A Week of Tweaks: Everything I Had Done and Why

A rare occurrence these days, but this week I managed to book myself in for several of my favourite aesthetic treatments (plus one new one). Woohoo!

The following day I even had my brows done! Which is something I almost never outsource. It turned into quite the treatment week, so I decided to document the process. Let’s begin!

There’s very little I love more than well-considered, effective aesthetic treatments. Not just because I’m an aesthetic practitioner and administer many of them myself (you can book in here with me) - but because I know how much they contribute to the overall health and condition of my skin.

So, on Sunday, I headed into the clinic and spent just over an hour on the treatment bed. Bliss. 10/10. Would highly recommend.

We (my colleague Joann - 10/10 aesthetic nurse) started with IPL, arguably one of the best treatments for underlying redness, broken capillaries, thread veins, pigmentation and sun spots - all targeted in one session.

I chose this specifically because I have a few faint broken capillaries on both cheeks. Since last summer I’ve also been dealing with a couple of stubborn pigment spots across the tops of my cheeks and my forehead. As diligent as I am with my skincare, sometimes I simply want to speed things up - and IPL helps me do exactly that.

Once the IPL was done, we applied numbing cream to my neck, under eyes and lips.

I’ve written about PolyPhil, or more commonly polynucleotides - many times here. In fact, I declared it the best aesthetic treatment I had in 2024. So it will surprise absolutely no one that I’m back getting it again.

If you’re not familiar with polynucleotides, they are biostimulators injected into the skin to reduce fine lines, improve texture and hydration, and stimulate collagen and elastin production. Read my in-depth guide to aesthetic treatments here.

Different formulations of polynucleotides are designed for different areas of the face.

For my neck - one of my favourite areas to treat - we used PolyPhil Next. This combines polynucleotides with hyaluronic acid for additional hydration and is specifically designed for the lower face and neck.

It’s injected directly into the neck lines via multiple small injections, which leave what we call blebs (small bumps under the skin). These usually fade within a day or two. Over the following two to three weeks, I generally notice softer lines, improved hydration and a smoother overall appearance in the area.

Next, we moved to the under-eye area with PhilArt Eye, a polynucleotide treatment designed specifically for this area. I use PhilArt Eye to improve the appearance of hollowness under my eyes, and I genuinely find it phenomenal. Unlike the neck treatment, this one does not contain hyaluronic acid (HA is not recommended for use under the eyes as it can cause lumps, swelling, puffiness etc.).

As an aside, one aesthetic treatment I’ve never been convinced by is tear trough filler. I’ve never seen results that I love (but I have seen a lot of lumps and general migration). It’s simply not something I can ever see myself doing. Polynucleotides, on the other hand, work by stimulating the skin itself - improving collagen, elastin, hydration - which over time reduces the appearance of fine lines and hollowness.

Again, the treatment leaves small blebs around the eyes that fade within one to two days, and then you’re left with fresher, brighter and less hollow under eyes. Hurrah!

Finally, we moved on to my lips.

I’ve been contemplating doing something here for a while. Now that I’m in my forties, I’m starting to notice slight collagen loss and some flattening - particularly in my upper lip. It was always on the thinner side, but recently it’s become very flat and the edges have basically started disappearing. Fun!

After chatting with Joann, we decided on Volbella. It’s a very soft hyaluronic acid dermal filler often used for thinner lips or for treating lip lines. It acts more as hydration than obvious volume and the results are subtle.

We focused mainly on supporting the structure of my upper lip and in total, I had just under 0.5ml.

Immediately after treatment I loved the result - although with lips, that initial look never lasts because swelling quickly sets in. The next day my lips were noticeably puffier, and by the day after that they had settled back down.

Now they’re essentially back to normal, but with a little more structure in the upper lip and a very slight plumping effect - exactly what I wanted.

The photo below on the left was taken immediately post treatment, and the one on the right was taken two days later, when I was heading out for the day. As you can see, all redness from the IPL is gone (along with my broken capillaries. Yay!), a few needle point marks remain under eyes, but everything else has returned to normal, including the lips, which settled nicely.

Once all the injectable treatments were done, the next day I move on to something I very rarely have done outside my own makeup table: my eyebrows.

I went to see Ireland’s brow queen, Kim O’Sullivan, at the Dublin Make-Up Academy. I’m currently writing a piece that I wanted her input on, and while I was there we decided to do a shape and tint.

I’ve done my own brows for years. Partly out of habit, and partly because I spent a long time in the microblading cycle. I started getting my brows microbladed around 2012 and, more recently, spent nearly two years having the pigment laser removed.

That laser removal took place at Kim’s academy, where they have a specialised laser designed specifically for removing eyebrow tattoos.

Originally, Kim and I had discussed redoing my brows once the laser process was finished - but after two years of removal sessions, I literally couldn’t face it.

However, this left me with the exact issue that many people who remove brow tattoos end up rediscovering: the reason we tattooed them in the first place.

For me, I have very little hair at the front of my brows and not much in the tail, although the middle section is fairly decent. Kim explained how regular tinting and shaping can dramatically improve the appearance of density and structure. After seeing her work in person, I completely understand why.

By tinting the brows, you essentially reveal lots of tiny baby hairs that are naturally very fair. Once tinted, they suddenly become part of the shape. Combined with the brow products I already love using at home, it makes a significant difference.

Kim recommends a tint and shape every seven to eight weeks, and I can absolutely see myself sticking to that.

And that’s me done! (For a few months anyway…)

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