Celebrity Aesthetic Treatments: The Tweakments the Celebs Love

Many celebs would have us think that their amazing skin, lack of wrinkles, full cheeks or beautiful pout is just down to that illusive A-lister gene...or kitchen cupboard essentials. But, in reality (and I’m really happy to finally understand this), that gene really doesn’t exist, so I love it when a TV/ film star, musician or model shares what it is that makes them look and feel great. And over the last few years more and more of our screen idols are speaking out about the tweakments they get. IT’S ABOUT BLOODY TIME!

Let’s take a look at a few of the female celebs who have proudly talked about the aesthetic treatments they love…

Victoria Beckham - Microneedling

Ahh VB’s skin is just glowing these days, and she puts this partly down to her beauty range, which is gorgeous! But to get skin as great as hers, it takes more than products. Victoria has openly talked about going for SkinPen sessions, which is a type of microneedling device, and shared the post below on her Instagram account.

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Essentially, microneedling (AKA collagen induction therapy) is where tiny needles puncture the skin, in a controlled manner, to cause intentional damage. While causing damage to your skin might sound weird, the body reacts to this damage by building collagen (which we start to lose in our twenties) while it’s repairing itself. It’s a treatment that really should be done by a medically qualified aesthetic practitioner to get the best results and the safest experience.

Olivia Colman - Anti-wrinkle injections

We love Olivia Colman! Fantastic actress, funny lady and fabulous feminist...I want her to be my friend! And, aside from her amazing talent, I also really respect the fact that she stood up and talked about getting anti-wrinkle treatments - a treatment that’s still taboo to many - and, what’s more, she said she “loved it” and gets it in between roles. And, let’s face it, she looks pretty damn good on it too.

Someone else who’s ‘admitted’ to (god, I hate that term when talking about tweakments. They're not something we need to ‘admit’ to) getting anti-wrinkle injections is Gwyneth Paltrow. In the US, Gwyn is the face of a Botulinum toxin brand - which she says she prefers to its better known rival, as it gives her more of a “natural result”. Speaking to Byrdie, she said, "I take good care of my skin, hydrate, and exercise, but sometimes a girl needs a little extra help.” In any case, now in her 50s, Gwyneth looks incredible!

Oh and one more just because...Cindy Crawford, international supermodel has spoken about her own experience with wrinkle relaxing, saying (in an InStyle interview) “I’m not going to lie to myself...past a certain age, creams work on the texture of your skin but, in order to restore elasticity, all I can really count on is vitamin injections, B*t*x and collagen. I have a very simple, healthy life, which works miracles. I drink a lot of water, watch what I eat and exercise… but I owe the quality of my skin to my cosmetic surgeon.” Yes, Cindy! Love that honesty!

Eva Mendez - PDO Threads

You may have seen the picture below of Eva Mendes circulating in the media recently, and wondered WTF was poking out of her skin. Those pretty scary looking things are threads and they are bloody brilliant. So, why did 46 year old Eva choose this dramatic looking treatment? Well, threads are great for lifting the skin and boosting collagen production. So, while she already looks fantastic, she's helping maintain her looks and slow down the signs of ageing.

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Are threads really as scary as they look? Nah! In fact, in the caption to this photo, Eva stated that she was in her ‘happy place’, which you definitely wouldn’t be saying if you were traumatised or in pain, right? PDO thread lifts can be used on areas such as the jawline, cheeks and neck to act as a non-surgical facelift, with nowhere near the downtime and recovery period you would need after a traditional facelift. Just amazing! And it definitely seems to be working wonders for Eva. Good on her for sharing her secret! We have a great guide that covers thread lifts here if you want to know more.

Drew Barrymore - Body Contouring

Gorgeous, down to earth and fun - does the woman have no flaws?! And recently, Drew’s also talked openly about using a body contouring aesthetic treatment called EMSculpt to help her feel strong and get to a place where she feels good about her body. Basically, EMSculpt is a device that uses HIFEM (high frequency electro-magnetic) technology to target the muscles. Amazingly, if you’re using it on your stomach, it causes it to contract in the same way 20,000 situps would - all in just half an hour. That’s seriously like magic, and you can read more about it here.

In an EmSculpt endorsement interview, Drew explains that “all the cool girls do it”, and says, “I definitely see lines in my stomach where I never have before, which is a total anomaly for me...I look better, I feel better, but I’m working out consistently.” Sounds awesome!

Judy Murray - Non-surgical facelift

I was very excited to hear about 61 year old Judy Murray’s skin journey when she spoke about it in the press recently. So, what transformed her skin from sun damaged and ageing to fresh and rejuvenated? Well, it was a course of the Morpheus8 treatment and a good medical grade skincare routine.

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Judy was very transparent about the treatment, saying she now feels “ten years younger”, which is great. So, what did Judy’s non-surgical facelift involve? The Morpheus8 uses microneedling, which as mentioned above, involves tiny, sterilised needles penetrating the skin with the aim of helping the body build collagen. In the case of this particular treatment, the needles actually inject radiofrequency energy, which tightens the skin. So, overall, you get a more youthful appearance with minimised sun damage and better skin quality. Judy’s looking fabulous and I’m so pleased she shared her transformation.

Katy Perry - Tear trough filler

Covering under eye circles is a challenge many of us face in the mornings, but, thankfully, there are some pretty great treatments out there nowadays that help tackle the issue. One of these is tear trough filler - hyaluronic acid injected under the eye area to fill out the hollows and reduce the appearance of dark circles. And one celeb who has praised this treatment highly is Katy Perry, who explained to Refinery29, “I've done lasers and got [filler] injections under my eyes for the hollowing — which I'd recommend for everyone who wants a solution for their dark circles.”

However, tear trough filler isn’t right for everyone and individuals should be fully assessed by a medically qualified practitioner before they decide on the treatment. It’s a complex one due to the area, so make sure you see someone who is adequately qualified and really knows what they’re doing.

Kylie Jenner - Lip filler

Another celeb who likes a bit of filler is makeup entrepreneur Kylie Jenner, who first talked about her plumped lips in an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians back in 2015. And honestly, since then, lip fillers have EXPLODED in clinics everywhere. While she’s toned down the amount of volume she now has in her lips, she reportedly gets filler to add that extra bit of enhancement.

Lip fillers generally involve injecting hyaluronic acid-based filler into the lips to either add volume or enhance the shape. While Kylie has made them popular among younger women, they’re actually also popular with women who are that bit older too, as they hydrate and add volume where it’s been lost due to the ageing process. You can find out more in our lip filler guide.

Chrissy Teigen - Underarm toxin for excessive sweating

We know that Botulinum toxin is great for combatting lines and wrinkles, but it’s also great at so many other things. And one of those things is dealing with excess sweat. One advocate of this treatment is model Chrissy Teigen, who posted excitedly about it on her Instagram account when she got it for the first time a couple of years ago. Does it hurt? Not according to Chrissy, who said, “That really isn’t anything!”

Chrissy was super happy with the results, saying it’s “Truly the best move I have ever made”, expressing how pleased she was she could now wear silk again.

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So, how does this treatment work on the underarms to stop excessive sweating? The botulinum toxin is injected into the target area, where it temporarily paralyses the nerves responsible for producing excess sweat. The results can last up to six months, but vary from individual to individual. Is there anything this toxin can’t do?

Why am I sharing any of this?

Ok, so, why am I banging on about these celebs and their honesty when it comes to aesthetic treatments they’ve had? Because if more people were honest about them, they wouldn’t be the taboo subject they still are. I think for a lot of celebrities - and non celebrities - the idea of telling people they've had some help to look as good as they do is just a bit no-no, and they imagine the world will judge them negatively. Either that or they want everyone to think they were just born that way.

Things are getting better, but there’s still a lot of judgement around cosmetic treatments, which can be dangerous for a number of reasons...1) it often makes women who do want to get them feel bad about themselves. There’s almost a snobbery around tweakments that suggests those who get them are cheating. Um ok, so we should all put down the makeup, hair dye and stop going to the gym too, I guess. 2). if we don’t talk about them, women are at risk of not understanding them well enough and making bad decisions due to this. The more honest info and stories out there that talk about the benefits, the risks and the importance of seeing someone who’s medically qualified, the better. So, I thank each and every one of the women above for being so open and honest about their experiences! You look incredible and have massive admiration for your honesty.

Happy International Women’s day to every female out there - whether you’re someone who shouts proudly about your tweakments, someone who doesn’t talk about them at all, or someone who simply doesn’t get them. We’re all pretty awesome in our own special way!