Beauty Advances

Hyaluronic Acid Filler

By Emili Vesilind

With the dawn of hyaluronic fillers, such as Juvéderm and Restylane, in 2006 came a less irritating way to help fill in those deeply etched forehead and marionette lines. The long-lasting fillers quickly replaced collagen, as the facial plumper of choice.

Botox

There was a time when the only way to relax a furrowed brow muscle was to slice it open and shorten it. Botox (botulinum toxin), which debuted for cosmetic use in 2002, changed all that – small injections of Botox effectively help relax the muscles non-surgically. Real housewives the world over rejoiced.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids

Used in everything from chemical peels to drugstore moisturizers, alpha hydroxy acids (like glycolic and lactic) first appeared on the market in 1992. Derived from fruit and milk sugars, they help combat the effects of aging, by encouraging the skin to renew itself more quickly.

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Rogaine

Before Rogaine (minoxidil) appeared in 1988, guys had zero game against male-pattern baldness. The over-the-counter treatment — designed to slow or stop hair loss and promotes hair regrowth — was initially created to treat high blood pressure. But the side effects were, well, pretty hairy. Next came Women's Rogaine, because our hair sure does thin out, too.

Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal debuted in the mid-Seventies, but didn’t catch on commercially until the Nineties — giving women the option of shelving their Bic razors and bottles of Nair indefinitely. Though it’s still more of a hair reduction tool than a permanent solution for most, repeated visits to the dermatologist’s office can result in long-term hair eradication.

Gadgets

Before the arrival of spa-quality skincare gadgets this past decade, at-home skincare basically began and ended with egg yolk face masks. Now, thanks to innovations such as the Clarisonic brush, the NuFace Microcurrent Facial Toner and the Tria Laser Hair Removal System, kitchen beauticians can come close to mimicking a serious spa facial in the privacy of their own homes.

Serums

Thanks to modern delivery systems in skincare (aka how ingredients disseminate onto the skin), lighter-weight products pack more active ingredients than Grandma’s cold creams ever could. Most revolutionary are modern serums that boast everything from potent doses of Vitamin C and lactic acid to green tea and licorice extract.

Primers

Foundations and concealers are great at covering blemishes and discoloration. But it wasn’t until primers — sheer products that fill in the slight bumps on the skin’s surface — popped onto the scene in the early 2000s that our skin starting resembling something close to perfect.

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Fraxel

The oozy, burnt-looking skin that was a byproduct of early laser resurfacing techniques is now largely a thing of the past, due to Fraxel — a laser treatment that debuted in 2003 and resurfaces the skin in little dots, leaving untouched skin in between the dots. This cuts downtime to a minimum.

Perfected Self Tanner

Self-tanners have come a long way since QT, Coppertone’s early “overnight tanner” that left your palms stained pumpkin. Now companies, including St. Tropez, offer a multitude of products that allow you to control how dark your tan gets — without streaking or turning you Snookie-orange. And, unlike yesteryear’s products, they smell divine.

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Latisse

Bat your eyes at this. In early 2009, Latisse was the first product to be approved by the FDA for eyelash growth. The wonder treatment’s active ingredient is bimatoprost, the active component of a popular glaucoma medication. A slew of copycat products followed.

Peptides

The recent introduction of peptides, as a wrinkle-fighting agent in skincare, has reduced the widespread use of Retinol (which often has skin-irritating side effects). The tiny proteins signal skin to produce more collagen — essentially tricking wrinkles into plumping up.

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Mineral Makeup

Sensitive-skinned women rejoiced when mineral makeup — which eschews fragrances, dyes and other synthetic ingredients — went mainstream in the mid-2000s. Made from finely ground minerals from the earth (and boasting a natural, luminous sheen), this makeup remains one of the beauty industry’s most booming new genres.

Brazilian Hair Straightening

Traditional chemical hair straightening was given a run for its money when Brazilian hair straightening hit the States in the mid-2000s. Heat-sealing the hair cuticle with keratin wipes out frizz, without damaging the hair with as many heavy-duty chemicals. Now we’ve got an even more nuanced version, the Brazilian Blowout.

Natural Ingredients

Organics are the trend du jour, but it is natural ingredients that have revolutionized the beauty industry. As skincare advances, experts are realizing that many naturally derived ingredients (such as green tea and skin-softening soy) are as powerful as pharmaceutical elements —meaning healthier products for us all.

Shellac

The days of reaching into your bag too soon after a manicure are now over with the just-launched Shellac technology by CND. Basically, it’s a hybrid professional service that combines the easy application of nail polish with the permanence of gels. It’s chip-free, non-damaging to nails, lasts 14 days and costs an average of $35, depending on your location — a small price to pay for two weeks of perfect nails.