Everything You Need To Know About ‘Zoom Face’ — And How To Beat It
Meet the ‘glow-cedures’ and high-grade skincare products that are so good, surgeons don’t want you to know about them
Our dark circles aren’t fooling anyone. Nor, it seems, are those nose-to-mouth indents, no matter how artfully we angle the laptop. In the age of endless video calls, there’s been a pivotal change in how we look at our faces. And tellingly, ‘Zoom face’ – where scrutinising yourself on screen can reveal dull-looking skin or the first sign of an angry crease – has entered our lexicon.
For many, this has meant embracing good skincare habits on the understanding that camera angles are deceptive. But others are tapping into the latest cosmetic tweakments, or ‘glow-cedures’, to tune up their complexions. Rather than add tons of volume or erase a decade from your face, these small hits of filler, Botox or laser are delivered with a delicate touch; their aim simply to make skin look so pillowy and juicy it gleams.
What Is Zoom Face?
Dr. Tijion Esho, founder of the Esho Clinic, is just one of the clinicians who’s observed this trend. “Since the pandemic, we are more focused on personal wellness and part of that equation is how healthy, happy and rested we look on the outside,” he explains. “Refreshment, not looking overdone, is the goal.” By proxy, a new class of skincare has also emerged that takes its inspiration from non- surgical interventions and, for the first time, offers a viable alternative – albeit with more subtle results.
Pump Up The Volume
Cosmetic doctors vouch for the fact that looking younger is about creating fullness in the face. No wonder dermal fillers are currently the most popular in-clinic treatment, says facial plastic surgeon, Maryam Zamani, while requests for injectable moisturisers like Profhilo have also seen a spike.
LifActiv Supreme H.A Epidermic Filler,Dhs205, Vichy
For the needle-shy, topical fillers have emerged that encourage skin to produce more of its own volume. Hyaluronic acid (often used in fillers) is your most powerful ally for drawing hydration to the skin and filling in fine lines so they seem to disappear. Fortuitously, Vichy LiftActiv H.A Epidermic Filler comes with a syringe-esque applicator to target crow’s feet and the ‘11s’ between brows.
Hyaluronic Global Face Cream, Dhs330, By Terry
For a more intense hit, By Terry Hyaluronic Global Face Cream is a cocktail of eight hyaluronic acids at three different weights – the idea being that large molecules immediately smooth the surface and smaller molecules travel deeper to provide maximum hydration to your skin cells.
Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum, Dhs160, CeraVe
Hyaluronic acid’s performance can, however, be wasted, if it’s not sandwiched between damp skin and a ceramide-rich moisturiser. “Ceramides lock in the hydration instead of letting it escape and take more of your skin’s water with it,” says aesthetic doctor Sophie Shotter. Hence, CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum is the perfect fusion of both.
The Laser Likeys
At one time, stroking your cheeks to remind yourself where your dewy skin used to sit, would be swiftly followed by a call to your dermatologist for resurfacing laser treatment. The sobering reality would be weeks of downtime. But now there are different options. “The most common are non-ablative lasers, which cause no peeling and just a little pinkness afterwards,” says Debbie Thomas, founder of the D.Thomas Specialist Skin Clinic. “They help to trigger collagen production to firm, lift and brighten skin.”
Super Radiance Resurfacing Facial, Dhs250, Charlotte Tilbury
Another in-clinic treatment often mentioned in the same breath as lasers is radiofrequency. The most hyped of these is Morpheus8, which uses microneedling to create tiny wounds, stimulating a healing response, and radiofrequency to shrink wrap and tighten skin.
Lifting Serum, Dhs1,096, Dr. Barbara Sturm
You can also put paid to lax skin with the Drunk Elephant Protini Powerpeptide Resurf Serum. This lactic acid and peptide-powered potion exfoliates and hydrates, while a pleasing side effect is an instant tightening effect as the amino acids dry. Carrying as much clout as the non- surgical procedures in her clinic, Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Lifting Serum supports collagen as well as creating a lm over the skin for a temporary lift. Or try Charlotte Tilbury Super Radiance Resurfacing Facial, a mask that combines glycolic, salicylic and agave acids to lift away dead cells and reveal glowier ones beneath.
Protini Powerpeptide Resurf Serum, Dhs316, Drunk Elephant
Beyond Botox
Dermatologists are also switching up their needlework so skin no longer looks iron-taut. The launch of Glass Botox at Dr. Michael Prager’s Knightsbridge clinic is testament to this. Instead of plunging the needle into muscle, “tiny amounts of Botox are injected all over the face using electrical impulses to create skin that is smooth, with fewer visible pores and a slight sheen, like glass,” says Prager of the needle-free treatment.
Immortelle Divine Eye & Lip Contour, Dhs295, L’Occitane
For those not quite ready to dip their toes in Botox waters, there’s been an 83 per cent rise in Google searches for at-home alternatives. When only a quick x will do, acmella oleracea, a plant compound found in L’Occitane’s Immortelle Divine Eye and Lip Contour, relaxes facial muscles so that wrinkles formed by tension are eased. Or try Medik8 Liquid Peptides, which minimizes muscle contractions via the peptide Argirelox for fewer expression lines.
Liquid Peptides, Dhs192, Medik8
When it comes to the long haul, however, “the best line- fighting creams are those that help increase your skin’s own building block – namely collagen,” says New York City-based dermatologist, Joshua Zeichner MD, which explains why retinol has always inspired devotion. But Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Instant Firming Serum, created in partnership with Harvard Medical School, may change that. Clinical trials revealed that a trio of antioxidant resveratrol, vegan collagen and hyaluronic acid was twice as effective for creating natural collagen without the pitfalls of sensitivity.
Resveratrol-Lift Instant Firming Serum, Dhs322, Caudalie
Lead image courtesy of Jason-Lloyd Images.
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s May 2021 issue.
