Beauty treatments that have wowed you

[jibbe]

just that really! What have you had that has made a real difference, what have you had that you thought never again

@Frogdinner, yes it would certainly make them much less noticeable. It works well on ice pick scars and box car scars. I'd try chemical peels and a needling combination, obviously not in the same session, some weeks apart.

A deeper needling technique would be effective so look for a practitioner who can use a deeper length needle, know what they are doing and are trained properly. Many of my clients have pin prick bleeding during procedure and they have to be aware that it is part of the process. I / they want results.

There's a doctor on YouTube who talks enthusiastically about needling. He makes the point that Botox in the forehead isn't always that successful - it's tricky to get a balance between having an ice rink forehead and having too much movement. So he prefers needling in this area. I agree, I like to Botox in the procerus muscle ( between eyebrows) and around the eyes, and encourage clients to leave the forehead alone. That way it's more subtle and not a dead give away. Not that people have to be ashamed of any injectables ! However I still find clients don't want people to know/ guess that have had work done. Professional, public facing clients tend to want the results to be unnoticeable. That's why my Botox lip flip is one they favour.

Thank you @peanutbutt, that's so helpful.

Does micro- needling improve wrinkles? I think it’s the one treatment I haven’t tried! I’ve had laser for sun damage so that’s all gone. Biggest concerns are forehead- crows feet lines and sagging round the jaw.

I think Botox in the forehead/ 11s and getting the dose right is very tricky. More so than people realise.

Not a treatment as such but Cerave smoothing cream. Best thing ever for the dry skin on my legs. Brilliant and not expensive either.

I’m now booked in for micro needling!

When I was 18 my Mum took me to an Estée Lauder demo where I bought my first decent skincare routine. I've been using this (and a variety of good makes) for over 30 years now and my skin is still in good condition with very few wrinkles.

Im eating and drinking this thread!

I decided at the end of what was the worst year of my life that 2023 would be filled with self love/self care. Im almost 46 and have really good skin in fairness (due to good genes, tret, sunscreen every day etc) but have begun to notice sagging, fine lines and the worst was due to a year of clenching and grinding my teeth (all stress related) my masseter muscles grew to the point it completely widened my face.

So! 10 days ago i had my very first botox session - into my masseter muscles. It stops the teeth grinding and in time wiill weaken the muscles and my jawline should narrow back to before the stress!

I treated myself to lip filler too as I’d lost volume due to the natural aging process and I love them! They're subtle, exactly what I asked for. The botox will take a minimum of 2 weeks to take effect but I'm very hopeful. I’ve also booked in for botox in my forehead/around the eyes in February. F*uck it, I’m worth it. I’ll be damned if I allow my year from hell show on my face!!! 🤣🤣
ps if i had two grand spare (lol) I’d 100% buy the Dermalux Flex, the one they use in clinics. Its proven to help build collagen. A girl can dream 🤣

Ultherapy. It was expensive and painful, and took a long time to see the final results (about 6 months), but it has made a very noticeable difference to my skin. I'm 54 and my skin now looks at least 15 years younger than my age. It's been almost two years since my treatment and I will do it again later this year before it starts to wear off.

@samandpoppysmummy would you recommend ultheraoy for the starting of jowls/sagging of the jawline? Ive just googled it cause I’d never heard of it (new to tweakments) and its like 2k, but results are for approx 2 years 🤔

@CoconutAmericano this is the reason I had it. It has tightened up my whole face and neck as well as my jawline and my skin looks generally smoother. It cost £5,000, so if you can get it for £2000 I would definitely go ahead. I don't know if it works as well for everyone as I don't know anyone else that has had it done. I was very skeptical about it, but am not at the stage where I would want any surgery and thought I would take a chance. I am delighted with the results :) I will post before and almost-two-years-after photos when I'm at home later.

@samandpoppysmummy thank you so much I’d love to see pictures! The 2k I think is just for the lower face, under chin/jowl areas so sounds about right for half the area. Id consider saving up for this if i heard good reviews.

Just jumping on, as I started a thread specifically about this, but no responses 😕

Has anyone tried a AlumierMD peel? I'm told it's not medical grade, so won't cause loads of peeling, should just brighten and tighten, but now I'm wondering if I can get the same effects at home for much less money if it's the gentle 🤔

*that gentle

I do my own microneedling. I know it's not recommended, but I've not had any problems. I clean my skin with alcohol and then use a new set of sterile needles every time. I use a lidocaine cream and take a cocodamol tablet for the pain.

It works. It's really helped my lip wrinkles. I find that my skin looks best about two weeks after needling.

@AbsolutePixels I would be nervous about sterilising my face with alcohol. Doesn't it dry your skin out? I have a derma roller and I sterilise the roller itself.

@FruitcakedYes, it's drying but I only do it a handful of times each year. It's going to look inflamed and flaky for a few days anyway because of the microneedling.

I try to clean the skin properly because, although unlikely to cause any serious problems, the needles could push pathogens from the surface down through the protective barrier.

I think it's really hard to sterilise needles properly at home, that's why I use disposables.

How long are your needles please? And do you use a drum or a pen?

Is there a recovery time for micro needling ?

Everyone is different of course but my face is flushed for the rest of the day and slightly redder than usual the next day but I don't think anyone else would notice.

@Hereforthedramaz thanks so much

I also do my own micro needling. Bit like a Shakti mat in that you go a bit numb and it doesn’t hurt.

@MNisMyGuiltyPleasure I have this pen:
www.dr-pen.co.uk/product/dr-pen-a1-c/. I bought it (new) on ebay for about £30. I use it with the 12 pin cartridges. You can set the needle length depending on your requirements. I do most of my face on 0.5mm, but I turn it down to 0.25 around my eyes and forehead where the skin is thin. On my smile lines where the skin is thick, I turn it up to 1mm. When I get round to doing my stretch marks, I'll probably start on 2mm.

Just dipping back in to answer a pp on microneedling.

If you're unsure on going down the botox route just yet I would absolutely start with microneedling and Peels.

Had it been available when I started having botox I would have absolutely started that way. Go to someone medical and they can go deeper.

To those of you doing them at home at 1mm/2mm be careful.
I'm trained in it and do it daily.
Hcp.

And I still wouldn't give myself a deep needling session. I do occasionally give myself a superficial one if I'm looking a bit dull.

Will repurchase-
Botox is good, it got rid of my frown lines and crows feet brilliantly and was worth the money as it's given me the confidence to go makeup free.
Clonique moisture surge face cream, it is ahhhhhhhmazing and make my skin feel less flawed for sure.
Bio oil- on my C-section scar it has worked wonders and on some facial scarring I have had since I was a child ( chicken pox) is almost gone now.
Bare mineral facial serum, really light under makeup or for days you need a light moisturise outside of your daily face cream.
Ultimate blends hair mask, conditioner and frizz tamer 3 in 1- so nice on my hair, makes it really sleek and is surface free.
Clinique milk face wash- great for dry and combination skin

Never agains-
IPL, I'm ginger with pasty pale skin and it just didn't work at all and cost a fortune, complete waste of money for me.
Bare minerals night cream, smells weird and was stingy on my skin
Body shop sheet mask- all of them left a residue on my skin that felt awful and tight after I removed the mask.

@CoconutAmericano it was really hard to find a photo where the jowly bits show, but you can kind of see them here. The first photo is August 2020 and the second one was last week.

The loose jowly bits gradually pulled back up into the right place as my skin got tighter, and even my chin went back to its old shape (it had become slightly square at the bottom). I didn’t have all of my neck treated, as it was so painful having the bit under my chin done I had to ask the nurse to stop after that. I can see a few more lines have appeared on my neck in the two and a half years between the two photos though, so I will try and be braver next time!

The thing I’m most pleased with is the overall improvement to my skin tone. It’s hard to see in the photos as the first one isn’t as high-resolution as the recent one, and it was summer so I was more tanned, but I felt like I always looked a bit tired and now my skin looks so much fresher. My whole face feels tighter, plumper and hydrated.

I have no idea if ultherapy works this well for everyone or if I was just lucky, but for me, it was definitely money well spent.