I Get Fillers and Botox Routinely, but These 5 Skin-Plumping Products Are Almost as Good
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They keep my complexion fresh in between appointments.
Amazon / InStyle
I am not going to lie: I’ve tried hundreds of skincare products over the years. Unfortunately, nothing has erased my wrinkles, plumped up my skin, or smoothed my problem areas out quite like Botox, fillers, and other aesthetic treatments like CoolSculpting and Lutronic Genius lasers. However, there are a handful of products that are nearly just as good that I regularly use in conjunction with pokes and prods from my derm-slash-plastic surgeon.
Below, shop the five products I rely on to keep my skin bright, smooth, and taut in between my appointments, including a body lotion that tackles crepey skin and the serum that’s a must-have after Botox:
Kate Somerville Supercell Rejuvenation Serum
Kate Somerville
Back in the old days when I lived in Los Angeles, I made regular visits to the Kate Somerville Skin Health Experts Clinic and experienced some of the best facials and skin treatments of my life. Recently, I was sent a bottle of its latest product, the KateCeuticals Supercell Rejuvenation Serum. The clinical grade treatment utilizes plant-generated growth factors that basically mimic human proteins in order to promote regeneration and repair in skin cells. Designed to be used as an alternative to aggressive lasers or in conjunction with, the formula transforms visibly aging skin in less than a month. While I have yet to try Morpheus8 or Halo, after using this serum for the last month and a half, my skin texture dramatically improved. According to those who use it post-laser treatment, it helps improve the healing process and tones down redness.
SkinMedica Firm & Tone Lotion
SkinMedica
I am a big fan of CoolSculpting, a body-firming and fat-freezing treatment that helps melt away fat in stubborn areas. After a series of treatments focusing on my belly and flanks in 2023, I was left with some saggy, crepey skin. I decided to try the SkinMedica Firm & Tone lotion, a newer product at the time. After just a few months of applying it twice daily to my skin (belly, arms, and legs included) I noticed a definite improvement in elasticity.
“It is clinically proven to diminish the look of crepey skin, address uneven skin texture, improve the appearance of body skin firmness and tone, and improve the look of sagging skin,” dermatologist and associate clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine, Mona Gohara, MD, told me at the time, noting that she recommends it as both a standalone and supplemental treatment for those who undergo body contouring treatments, including CoolSculpting and Cooltone.
Active ingredients include green microalgae and shitake mushroom extracts to “support extracellular matrix proteins, including collagen and elastin,” coffee arabica seed oil, which enhances “skin elasticity and firmness by supporting collagen levels,” caffeine to help smooth and rejuvenate skin, and hydrolyzed rice protein, which “helps detoxify stressed skin,” she said. Maybe it’s not a coincidence that Allergan, the company behind Coolsculpting, also owns SkinMedica.
Revision Skincare Revox Line Relaxer
Amazon
When I heard the “Botox in a bottle” buzz about Revision Skincare Revox Line Relaxer, I quickly got my hands on a bottle. Recommended as a supplement to your neuromodulator, this sleek pen-like applicator infuses a thick serum into fine lines and wrinkles in a similar mechanism, relaxing muscle contractions via acetyl hexapeptide-8. Because my injector doesn’t want me looking like a totally stiff-faced robot, there are some lines that he can’t really eliminate without throwing off the balance of my face. While Botox does most of the work, Revox comes in to finish off the job. What I like about the product is that it offers some immediate skin-tightening benefits, as the serum seeps into your lines and superficially fills them in. However, after a few months of use, I noticed softening of some of the more stubborn lines.
SkinMedica HA5 Smooth & Plump Lip System
Amazon
When I was a kid, I spent more of my allowance than I would like to admit on glosses that promised to plump up my pout, but really only made my lips sting. Later on in life I figured out that the only real way to get bigger lips with any staying power is via lip fillers. Personally, I don’t like the puffy, pillowy lip look. However, my go-to injector, David Shafer, MD of Shafer Plastic Surgery in New York City, turned me onto Juvederm Volbella, a more natural-looking filler that perfects the pout by rejuvenating the lips and filling in fine lines.
Its parent company, Allergan, also makes an at-home treatment, the SkinMedica HA5 Smooth & Plump Lip System. It’s a two-step regime that infuses hyaluronic acid into your lips, hydrating and smoothing fine lines and giving them an overall plumper look. And no, don’t expect to suffer any stinging or burning — there is no capsicum (the ingredient found in chili peppers) in the formula.
Drmtlgy Brightening Eye Masks
Amazon
Unfortunately for me, I was born with dark, hollow under-eye circles. While Juvederm Volbella (yes, the same filler used to smooth the lips) offers several months-long reprieve, Drmtlgy’s Brightening Eye Masks have become a quick fix on the days when I need a little extra brightening power. In just 15 minutes, the under-eye masks offer a much-needed rush of caffeine to the area, helping to instantly depuff and rejuvenate the eyes while delivering niacinamide to brighten the appearance of the dark circles, hyaluronic acid for hydration and fine line-reduction, and aloe leaf extract to calm and soothe.
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