Navigating the world of customization can be overwhelming – even for someone like me who has been involved in this field for 25 years. But if you’re curious about what else is out there beyond Botox and fillers, read on.
As a journalist with a passion for uncovering the truth about cosmetic treatments, I’ve tested everything from wrinkle-relaxing toxins to stem cell-assisted fat transfer so you don’t have to. On my website and social media I share what these procedures look like, plus their results, to give you an honest look into this fascinating but often baffling world.
So what’s new, exciting and – crucially – effective for 2025? Here are my choices…
The lip boost without pouting trout
What is the adjustment? Hyaluronic acid-based injections, such as Volite or Restylane from Juvéderm, instead of fillers, for smoother, softer lips without a hint of trout. You will receive the injections at strategic points in the lips. The product then spreads beneath the surface.
Good for? Make your lips look less dry, old and wrinkled (instead of just fuller), as the treatment is great for improving both lip hydration and skin quality.
Does it work? Imagine having a comforting layer of serum on the inside of your lips. It makes them look softer, smoother and a little fuller without adding any obvious volume.
How long does it take? Four to nine months, depending on the product used and how well your lips respond to it.
Is it painful? Well, it requires needles to get the product through the skin, so brace yourself for that – but it’s a fine needle and you can use a numbing cream to make it feel more comfortable.
Pronunciation? I would definitely choose this instead
How much and where? From £300, from beauticians nationwide.
The hi-tech answer to dry eye syndrome
What is the adjustment? Envision involves a practitioner using a small hand-held wand to deliver radio frequency energy that gently warms and soothes the blocked Meibomian glands that cause dry eyes. Once the glands, which are located along the lash line, have warmed up, the blockage is ‘expressed’, i.e. squeezed out (yes, ugh, but essential, otherwise they would just get clogged again when cooled down).
Good for? Dry eye syndrome, which makes your eyes gritty or itchy and/or water a lot when it’s cold and windy. It is a common problem, especially as we get older, when the eyes do not produce enough lubricating oil to cover the tears and make them feel comfortable.
Does it work? Yes, as long as it is done by someone with specialist training.
How long does it take? After a year you will need a maintenance session.
Is it painful? No, you get a warming rather than a scorching feeling. Your eyelids will be a little pink and swollen for a few hours afterwards.
Pronunciation? It is good for people whose eyes water as soon as the air is cold, and for whom eye drops and warm compresses do not help.
How much and where? €950 for a course of four sessions. Clinics include Aesthetic Visual Result (avresult.com) and The Eye Retreat Medispa (theeyeretreat.co.uk).
The supercharger for fish cocktail skins
What is the adjustment? Polynucleotide cocktails. If you’re wondering ‘poly-what?’, these are the skin revivers made from fish DNA that made headlines this year as ‘the salmon sperm facial’. While I hate to spoil a great story with a few facts, polynucleotides are an injectable treatment (by no means can you call them a “facial”) and many of them come from trout. Practitioners are now taking the treatment to the next level by mixing it with the likes of PRP (platelet-rich plasma, sourced from your own blood) and hyaluronic acid hydrator Profhilo, and injecting it into a cocktail for super-powerful skin revitalization.
Good for? It gives the skin a huge kickstart to regenerate itself, so that it becomes firmer (thanks to the new collagen and elastin), better hydrated, tighter and generally renewed from within.
Does it work? Yes, especially if the cocktail is injected into skin that has been lightly traumatized with laser or microneedling – because then all these skin-healing ingredients can really show their wound-healing, regenerative properties.
How long does it take? About nine to twelve months.
Is it painful? It depends on how comfortable you are with lots of pinpricks – insist on numbing cream if you’re not.
Pronunciation? Remarkable. After a basic cocktail last year, I was impressed with brighter, fresher skin that was visibly tighter in just three weeks.
How much and where? £1,500 for your face with Dr. Sach Mohan on revereclinics.com.
The solution for swollen faces
What is the adjustment? LPG endermology, which is more of a mechanical facial than a tweak. It is done using a type of soft forceps, known as an Ergolift, which work their way across the face (sounds awful but feels fantastic), performing lymphatic drainage while micropulsations of light stimulate collagen and elastin production and improve blood flow.
Good for? Where should I start? If you have a swollen face, it will flush the fluid away. If you are undergoing adjustments such as radiofrequency microneedling (where a device powers tiny needles to repeatedly fire radiofrequency energy into the skin), using this before and after will improve results. Cosmetic surgeons find it effective to prepare the skin for maximum health before surgery, and to speed healing and scar reduction afterwards.
Does it work? Yes, really good.
How long does it take?? After a course of treatment, results should last for twelve months.
Is it painful? Not a little. It’s strange but soothing.
Pronunciation? Great. Find a salon or clinic near you, because you will benefit most from a course of six to eight treatments.
How much and where? From €30 for 15 minutes. To find your nearest doctor, visit endermologie.com/en-store/our-centers.
The fast laser glow
What is the adjustment? Laser Genesis is a facial treatment performed with a laser, which delivers such a short, rapid pulse that you don’t even notice it’s happening.
Good for? Brighten dull skin, reduce redness and rosacea, and stimulate new collagen and elastin in manageable 20-minute appointments with no downtime.
Does it work? So good that some clinics I know now have two machines to stop their staff fighting over who gets access to them!
How long does it take? Results after a course of four to six sessions should last for twelve months.
Is it painful? No, completely painless, to the extent that you wonder if anything is actually happening.
Pronunciation? Delicious. It’s fast, easy and effective.
How much and where? From €125 per session. To find a doctor, visit cutera.com/uk-en/patient/find-a-provider.
Alice Hart-Davis is the founder of thetweakmentsguide.com