You look at a holiday photo and something has shifted, though you cannot quite name it. Most people arrive at a clinic with a treatment already in mind, often from a friend or a feed, and around half the time a different one suits what they would like to change even better.
This is the short version of the conversation the Wimpole Street team has at consultation, arranged by what you see in the mirror rather than by product.
If lines appear when you move
Anti-wrinkle injections. They relax the specific muscle folding the skin, and lines caused by movement usually soften well.
If the line is visible when your face is at rest, muscle relaxation softens it beautifully, and because the crease now sits in the tissue as well as the movement, skin treatment finishes the job. The perfect partners are skin boosters, microneedling, or resurfacing for deep etched lines.
From £180 for one area.
If your face looks tired or flat
This is usually about volume, and restoring it brings the freshness back.
Facial fat pads shrink and drift downward from the mid thirties. Cheeks flatten, shadows appear from nose to mouth, the jawline softens. Filler restores the structure, and restoring the cheek is frequently what softens a fold rather than injecting the fold itself.
Where the loss is broad rather than in one place, a biostimulator builds your own collagen over months instead.
From £350 per millilitre.
If the skin itself has changed
Thin, crepey, dull, no longer holding light. That is skin quality, and it has a whole family of treatments of its own.
Profhilo hydrates and thickens without adding volume. Polynucleotides support skin quality and suit very thin, damaged or under-eye skin. Microneedling rebuilds collagen across a course.
If the problem is the surface rather than the structure, a course of peels or a HydraFacial does more than anything injected.
From £250.
If the jawline has softened
Start by working out whether it is volume or laxity, because each has its own answer.
Pinch it. Thin loose skin means laxity, and Ultraformer HIFU or Morpheus8 tighten it. A fuller face with a soft edge usually means mid-face volume loss, and restoring the cheek lifts the jaw from above.
If your chin is recessed in profile, projecting it forward transforms the line all on its own. It is the most often overlooked cause on this list.
If you have a specific problem you can name
Pigmentation, acne, scarring, thread veins, unwanted hair, sweating, hair thinning. These have specific answers rather than general ones.
CO2 laser, Morpheus8, HIFU, EmSculpt Neo and Cosmelan are all at our Wimpole Street clinic in Marylebone, a short walk from Oxford Circus and Bond Street stations.
When less is more
Some of the happiest consultations end with a lighter plan than expected.
If you are in your twenties with good skin and a photograph that caught you off guard, sunscreen and a retinoid are often the perfect start.
If you have had repeated filler, your clinician may suggest letting it settle first, and occasionally a fresh start with dissolving.
If surgery would serve you better, your clinician says so at the consultation and points you to the right door.
Every plan starts with a conversation and a close look at your face, so the treatment you book is the one that suits you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know which treatment I need?
Start with the problem rather than the product. Lines on movement, lost volume, poor skin quality and laxity are four different problems with four different answers, and most people have more than one.
What is the difference between filler and anti-wrinkle injections?
Filler replaces lost volume and restores structure. Anti-wrinkle injections relax a muscle to soften lines caused by movement. They solve different problems and are often used together.
What if I am not sure what I would like to change?
That is a normal consultation. Bring a photograph from ten to fifteen years ago, which is the single most useful diagnostic in the room.
How much should I expect to spend?
Anti-wrinkle from £180, filler from £280, skin treatments from £120, devices from £250 to £500 per session. We quote a plan at consultation rather than a session.
Could I leave with a lighter plan than I expected?
Yes, and it happens often. The plan is built around what will make the difference you are hoping for.
How long do results last?
Anti-wrinkle three to four months, filler twelve to eighteen, skin treatments varying by type, tightening devices twelve to eighteen months.
Do I need to decide before the consultation?
Not at all. Arrive with what you would like to change, and the plan follows from there.
Is a consultation free?
Injectable consultations are free. Most other consultations carry a £50 deposit, which comes off your treatment if you go ahead.
Can I have more than one treatment?
Usually, and we space rather than stack them. Most good plans combine two approaches rather than doing everything at once.