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Merz Aesthetics: Shifting the industry away from unrealistic beauty standards

This medical aesthetics brand wants to empower patients to feel more confident in their own skin.

Merz Aesthetics: Shifting the industry away from unrealistic beauty standards

Merz Aesthetics believes in helping individuals achieve their beauty goals using safe, customisable and non-invasive treatment options. Photo: Getty Images

In today’s social media era of beauty filters and photo editing tools, you can have the “perfect” face. This desire for perfection, however, comes at a price: You may end up feeling more insecure over time. 

According to Mr Lawrence Siow, APAC president of Merz Aesthetics, social media has had a major impact on the medical aesthetics industry. “Over the past few years, more doctors have recounted stories of patients coming to a consultation with retouched photos as examples of the results they’d like to see.”

As an established medical aesthetics company, Merz Aesthetics knows that it is an impossible pursuit to measure oneself against airbrushed beauty standards. In what might seem like an unusual move for an aesthetics business, the company is on a mission to empower patients to feel more confident in their own skin.
 
Said Mr Siow: “We want to do our part to shift the industry away from unrealistic perfection. Everyone has a unique beauty, and we want to encourage people to embrace the defining features that make them who they are.” 

SAFE, CUSTOMISABLE, NON-INVASIVE OPTIONS 

Founded over 110 years ago as a speciality healthcare company, Merz Aesthetics prides itself on having established trusted relationships with its healthcare professional clients and supporting them in their patients’ journey to “become better versions of themselves”. 

Mr Siow elaborated: “We want to unlock people’s confidence by helping them look and feel good. In some ways, the notion of aesthetics treatments is still somewhat taboo, but there is no shame or harm in investing in self-care. By offering patients safe, customisable and non-invasive options, we want to communicate that going to an aesthetic clinic to take care of yourself can be just as normal as getting a hair or spa treatment.”

Merz Aesthetics has developed a portfolio of energy-based devices to lift and tighten sagging skin, botulinum toxin injections to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and dermal fillers to address volume loss and smooth out facial wrinkles and folds. 

The company's in-house research capabilities are dedicated to developing personalised products to help others look and feel better. Photo: Getty Images

The company also invests in training to ensure doctors have sound techniques and are versed in customising treatments based on patients’ skin concerns and beauty goals.

Dr Siew Tuck Wah, a certified trainer for Merz Aesthetics, said: “Medical aesthetics treatments are now regarded as a component of a holistic self-care regime. People look to them to make small adjustments and enhancements, rather than drastic changes. As such, they prioritise natural approaches that can be customised for their individual needs. Product training is thus important in helping medical practitioners develop safe, personalised treatments for each patient.”

An example is the non-invasive, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared Ultherapy treatment, which harnesses micro-focused ultrasound energy to jump-start the skin’s regenerative process. “Aesthetic physicians need to know how to adjust the amount of ultrasound energy required and target specific areas using real-time visualisation in order to provide a personalised treatment plan for their patients,” Mr Siow explained.

CHALLENGING UNREALISTIC BEAUTY STANDARDS

With the increasing pressure to beautify oneself for the ’gram, it is no surprise that the aesthetics industry has seen a shift in its patient demographic in recent years. 

According to Mr Siow, in Asia-Pacific especially, more patients in their 20s and early 30s are seeking medical aesthetic treatments to prevent visible signs of ageing. “This younger demographic is particularly impacted by the need to conform to unrealistic beauty standards, and it is important for them to know about the safety and efficacy of medical aesthetics treatments out there,” he said.

Dr Siew added: “It is important to shift the industry away from the unrealistic looks that are portrayed on social media. Instead, I always encourage patients to embrace their unique features.”

Mr Lawrence Siow, APAC president of Merz Aesthetics, wants to help the social-media generation develop the confidence to embrace their unique beauty. Photo: Merz Aesthetics

To learn more about how idealised standards can affect the way people feel about themselves, Merz Aesthetics surveyed over 3,200 individuals across 11 Asia Pacific territories in 2018 to uncover their thoughts about beauty, self-worth and aesthetics treatments.

The results were intriguing, Mr Siow shared. “While self-confidence levels have improved over the last decade, we found that 70 per cent of men and women surveyed lacked confidence in themselves and their appearance. Up to 50 per cent surveyed even found it difficult to pay themselves a compliment due to cultural norms and societal definitions of beauty.” 

HELPING A NEW GENERATION EMBRACE THEIR UNIQUE BEAUTY

Upon this discovery, the company decided to challenge existing beauty norms and empower consumers to define beauty on their own terms. Thus, the Merz Aesthetics Serendipity Journey (MASJ) – a campaign to transform the way society perceives beauty by sharing inspiring stories of ambassadors – was launched.

Five MASJ ambassadors from Asia Pacific were selected: Thai fashion icon K Guitar Patinya; Filipino-American actor and entrepreneur Tony Labrusca; Indonesian actress and fitness influencer Ismi Melinda; Filipino-British actress and philanthropist Bela Padilla; and former model Michelle Hon from Singapore. The ambassadors had overcome personal struggles and learnt to embrace their individuality without conforming to society’s standards of perfection.

In Ms Hon’s case, the 42-year-old candidly shared the difficulties she faced in her early years of modelling. “One client would absolutely love me while another would comment on my weight. I developed a thick skin and learnt that what people think of you is just an opinion. It doesn’t affect my self-confidence unless I let it.”

Today, Ms Hon is a celebrated mom-preneur who successfully juggles family and a thriving career in supporting other mothers in building their online businesses. She credits the help of aesthetic treatments in helping her look good, feel good and live her best life. 

To attain your own beauty goals, it is important to work with a trusted medical aesthetics professional to first align your expectations, then develop a customised treatment plan for safe and effective results. 

Said Mr Siow: “With our range of innovative, non-invasive and hyper-personalised products, doctors can adjust the treatments for their patients’ unique skin needs and support them in their journey to create their own definition of beauty.”

Unlock your confidence and discover your unique beauty with Merz Aesthetics. 

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