What are the main categories of beauty

With the rise of self-love and body positivity, the concept of beauty has evolved into something deeply personal and subjective. When exploring the modern-day connotation of beauty, it often falls into two main categories: life beauty and medical beauty. Life beauty emphasizes natural charm and inner radiance without alterations. On the other hand, medical beauty focuses on enhancements or procedures aimed at achieving a specific aesthetic goal.

However, beauty cannot always be confined to these structured definitions.  For some, it may mean having a strong, healthy body; for others, it could be the comfort of embracing their imperfections and all. Beauty is a deeply personal choice shaped by individual desires and life experiences. In this article, we will dive into the modern-day categories of beauty so that you can decide which one you want to adopt for your body.

Ultimately, how you choose to define beauty for yourself is your prerogative. It's your canvas to paint and your story to write. However, in this article, we will guide you through the concepts of life beauty, often referred to as life cosmetology, and medical beauty, also known as medical cosmetology.

Life Cosmetology

Life cosmetology includes all those treatments and products that are non-invasive. This category of life beauty focuses on enhancing natural features and appearances, unlike the dramatic transformations of medical cosmetology. It includes self-care through different products to enhance your natural beauty. 

In the era of fleeting beauty trends and complete transformation, life cosmetology provides healthy practices that promote self-love and acceptance. It emphasizes enhancement instead of alteration, which is much healthier for both mental health and physical health.

Aspects of Life Cosmetology

Following are the different categories and aspects of life cosmetology being practised. Each of these methods is simple, non-invasive, and designed to be easily incorporated into your daily routine, allowing you to care for your body with ease.

Skin Care

Skin care refers to taking care of your skin by protecting it from the harshness of the external environment and by enhancing its natural appearance through different products. It involves the use of different products that contain hydrating and skin-boosting constituents like biotin, vitamins, peptides, hyaluronic acid, glycolic acid, and many more. These beneficial elements are delivered to the skin through various mediums, including:

Serums: Concentrated solutions designed for deep penetration and targeted treatment.

Toners: Lightweight liquids that refresh the skin and balance its pH.

Moisturizers: Creams and lotions that lock in hydration and create a protective barrier.

Hair Care

As the name suggests, hair care includes improving the health of your hair. Hair care is practised through shampoos for cleaning, conditioners for moisturizing, and hair masks for improving hair health. Hair care can also include getting hair botox and priming treatments from salons. These treatments involve the use of chemicals and agents to facilitate the natural healing of hair.

Cosmetics

This category of life cosmetology revolves around the use of different products to accentuate the natural body features in non-invasive ways. Cosmetics include foundations, lipsticks, highlighters, and many other products. Cosmetics are also used to hide different facial imperfections without having to get permanent and expensive treatments.

Facial Treatments

Different treatments offered by dermatologists, like hydra facials, chemical peeling, and micro-needling, also fall under the category of life cosmetology. These treatments are thoughtfully designed to improve the natural appearance of facial features through different constituents. 

Medical Cosmetology

Medical cosmetology is another broad category of beauty that includes all the treatments which tend to permanently alter the appearance, shape, and colour of human features. All the treatments and practices that fall under medical cosmetology are of an invasive nature.

In other words, any process of beautification which is going to cause trauma to the body is categorized as medical cosmetology. This category of beauty is poles apart from life cosmetology as it promotes artificial beauty and the transformation of body features through painful treatments. 

Aspects of Medical Cosmetology

Following are the different aspects of medical cosmetology;

Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic surgery is sculpting different parts of the body through invasive surgical treatments. It can be done to completely change the features or contour the present features. Treatments like breast augmentation and buttocks augmentation are done to change the silhouettes of breast and butt in terms of size and shape. Plastic surgery is also often opted to correct perceived imperfections or abnormalities that a person may have.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a cosmetic surgical procedure designed to remove excess fat from specific areas of the body. It is primarily a body contouring treatment, targeting regions like the face, thighs, abdomen, neck, and hips to enhance overall body shape and proportions. While many individuals opt for liposuction to achieve their desired body image, this procedure is not solely cosmetic. In certain cases, liposuction is also utilized for medical purposes, such as managing obesity or addressing health conditions like lipomas (benign fatty tumours) or lymphedema (chronic swelling due to fluid retention).