Appearances can be deceiving: Why aesthetic medicine isn't just about the way you look

Leading GP Dr Sandar Hlaing, who counts facial rejuvenation, anti-ageing treatments and Botox™, tells us all about the multifaceted aspect of aesthetic medicine, its medicinal uses and some of the more complex reasons why people use aesthetic medicine in order to improve their day-to-day lives.

What is aesthetic medicine, and why is it important?

The meaning of aesthetic medicine is to try and help somebody gain their confidence, improve their confidence and correct whatever weakness that they feel that they have. It is more medicinal rather than cosmetic. That's why it is really important.

What’s the difference between aesthetic medicine and cosmetic medicine?

It is not the same as cosmetic medicine. Aesthetic medicine is more on the medicinal side of it. It is used to improve somebody's confidence, help with their mental health and also to correct any kind of illnesses, such as headaches, sweating a lot or if somebody's eyelid is going down a bit, we can help. We can help with their smiles. So, it is more than just cosmetic. It's to improve your confidence, improve your mental health, correct any weaknesses that a person can feel.

Is the main purpose of aesthetic medicine to impact how you look?

No, the main purpose of aesthetic medicine is not to affect the way you look. It's more about the way you feel, to correct any kind of suffering a person has. Botox™ can help you with your pain, such as headaches. You can help and improve the way you see by improving the area of the eyelid or the brows. If somebody's sweating a lot, we can stop that. So, it's more than the way you look.

Aesthetic medicine is not a negative thing. It doesn't mean somebody is superficial or cares so much about the appearance. Because most people who seek aesthetic procedures are actually trying to correct some kind of weakness that is holding them back. So aesthetic medicine actually helps people advance in their life, improve their mental health, improve their confidence. So, it is a positive thing.

Does aesthetic medicine have a multifaceted purpose?

Aesthetic medicine plays a role in both the physical part and mental part. The physical part; if somebody wants their smile to improve or the way they look to improve. If we do that, they would become more confident in the way they interact within these social environments. Mentally, when they find joy in the things that they do, their mental health would improve a lot. If we help the healthy lose weight, there are areas that you can't correct just by losing weight. Aesthetic medicine can get involved and we can make adjustments which would make these kids feel a lot better about their whole life in general.

Can your mental health improve?

People report that their mental health improves a lot after having aesthetic procedures. Because if somebody is too embarrassed by having excessive sweating, if they had an aesthetic procedure to correct it, they would feel so much better. They will feel confident, their mental health will improve. If somebody had a procedure for hair re-generation, they would be able to go out without having to worry about their hair, their anxiety improves. So, there is a lot of mental health benefit in having aesthetic procedures.

If you’re looking for expert aesthetic medicine treatment, arrange a consultation with Dr Hlaing via her Top Doctors profile.