A smarter face plan starts behind the lips. We explore how tooth position, gum contour and bite shape lip support, soften folds and rebalance the lower third, often reducing the need for injectables. With clear visuals, case planning and Dr Yasmin’s insight, it’s key to understand when dentistry should come first and how to sequence the rest.
Read MoreSmita Ahluwalia, award-winning facialist and founder of Smita London, sets out a clear, science-led roadmap for treating hyperpigmentation in skin of colour. Drawing on three decades of practice and her South Asian heritage, she explains why melanin-rich skin needs inflammation-aware protocols and careful modality choice. Expect a measured take on The Green Peel, gentle mandelic and lactic peels, microneedling with pigment modulators, LED for recovery, and NanoFractional RF for texture and tone, with selective use of Nd:YAG where appropriate. The focus is long-term clarity and barrier health supported by daily SPF and targeted home care, with menopause and skin of colour needs front and centre.
Read MoreKatie Hughes-Dawkins, veteran clinician turned sales leader and former multi-clinic operator, distils twenty-five years of frontline insight into what truly works. She sets neuromodulators as the reference point, backs Alexandrite and Nd:YAG for lasting hair removal, and positions CO₂ resurfacing as the heavy lifter for texture and scars. Fillers earn a cautious yes in expert hands, while facials, peels and disciplined home care form the base that makes everything else perform. Her message is clear: choose proven platforms, skilled practitioners and a partnership approach for results that last.
Read MoreDr Jennifer Owens, dentist and MSc Aesthetic Medicine graduate from St Barts and founder of The Glow Clinic in Dublin and Cork, explores the shifting line between beautification and correction in modern aesthetics. She shows how lip enhancement in youth, midface restoration with age, and energy-based skin treatments can all sit on the same spectrum when harmony and facial balance lead the plan. Drawing on real-world cases and the “designed self” concept, she explains why patient perception and mental health matter as much as anatomy. The result is a clear, compassionate guide to treatments that help patients look authentically themselves.
Read MoreYou hear it every peak peel season - “Is it normal for my skin to purge after a facial?” The word purge has travelled from social media into clinic language, yet it rarely means the same thing to clients and practitioners. To the client, any post-treatment spots feel like proof of a reaction. To professionals, those early blemishes can reflect predictable biology, poor barrier tolerance, or unrelated acne triggers that happened to coincide with treatment. “Skin purging” is not a formal medical diagnosis. It is a consumer term used to describe a temporary flare of spots after introducing actives that increase epidermal turnover, most famously topical retinoids. Dermatology literature documents early acne flaring with retinoids, although the phenomenon is better framed as irritation and accelerated comedone cycling rather than a discrete disease entity.
Read MoreAutumn is shaping up to be the season clinics lean into longevity, precision and polish. After years of micro-maintenance, patients are asking for fewer appointments with more durable payoff, favouring treatments that rebuild structure, bank collagen and refine skin quality rather than simply add volume. We’re seeing two tracks rise in tandem: regenerative biostimulatory protocols that improve texture, tone and pore profile over weeks, and meticulously engineered procedures that reposition rather than inflate, delivering definition without the giveaway finish. Devices are getting faster and kinder to skin, pairing high frequency mechanics with intelligent delivery to minimise irritation while driving actives exactly where they need to go. Body care is stepping out of the shadows, with back, scalp and stretch-mark solutions moving from niche to normal, and luxury hospitality filtering into treatment menus so results and experience land on equal footing. In clinic diaries, that translates to glow now, lift that lasts and protocols that layer hydration with repair for the pre-party run-up. This month’s launches reflect that direction of travel, from structure-first rejuvenation to next-wave skin boosters and precision microneedling systems, with spa-grade rituals that feel considered rather than cosmetic. The common thread is subtlety with stamina, and outcomes that read as you on your best day.
Read MoreSkincare needs time and consistency to deliver visible improvements. A full skin cell turnover cycle is roughly 28 days for a young adult, so most routines show initial signs of working in about a month. Dermatologists usually advise sticking with a new regimen for at least one skin cycle before judging its effectiveness. Many changes, such as fading sun damage or softening wrinkles, require multiple cycles. The key is daily use and realistic expectations.
Read MoreDr 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 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 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 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 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 MoreChemical peels deliberately cause injury to the skin to provoke a superior healing response. Yet, the discourse surrounding this cornerstone procedure is often muddled, particularly concerning the crucial final step of some peels, the neutralisation. A lack of clarity on when and why a peel must be stopped chemically has led to confusion, not only for the public but for practitioners as well. It is time to assert a clear, evidence-based stance. The necessity of a peel neutraliser is not a matter of opinion or technique; it is a chemical mandate.
Read MoreDr. Lylah Hill delves into the science behind SPF, exposing the hidden flaws in how sunscreen efficacy is measured and understood. From outdated testing models to biases in skin type representation, this piece challenges the reliability of current SPF standards and urges a more inclusive, evidence-based approach to photoprotection. Essential reading for anyone who thinks sunscreen is a one-size-fits-all solution.
Read MoreA new report from Swiss aesthetics brand Teoxane reveals a sharp rise in interest among UK men seeking non-surgical cosmetic procedures, with an estimated 5.2 million now considering dermal filler treatment.
Read MoreIn this expert-led guide, Consultant Dermatologist Dr. Clare Kiely demystifies one of skincare’s most powerful yet misunderstood ingredients: retinoids. From the science behind cell turnover to the all-important conversion process, she explains how to navigate the vitamin A family and choose the right retinoid for your skin. Whether you’re a first-time user or looking to level up your routine, this is your go-to breakdown of the retinol pyramid, minus the confusion.
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