and go. You are probably aware of one or more medical devices or companies that have simply silently disappeared from the market. Every year, multiple companies bring new devices with fancy names, mechanisms, catchy slogans, powerful marketing, and influencers on board. They almost always cite clinical studies and show great before-after pictures (their absolutely best cases). However, the reality is that most don’t deliver the results they promise, causing their popularity to eventually fade, eventually leaving the market. Therefore, minimally or non-invasive treatments typically need multiple sessions that require significant investment in time (almost equivalent to a surgery recovery when you add it up). They may also look enticing because they appear less expensive, given each session or treatment is a fraction of the surgery cost, but when the sessions add up, they can easily equal or surpass the price of surgery. One example is a commonly used injectable medication to eliminate fat under the chin. In order to see any results, which are often mild, it requires at least four treatment sessions. The injections can be quite painful to some people, and there is significant pain and swelling in the neck for 5-7 days (at least 20-28 days of swelling, if not more, when the sessions are added up). The overall treatment cost ends up being much higher than a liposuction procedure, which typically requires only one treatment with vastly superior and almost immediate results. I am not against minimally or non-invasive devices or procedures. The opposite is actually the case, I believe minimally or non-invasive treatments definitively have their role in aesthetics. However, they cannot compete with surgery in the vast majority of cases, especially in patients looking for more than a very subtle improvement.
