Dr Lylah Hill unpacks the science of SPF, revealing how reliance on erythema-based MED testing and fair-skin models skews our idea of protection. Drawing on histology and photobiology, she shows that darker skin still sustains UV induced DNA damage, that melanin can mask redness without preventing CPDs, and that visible light and UVA1 drive photoageing. A sharp case for inclusive, evidence based SPF standards and smarter public guidance, not a one size fits all sunscreen.
Read MoreDr Jess shares a clear, no-nonsense guide to regenerative tweakments, explaining how biostimulators help skin repair itself rather than simply fill or relax muscles. She breaks down the leading options - polynucleotides, exosomes, CaHA and PLLA, when to use them, and why patients and clinics are choosing their natural, progressive results.
Read MoreClinics and clients already turn to botulinum toxin for far more than softening a frown. We use it to quiet masseter overactivity, to ease chronic migraine, to reduce severe underarm sweating. Yet the public story is still trapped in anti-wrinkle. That label narrows expectations, skews consent conversations and keeps the debate stuck in aesthetics when the medicine’s value is broader. Is it time to call these injections what they functionally are in everyday language, muscle relaxants?
Read MoreCircadian is a measurable way to support physiology in rooms where people lie still for long periods while therapists concentrate on fine motor tasks. The science is clear that light reaching the eye does more than help us see. It entrains the body clock, shifts alertness, and alters sleep pressure through intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells that respond most strongly to short-wavelength light. The international CIE S 026 standard now lets designers specify these non-visual effects using melanopic metrics that sit alongside familiar lux, glare and colour rendering values.
Read MoreElectric files can be transformative in skilled hands. They speed up product removal, refine shapes with precision and create room for meticulous cuticle work. They can also thin plates, generate heat and trigger onycholysis if used carelessly. Training is non-negotiable, and UK industry standards caution against using an e-file directly on the natural nail plate unless you have specific advanced training, with strict attention to protecting surrounding skin.
Read MorePoint of care ultrasound is moving from emergency rooms into aesthetic clinics, where it is being used to map vessels, confirm injection planes and troubleshoot complications in real time. High frequency probes can visualise superficial soft tissue with impressive detail, so practitioners can plan, inject and document with far greater confidence than with palpation alone. Early studies and expert guidance suggest that ultrasound guidance lowers risk and improves placement accuracy, particularly in high stakes areas like the midface and temples.
Read MoreClinics offering botulinum toxin are being told to audit their cold-chain now or risk non-compliance when England’s new licensing regime lands. The Cosmetic Practice Standards Authority (CPSA) requires botulinum toxin to be stored in a lockable, purpose-built medicines refrigerator that maintains a stable +2 °C to +8 °C with routine temperature auditing and records.
Read MoreBreast augmentation is being rethought. Patients who once asked for obvious volume now arrive with screenshots of neat, high-sitting results that read as athletic and proportionate. In clinic language this is the ballerina breast look. It signals a preference for control over conspicuity, and it is changing the pre-op conversation across the UK and beyond.
Read MoreAlpha hydroxy acid (AHA) peels have long been a cornerstone of both cosmetic and medical aesthetic practice. Glycolic, lactic and mandelic acids in particular are used to refine skin texture, improve radiance, manage mild acne and stimulate collagen production. Yet, the numbers on a product label often tell only part of the story. A peel that claims to be 20 per cent glycolic may act with strikingly different intensity depending on its formulation. The true determinant of effect is not simply the stated percentage but the relationship between concentration, pH and the resulting free acid value (FAV). This balance defines how much of the acid is biologically available to penetrate the skin and trigger exfoliation, and it is the single most important metric for predicting how a peel will behave in practice.
Read MoreThe UK government has launched a social media campaign using TikTok creators to warn about the risks of travelling overseas for cosmetic and medical procedures. The initiative, announced on 15 August, aims to provide clear guidance before people book treatments such as hair transplants, dental work and high-risk cosmetic surgery.
Read MoreThe minibar is one of hospitality’s most overlooked revenue opportunities. For decades it has offered the same predictable selection: miniature bottles of spirits, a couple of mixers, and a chocolate bar that could be bought for a fraction of the price at the nearest shop. Yet with alcohol sales declining and wellness now a priority for travellers, it is time to ask why the hotel minifridge has not evolved.
Read MoreOur columnist Katie Hughes-Dawkins shares her blueprint for building a sustainable, successful aesthetic business, urging practitioners to cut through industry noise, focus on brand identity over personal branding, delegate strategically, and create a clinic that thrives independently of its founder.
Read MoreIn recent years, skincare has entered an era where beauty meets innovation. Gone are the days when radiance meant nothing more than serums and creams. You can now enhance your facial ritual with cutting-edge gadgets such as LED masks, jade rollers with micro-vibration and AI-powered diagnostic tools. Driven by a booming global market set to grow from around USD 21.3 billion in 2025 to an estimated USD 53.7 billion by 2034, this shift reflects how modern consumers expect their self-care to be as smart as it is soothing.
Read MoreThe UK government has unveiled new plans to regulate the aesthetics industry, targeting unsafe practices that have left patients injured, scarred or requiring urgent NHS care. Under the proposed measures, only qualified healthcare professionals will be allowed to perform the most high-risk procedures, including non-surgical Brazilian butt lifts. These treatments must take place in Care Quality Commission registered clinics.
Read MoreExperts in facial aesthetics consistently highlight these two features that carry a powerful transformation; shaping, lifting, and rejuvenating your appearance: your brows and your teeth. Together, they shape how youthful, confident, and healthy you appear.
Read MoreSignificant weight loss, while a positive achievement for overall health, can introduce a distinct aesthetic challenge: a marked depletion of facial volume. This phenomenon has become an increasingly prevalent clinical concern, largely driven by the success of modern weight management strategies, including bariatric surgery and the widespread adoption of highly effective GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic and Mounjaro. This has given rise to the clinical descriptor "Ozempic Face," which characterises the accelerated facial ageing, gauntness, and hollowed appearance that can result from rapid and substantial fat loss.
Read MoreStep inside the world of The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical, and behind the glittering costumes and fashion-forward finesse is a quiet powerhouse making it all look effortless. Carolina Quina, Head of Wigs, Hair, and Makeup, leads one of the most meticulous departments in theatre with an eye for detail and a deep love for transformation.
Read MoreYou’re not a doctor. You’re not pretending to be one. But when you work with skin every day, you notice things. A client books in for a hydrating facial or a new exfoliating treatment, but the therapist sees more than just dullness or congestion. Something is flaring. Something doesn’t settle. Subtle changes in tone, texture, inflammation that shouldn’t be there, or breakouts that follow no pattern. A beauty therapist or clinical facialist often sees more of someone’s face, more regularly, than anyone else in their life. So when something’s not right, it shows and that trained instinct kicks in.
Read MoreA striking number of salon clients rarely wash their own hair, preferring instead to rely entirely on salon visits for scalp care, shampooing, and styling. They book weekly or twice-weekly appointments and leave the technicalities of scalp care, product selection, and heat styling entirely to the professionals.
Read MoreThis daily physical strain contributes to a high rate of career burnout. Chronic pain and repetitive strain are primary reasons why many technicians leave the profession. Experts argue this is not an inevitable consequence of the work, but a result of workplace practices that can, and should, be changed. By applying the principles of ergonomics, the science of designing the workplace to fit the worker, professionals can move from managing pain to preventing it altogether.
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