There are some summers that never truly fade away. They don’t remain in photo albums or on social media, but somewhere deep inside us — in the scent of pine trees, the sound of cicadas, and the feeling of warm stone beneath bare feet. When I close my eyes, I can still see those summers of my childhood.
I remember the pier where we would leave our towels every morning, as if doing so could reserve our own little spot in the sun. After that, we would spend hours jumping into the sea, competing to see who could make the best dive, cannonball, or hold their breath underwater the longest. Time simply didn’t exist back then, and no one looked at a watch; we only knew the day was ending when the sun began to sink toward the horizon.
I also remember the warm stone walls beneath the Church of St. Euphemia in Rovinj. Today, chess is often played on phone screens, but back then we moved the pieces with our hands while sitting on the sun-warmed rocks of Sturaga Island, with the sound of the sea and swimmers in the background. The games may not have been particularly brilliant, but the memories certainly were.
I was a boy from Zagreb who spent his summers by the sea with his family, in Rovinj — a destination that shaped many of my summers and remains part of my happiest childhood memories. There were no mobile phones, internet, selfies, filters, or apps counting our steps or calories. There was only the sun, the sea, and endless days that seemed as though they would never end.
Years later, fine lines begin to appear around the eyes, pigmentation develops on the cheeks, and signs of fatigue emerge — things we may not feel on the inside, but certainly notice in the mirror.
This is where modern aesthetic medicine comes in — not as a battle against ageing, but as an attempt to bring our face back into harmony with the energy we feel inside. Because most of my patients don’t want to look twenty years younger. They want to look the way they feel.
Just as every summer has its own scent, its own song, and its own memories, every skin has its own needs. There is no single magical treatment that works for everyone, but there are several proven allies that I return to year after year. When patients ask me how to look fresh, rested, and natural during the summer, these are the five facial treatments I most often recommend.
HydraFacial - Hydration, Freshness, and a Natural Glow
Many years ago, the only preparation for summer was a good moisturiser and the hope that the sun would take care of the rest. Today, we know much more.
HydraFacial has become one of my favourite treatments precisely because it doesn’t change the face — it simply gives the skin back what it is missing: hydration, freshness, and radiance. It is like spring-cleaning your home after a long winter. The skin can breathe again, and sometimes that alone is enough to make us look several years more rested.
Botox - A Subtle Refresh Without Changing Your Expression
When I began working with Botox in London in the early 2000s, many people viewed it with a certain degree of suspicion. Today, it has become one of the most extensively researched and popular treatments in aesthetic medicine, yet one major misconception about it still remains.
Some people think the goal of Botox is to change the face. It isn’t.
The best Botox is the Botox nobody notices. When administered correctly, Botox can soften expression lines and eliminate the tired or angry appearance that a face can sometimes take on, without changing a person’s personality or natural expression.
With micro-Botox and baby-Botox doses — fun fact: I was the first to call small doses of Botox "baby Botox” in an article for an English newspaper back in the early 2000s, and the term is now used throughout the industry — wrinkles can be softened and the skin rejuvenated in a subtle, artistic, virtually undetectable way.
Botox for excessive underarm sweating is another excellent treatment for a long, hot summer.
Biostimulators and Skinboosters - Naturally Stimulating Collagen
There is something fascinating about the fact that our bodies continue to produce collagen as we age, even though our skin itself becomes older. Sometimes, it simply needs a little encouragement.
Plinest polynucleotides, Sunekos, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), skinboosters, and the many other biostimulators available today represent one of the most exciting areas of modern aesthetic medicine.
They don’t work like makeup, nor do they simply conceal a problem. Instead, they encourage the skin to start doing again what it once did naturally.
I like to compare them to a conductor bringing an orchestra back together after a long break. The instruments were there all along; they simply needed a little help to play again.
The skin becomes more radiant, fine lines and pores are reduced, pigmentation fades, and the skin regains the elasticity it had long forgotten it possessed.
The skin is healthy again. The skin sings again.
Clear Silk Laser Skin Rejuvenation - Modern Technology for Sun Damage
As a doctor who has worked with lasers for decades, and as the owner of the largest laser centre in Croatia, I still feel a certain excitement when I see what today’s technology can achieve.
I remember a time when recovery after laser treatments could take weeks. Today, modern lasers can deliver impressive results with significantly less discomfort and much shorter recovery times.
During the summer in particular, I often recommend Clear Silk, a laser by Sciton, because it works gently and comfortably, with virtually no downtime.
With regular SPF protection, there is no need to worry about sun exposure, making it an ideal choice during the warmer months.
The treatment is painless, restores radiance, stimulates rejuvenation, reduces fine lines and enlarged pores, and helps minimise redness.
We are not erasing years or memories. We are erasing damage that never needed to be there in the first place.
And that is a big difference.
EmFace - Facial Lifting and Toning Without Needles
If someone had told me twenty years ago that one day we would be able to strengthen facial muscles and perform a facelift-like treatment without needles or surgery, I probably would have been sceptical.
Today, that is a reality.
EmFace is one of those treatments that perfectly illustrates the direction in which modern aesthetic medicine is heading. It combines electrical stimulation of the facial muscles with radiofrequency energy, helping to tighten the skin and stimulate collagen production.
Less invasive, more natural, and smarter.
The treatment is painless, there is no downtime, and the results are fantastic. We are not changing the anatomy; we are helping the body make better use of what it already has.
And here is a bonus treatment for this summer — for a more muscular body on the beach, with less visible cellulite and fewer unwanted fat deposits.
EmSculpt Neo - Advanced Body Contouring
I admit, I have always found the idea of building muscle while lying on a treatment bed rather amusing. If someone had told me that while I was studying medicine in London, I probably would have laughed.
Today, EmSculpt Neo is one of the most fascinating technologies we have.
One EmSculpt Neo treatment for the abdominal muscles can induce contractions equivalent to approximately 20,000 abdominal exercises in the gym. Of course, nothing can replace a walk by the sea, hiking, or a good workout, but it can help people who want an additional boost — defining muscles while simultaneously reducing fat.
And sometimes, it is precisely those small boosts that create big changes.
The treatment can lift the buttocks, create more defined abdominal muscles, strengthen the arms, and reduce unwanted fat deposits.
EmSculpt Neo is yet another marvel of modern aesthetic medicine.
After more than two decades working in aesthetic medicine, from Harley Street in London to Zagreb, and after performing more than one hundred thousand treatments, I am often asked what beauty really is.
I used to think the answer lay in perfect proportions.
Today, I think differently.
Beauty is when a person looks rested, healthy, and happy, and when they can smile without thinking about how they will look in a photograph.
Perhaps that is why I still love summer the most.
It reminds us that we should not measure life by wrinkles, years, or even photographs, but by memories. And if modern medicine can help us feel a little better, a little fresher, and a little more confident as we create new memories, then it has already done something worthwhile. Because the goal is not to look younger than your age. The goal is to look good for your age.
And perhaps that is the greatest beauty of modern aesthetics.
Not to turn us into someone else, but to help us recognise and preserve the best of who we already are.
So, the next time you look at your face in the mirror, don’t look for imperfections first. Pause for a moment and remember everything that face carries: smiles, love, and the summers you remember.
Think back to a long-ago summer on our beautiful Adriatic coast, on a stunning beach, to the sound of waves breaking against a pier, the glow of fireworks at an old fishing festival, or the first light of dawn on a rock beside the sea after a first kiss.
Because true beauty has never been simply about appearance.
It is a combination of memories, confidence, and the way we live our own story.
And when modern aesthetics serves that purpose, it becomes much more than a treatment.
It becomes a gentle reminder that it is worth taking care of ourselves, enjoying the present moment, and looking forward with joy to every new summer that lies ahead.
Read the full article in ELLE