A low-maintenance beauty routine can feel like something of a myth these days. With ever-demanding beauty standards and constantly changing trends, how are any of us meant to keep up? One hack for getting around an hours-long beauty routine while still looking your best is cosmetic upgrades that actually last.
From dental treatments to injectables, here’s a run-down of the appointments worth adding to your calendar.
Whitening Dental Treatments
If you’ve ever grimaced at the colour of your teeth in the mirror, you’re not alone. While whitening toothpastes and baking soda can make a little difference, a professional treatment will do more in one session than these milder options can achieve in weeks.
Professional teeth whitening is quick and non-invasive, too. You don’t need any injections, and it won’t hurt, with a simple leave-on treatment and UV light enough to take your teeth a few shades up on the whiteness scale.
There are multiple treatment options available depending on the results you’re looking for, too, making it easy to tailor your cosmetic dentistry to suit your aesthetic. At Derry-based practice Claire Hughes, for instance, they offer:
- Boutique Whitening™: A powerful product for at-home whitening, giving you the option to perfect your smile from the comfort of your home.
- Enlighten’s Evolution™: A combination of at-home and in-clinic whitening, ideal if you want to achieve a bright, white smile in a single appointment.
This isn’t just about flashing your pearly whites to make a good impression, either. Studies have found that people with professionally whitened teeth are perceived as younger than those with natural or darker-toned teeth, making this a bona fide anti-ageing treatment without the cost of Botox and facelifts.
In terms of payoff, professional whitening can last anywhere from 6 months to 3 years – and beyond! After your treatment, you can help your new smile last longer by making a few simple lifestyle changes, like rinsing your mouth after eating and keeping morning coffees to a minimum.
Dental Veneers
For a complete smile transformation, consider dental veneers. These are tooth-like porcelain or composite caps placed over your original teeth, covering any flaws and imperfections. You can personalise your new smile, too, adjusting the size, position, and whiteness of each ‘tooth’ for complete control over your veneers.
While initial costs can be pretty steep, ranging from around £610 to £1325 per tooth (depending on the material used), a durable set of veneers can last for up to 20 years. That’s more than a decade of perfect teeth for just a few appointments, giving you a huge payoff.
Do be warned that veneers need upkeep if you want them to last. Dentists advise that you steer clear of eating hard foods, like nuts and boiled sweets, and wear a mouth guard if you’re guilty of grinding your teeth.
Collagen-Stimulating Laser Treatments
Collagen laser facials might sound a little sci-fi, but they’re one of the most innovative and popular skincare treatments of the past few years.
Using focused light energy, these advanced lasers heat the skin far below the epidermis (outer layer). The process activates the body’s healing response and encourages specialised cells called fibroblasts to spring into action and produce proteins like collagen and elastin.
The treatment itself often takes as little as 30 minutes and requires absolutely no downtime, so you can pop in on your lunch break and be back in the office before your colleagues have finished their sandwiches.
As collagen production is instantly boosted, this treatment creates firmer, plumper, and smoother skin almost immediately. It reduces redness and hyperpigmentation, too, for an even and bright complexion.
The real standout of collagen laser facials, though, is how long they last. You can expect your skin to look younger and plumper for 6-12 months, making it one of the best beauty treatments for long-term anti-ageing results.
Laser Hair Removal
Speaking of lasers, another long-lasting treatment that’s well worth the (minimal) effort is laser hair removal. This treatment uses focused light waves and heat to damage hair follicles and reduce hair growth over time, leaving you with silky-smooth skin and a low-maintenance beauty routine.
In answer to the most burning question (excuse the pun): it doesn’t hurt, but it can be a little uncomfortable. A lot of people liken it to a snapping motion on the skin, and the discomfort typically goes away as soon as the laser does.
So, where can you have laser hair removal? It’s actually suitable for use across most of the body, including your:
- Arms and legs
- Underarms
- Face and neck
- Bikini line
- Stomach
- Back
- Chest
- Feet
You need 6-8 sessions to see long-lasting results, but once you’re done, you can expect hairless skin for years. While it isn’t technically permanent, hair regrowth tends to be far lighter and finer, and a lot of people report little to no hair for 10+ years.
Facial Aesthetic Injectables
Love them or hate them, injectable cosmetic treatments see long-lasting results. Let’s take a look at a breakdown of how long you can expect different treatments to last:
- Botox: Specifically designed to relax facial muscles and reduce fine lines and wrinkles, Botox typically lasts for between 3-4 months. With consistent appointments, it can also slow down visible signs of aging by preventing wrinkles from forming in the future.
- Dermal fillers: Used to restore lost volume and enhance areas such as the lips, cheeks, jawline, and chin, dermal fillers typically last between 6-18 months, depending on the type of filler and where it’s injected.
- Profhilo: Profhilo hydrates the skin and stimulates collagen and elastin production for a filler-like effect. Results typically last for around 6 months, with some people seeing more long-term effects thanks to the boost in collagen.
There’s also a newer aesthetic injectable called Polynucleotides, which has been found to improve skin texture and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Lesser-known than the options mentioned above, it’s seeing long-lasting results of around 6-12 months and is a good alternative to filler and Botox.
Ultherapy Prime
Ultherapy has been around for some time now, and this treatment’s tried, tested, and approved by cosmetic enthusiasts. Similar to the laser collagen facial, it works by targeting deep layers of the skin to boost collagen and elastin, but this time using an ultrasound rather than a laser.
The main result is tighter, firmer skin, which helps create a sharper appearance, particularly around the jaw and chin. What’s really standout about Ultherapy is that top-ups are very rarely needed, with results lasting for years after your appointment.
Of course, that incredible longevity comes at a price: Ultherapy is painful. Numbing cream does what it can, but the treatment isn’t pleasant, and some patients simply can’t stand it. That’s why we’d specifically suggest looking into Ultherapy Prime, which is a newer and less painful version of the tightening treatment.
Final Thoughts
While you absolutely don’t need every cosmetic upgrade on this list, there are a few gems here that could take your self-care routine up a notch. Our recommendation? Tailor your treatments based on what has the biggest impact on your confidence, and you’re onto a winning, long-lasting beauty routine.
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