A successful tweakment is one that nobody can put their finger on, yet invites narrowed eyes alongside comments such as “Have you been on holiday?” or “How come you look so well?” With aesthetic procedures becoming ever more refined, your chances of getting such results are pretty solid, provided you see an experienced doctor prepared to tell you what’s right for your face and skin. Here are five new options embraced by top practitioners in the capital.
The K-beauty skin life: Xerf
Number one on the hype scale is Xerf, a Korean device that deep-heats tissues below the skin’s surface using monopolar radiofrequency energy for a collagen-boosting, tightening effect. Neither the technology nor the idea is new, so some top doctors say they can achieve the same results with longer-established machines at a less spicy price. But Xerf has others convinced.
“It uses two frequency depths in one go, the superficial one delivering an instantaneous tightening of the top skin layers like nothing I’ve ever seen,” says Dr Priya Verma. “The second one disperses slowly and evenly in the fibrous layer under the skin for fundamental deep contraction and lift over three months.” Xerf tautens early skin laxity and will do nothing for advanced sagging, which requires surgery.
Downtime is minimal, with mild redness immediately afterwards. The cost is from £2,500 per session for the full face and neck, with a second session generally recommended after four to six weeks and annual top-ups. The treatment is available at Art Clinic by Priya Verma, 14A Lowndes Street.
The liquid lip-booster: Bacio skinfull
Bacio Lip lines and age-related lip shrinkage are extremely hard to treat without some trace of not-quite-natural inflation, but this microneedling device loaded with hyaluronic acid and cell-nourishing vitamin B12 manages it. It gets pressed along inside and just outside the lips to “micro-implant” them with the smoothing, moisture-trapping serum.
There may be some drops of blood, but no pain thanks to numbing cream. Immediately, you’ll see a deeper lip colour and some inflation that settles into juiciness within days. Over the course of three fortnightly sessions, your lips will “gain definition and natural hydration, while lines become slightly less evident,” says Dr Sarah Tonks. Downtime involves slight swelling for 24 to 48 hours. A course of three treatments costs £1,485, with results lasting up to six months, at The Lovely Clinic, 8 Beauchamp Place, SW3.
The facial fat regenerator: Profhilo Structura
Hydrating skin booster Profhilo has an ultra-concentrated sibling with the surprising ability to restore deflated fat cells in your superficial facial fat pads. Fat is responsible for much of your skin support and contours, but it withers with age and weight loss. As the pads disintegrate and shift, the overlying skin loses its tautness and uniform texture.
Structura helps correct this. Injected with a cannula into the sub-dermal fat of the mid-face and cheek, the irritant-free hyaluronic acid complex slowly disperses to restore healthy fat layer function and prompt “subtly more firm-feeling smoothness in the outer cheek and cheekbone area, which can also have the slightest lifting effect on the jawline,” says Dr Wassim Taktouk. Results will show from a month after session two; there is no downtime except for some mild swelling. The cost is £1,485 for three sessions at Taktouk Clinic, 56 Knightsbridge Court, SW1.
The rosacea slayer: LDM Triple
Most rejuvenating tweakments rely on a controlled level of heat or inflammation to set off a collagen-regenerating healing response — which makes them counterproductive for those with inflammatory skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema or dermatitis. So the advent of devices like LDM Triple, which can heal and revive skin on a molecular level without heat, feels almost miraculous.
Entirely non-invasive, this machine transmits oscillating multi frequency ultrasound waves that don’t deep-heat skin cells but literally shake them all about, which, says laser authority Debbie Thomas, stimulates them to perform at peak level. “We get increased cell energy, improved barrier function, sped-up collagen and elastin production and significantly reduced inflammation,” she says. “It’s incredible for hyper-reactive skin with acne, rosacea, or any situation that requires flames to be put out. It’s calming but active — the best of both worlds.” Downtime is minimal, with some people experiencing warmth or mild pinkness. A package of six 30-minute LDM Triple treatments costs from £1,300 at D.Thomas Clinic, 25 Walton Street, SW3.
The helping-hand rejuvenator: Harmonyca + Skinvive
HArmonyCa, the bio-stimulating hybrid injectable designed to restore density to slackening, thinning skin in the mid and lower face, is a secret weapon against hands suffering from age-related fat and collagen loss. Injected with a cannula in the back of each hand (a delicate procedure, so select an experienced physician), you’ll get an instant but temporary plumping from hyaluronic acid, while a bio-stimulating agent revs up natural collagen production to soften and plump the area and make bulging veins far less evident for up to 18 months.
Dr Apul Parikh will add on two sessions, one month apart, of the hydrating skin booster SkinVive, administered via multiple small injections in the fingers. Your digits will look less elephant trunk-like for up to six months. Downtime includes mild redness, swelling, bruising, and temporary lumps and bumps at the injection site. The combination costs £1,600 at Dr Apul Parikh Clinic, 7 Grosvenor Gardens, SW1.
