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Navigating the world of tuning can be overwhelming, even for someone like me who has been involved in this area for 25 years. But if you’re curious about what lies beyond Botox and fillers, read on.
As a journalist passionate about uncovering the truth about cosmetic treatments, I’ve tried 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 are like, as well as their results, to give you an honest look into this fascinating but often bewildering world.
So what’s new, exciting and, above all, effective for 2025? Here are my picks…
The Trout Poutless Lip Booster
What is the setting? Hyaluronic acid-based injections, like Juvéderm’s Volite or Restylane, instead of fillers, for softer, plumper lips without any hint of a trout pout. They apply the injections at strategic points on the lips. The product is then spread beneath the surface.
Good for? Ensuring your lips look less dry, old and wrinkled (rather than simply plumper), as the treatment is excellent for improving both lip hydration and skin quality.
Works? Imagine having a comforting layer of serum on the inside of your lips. It will make them look softer, smoother and a little fuller without adding obvious volume.
How long does it last? Four to nine months, depending on the product used and how well your lips respond.
Is it painful? Well, it involves needles to push the product through the skin, so be prepared for that, but it’s a fine needle and you can apply numbing cream to make you more comfortable.
Verdict? I would definitely opt for this instead
How much and where? From £300, at beauty professionals nationwide.
The high-tech answer to dry eye syndrome
What is the setting? Envision involves a medical expert using a small hand-held wand to deliver radiofrequency energy that gently warms and softens blocked meibomian glands that cause dry eyes. Once the glands along the lash line are heated, the blockage is “expressed”, that is, squeezed out (yes, ugh, but it’s vital, otherwise they would simply become blocked again when cool).
Good for? Dry eye syndrome, which makes the eyes feel gritty or itchy and/or watery a lot in cold, windy weather. It’s a fairly common problem, especially as we age, when our eyes don’t produce enough lubricating oil to coat tears and keep them comfortable.
Works? Yes, as long as someone with specialized training does it.
How long does it last? You will need a maintenance session after a year.
Is it painful? No, you’ll get a warm feeling instead of a scorching one. Your eyelids will be a little pink and puffy for a few hours afterward.
Verdict? It is good for people whose eyes water as soon as the air cools down and for whom eye drops and warm compresses do not help.
How much and where? £950 for a four-session course. Clinics include Aesthetic Visual Result (avresult.com) and The Eye Retreat Medispa (theeyeretreat.co.uk).
The Fish Cocktail Skin Supercharger
What is the setting? Polynucleotide cocktails. If you’re wondering “poly-what?”, these are the skin revitalizers made with fish DNA that made headlines this year as “the salmon sperm facial.” As much as I hate to spoil a great story with some facts, polynucleotides are an injectable treatment (there’s no way you could call them ‘facial’) and many of them come from trout. Professionals are now improving the treatment by mixing them, for example, with PRP (platelet-rich plasma, extracted from one’s own blood) and the hyaluronic acid moisturizer Profhilo, injecting them into a cocktail for intense skin revitalization.
Good for? Giving the skin a big boost to regenerate, so that it becomes firmer (thanks to new collagen and elastin), better hydrated, plumper and generally renewed from the inside out.
Works? Yes, especially if the cocktail is injected into skin that has been lightly traumatized by laser or microneedling, because then all of these skin-repairing ingredients can really show off their regenerative and wound-healing abilities.
How long does it last? About nine to 12 months.
Is it painful? It depends on how good you are with lots of stinging injections; insist on using numbing cream if you are not.
Verdict? Remarkable. After a basic cocktail last year, I was impressed to see clearer, fresher and visibly tighter skin in just three weeks.
How much and where? £1500 for your face with Dr Sach Mohan at revereclinics.com.
The solution for puffy faces
What is the setting? LPG Endermology, which is more of a mechanical facial than a pinch. It is performed using a type of soft clamp, known as an Ergolift, that bites into the face (sounds horrible but feels fabulous), performing lymphatic drainage, while micro-pulsations of light stimulate collagen and elastin production and improve blood flow.
Good for? Where do I start? If your face is swollen, it will remove the fluid. If you are undergoing adjustments such as radiofrequency microneedling (where a device propels small needles to fire radiofrequency energy repeatedly into the skin), doing this before and after will improve results. Cosmetic surgeons find it effective in preparing the skin for maximum health before surgery and in speeding healing and scar reduction afterward.
Works? Yes, very good.
how long does it last? After one course of treatment, results should last 12 months.
Is it painful? Not at all. It’s strange but reassuring.
Verdict? Fantastic. Find a salon or clinic near you, because you will get the most benefit from a course of six to eight treatments.
How much and where? From £30 for 15 min. To find your nearest doctor, visit endermologie.com/en-store/our-centers.
The rapid laser shine
What is the setting? Laser Genesis is a facial treatment performed with a laser, which fires a pulse so short and fast that you won’t even notice it’s happening.
Good for? Brightens dull skin, reduces redness and rosacea, and stimulates new collagen and elastin in manageable, no-downtime 20-minute appointments.
Works? So good that some clinics I know now have two machines to prevent their staff from fighting over who has access to them!
How long does it last? Results after a course of four to six sessions should last 12 months.
Is it painful? No, completely painless, to the point that you wonder if something is really happening.
Verdict? Charming. It’s quick, easy and effective.
How much and where? From £125 per session. To find a provider, visit cutera.com/uk-en/patient/find-a-provider.
Alice Hart-Davis is the founder of thetweakmentsguide.com