Most effective skin treatments?

March 4, 2018 1:51 PM

What have you had done for overall anti-aging and skin texture improvement, whether at a medical spa or with serious treatments at home? Do you do peels? Microneedling? Have you had Fraxel or Thermage?

I'm looking for personal experiences of skin care treatments from the honest folks on Mefi. I know there are sites that do specific reviews of this stuff, but they seem to be full of spam and people selling things. Money is not an object; if a treatment has been really helpful, it's ok if it costs what might seem to be a lot.

I have a regular skin care routine, so I'm not looking for moisturizer or cleanser recommendations, only more serious and in-depth treatments that you might do every month or so to make big changes in your appearance. What worked best for you? What didn't work so well?

posted by 3491again to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

What’s your age?

I’m getting to late 30’s

Botox (only 3 times a year and I let it completely wear off- I am afraid of my facial muscles atrophying- I never read about that but it’s my logic) so my big Glabella wrinkle is now gone... it took a couple years to go away.

I’m doing micro needling (professional) and really like it, along with retin-A... I also have hydra facials and in addition I notice a great improvement with a good diet and exercise.

I’m interested in photo facials and lasers down the line.
posted by catspajammies at 2:09 PM on March 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

Retinol! It’s a great medication. The prescription stuff is way better than over the counter strengths. I noticed a big difference but it definitely took a few months.
posted by pintapicasso at 2:14 PM on March 4, 2018 [2 favorites]

I use glycolic acid peels from Skin + Pharmacy (CVS store brand). I am 40. They seem to exfoliate well!
posted by 8603 at 2:31 PM on March 4, 2018

Retin-A and clindamycin gel. These are RX only. I did have Ultherapy done about a year and a half ago and it was absolutely not worth it.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:00 PM on March 4, 2018

I just got laser treatment for hyperpigmentation and I swear to god it knocked five years off my skin. That and a Clarisonic have made the most difference in my skin’s appearance.
posted by stellaluna at 3:51 PM on March 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

There is a ton of info about every cosmetic procedure you can imagine at realself.com. They have user reviews with photos along with q&a with doctors. Highly recommend checking it out!
posted by tatiana wishbone at 5:08 PM on March 4, 2018 [6 favorites]

Did you see this fpp re skincare? There are a lot of personal stories in the comments.
posted by she's not there at 7:18 PM on March 4, 2018 [2 favorites]

Mefites got me into peels from makeupsartistchoice and I am loving it!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:32 PM on March 4, 2018 [3 favorites]

I’ve been simplifying lately and rejecting chemicals and packaging at the same time and I’ve really stuck with two changes I’ve made in the last year: 1) moisturizing with jojoba oil (sooo soft), eventually followed by my daily SPF15, and 2) exfoliating weekly with a teaspoon of sugar (literally, dry, in a little dish, which I dip into with wet fingers).
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 12:51 AM on March 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

Kiehl's products are very effective.
posted by Tori88 at 1:55 AM on March 5, 2018

The biggest change I've made has been to step my nighttime moisturizing routine way, way up. I originally did it because retinol made my skin peel a lot, but I've also noticed that my skin feels plump in a way that I've only ever felt before after a facial at a spa. I bought a very thick, emmolient moisturizer and put on a thick layer every night.
posted by neushoorn at 4:01 AM on March 5, 2018