Cetaphil Moisturising Lotion, £11.49, superdrug.com
A scent-free lotion to boost skin’s lipid barrier. Won’t clog pores so good for body or face.
Q+A Collagen Body Butter, £10, boots.com
A solid butter with a gentle fruit scent that leaves a velvety film. Has plant oils and butters plus collagen-boosting peptides and vitamin C.
Dr Jart+ Ceramidin Body Lotion, £22, drjart.co.uk
An unscented lotion, it’s fast-absorbing with a healing punch of ceramides, coconut oil and antioxidants.
Naturium The Glow Getter Multi-Oil Body Butter, £22, spacenk.com
A lush creamily scented mixture that invites a massage, this is full of soothing plant butters and peptides.
The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Inulin Body Lotion, £13.80, theordinary.com
A lightweight lotion of ‘natural moisturising factors’, i.e. ingredients identical to those in your skin.
Having injectables at the hair salon, from your dog groomer, or out of a jaunty ‘Botox van’ (all genuinely exist) ‘is not normal or safe and it shouldn’t be happening’, says cosmetic physician Dr Catherine Fairris (wessexskin.com), President of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM).
2) Consider a senior nurse… but not a physio
The BCAM can help you find good cosmetic doctors and surgeons, but also lists dentists and nurses as safe bets. Dentists can be great at aesthetics, says Fairris, because ‘they have a lot of head and neck anatomy training’. Likewise, ‘senior-level nurse practitioners and nurse prescribers can be very skilled, plus they can dispense medication should things go awry’.
But beware: not every medical-sounding specialism amounts to the correct skill set. ‘Physios and occupational therapists are not medical pros,’ cautions Fairris.
3) Lasers need a medic on hand
Lasers and other energy-based devices such as skin-tightening HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) and radiofrequency microneedling can cause burns, scars, hyperpigmentation, skin ageing or even blindness when wielded by someone who hasn’t been highly trained. You need a medic on hand for these.
4) Special offers are a bad idea
All clinics should offer a proper ‘cool-off’ period after a consultation, with no same-day treatments. Consent forms should be available to review well in advance of the treatment day.
Importantly: ‘Avoid clinics that offer obvious incentives (three-for-one offers, for example) or treatments that are redeemable against the price of the consultation,’ says Dr Anjali Mahto (selflondon.com).
‘It creates pressure to go with a clinic or procedure, even if the consultation convinces you otherwise.’
5) Aesthetic skills are a must
Having medical qualifications doesn’t guarantee an eye for proportion or aesthetically-pleasing outcomes.
Specific post-graduate training in aesthetics is a must when choosing a cosmetic doctor – Fairris suggests looking for a ‘level 7 aesthetic qualification, which is equivalent to a master’s degree’.
The websites bcam.ac.uk and thetweakmentsguide.com are great resources for thoroughly trained medical aesthetic professionals.
6) Cheap is not cheerful
Clinically safe and legal cosmetic injectables and devices aren’t cheap even at cost price, so if someone offers Botox at £100 a pop, take heed. It may well be a sub-standard or counterfeit pharmaceutical.
Meanwhile, copycat laser and other machines that haven’t passed EU regulations can be bought cheaply on the Chinese retail site Ali Baba.
If the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Race you to it!
If you like staying true to the classic beauty brands, snap up Dior’s first retinol formula – Dior Totale Retishot (£92, dior.com). The modest but effective 0.1 per cent retinol concentration is aided by a collagen-boosting wild cardamon extract. A small nightly dollop should yield more refined, smoother, brighter skin.
My icon of the week: Joan Collins
A 1980 video of Dame Joan, now 91, doing her make-up has resurfaced and it’s mesmerising. She rubs in her Clinique Superbalanced Foundation (£36.50, clinique.co.uk) like moisturiser, applies a brown eyeshadow pencil to sculpt her lids and blends it with brushes ‘from the art store’, then uses a brown eye pencil and black mascara to define her lash lines and eyebrows. No-nonsense and gorgeous.
Cosmetic craving
The Cornish Sea Salt and Keynvor limited edition Smoky Sea Salt Candle (£28, cornishseasalt.com) is best described as a winter walk along a Cornish beach and a few whiskeys by the fireplace to warm up.
It’s the first foray into fragrance by the Cornish Sea Salt Company, which normally specialises in rather delicious flavoured salts. Collaborating with Keynvor Candles, they captured the scent of smoked salts, alongside cherry and apple woods and green oak, in soy wax, and turned it into this perfectly cosy winter warmer.
