Red carpet skin

Red carpet skin

With party season just around the corner, we turn to Scotland’s premier aesthetic doctor Dr Nestor to get his professional opinion on how to look and feel our most glamorous.

When the calendar flips over to the winter months, we can only think of one thing: party season! Yes, those months of gatherings, events and long-overdue catchups with friends, the most wonderful time of the year is almost back.

But with a packed diary of events comes the natural pressure to look your best; understandable when you know that you’ll be appearing on dozens of friends’ Instagram feeds, or that you’ll be catching up with pals you haven’t seen for a long time. Everyone wants to feel confident in the way they look and step out over the party season feeling their most fabulous, after all.

So, if you’re wondering how to step it up ahead of the most glamorous season, we’ve got the insider advice for you. We sat down with previous winner of Scotland’s Best Cosmetic Doctor, Dr Nestor, to get his expert advice on the treatments and products you can rely on.

Dr Nestor believes that it’s all about getting the basics right. “Great skin starts with great skincare,” he explains. “Makeup can only go so far, so if you want a truly great canvas for it, then it’s all in the prep. Poor skin health can create so many more issues that stretch beyond the cosmetic, like low self-esteem and confidence issues, so there are lots of reasons to look after your skin and treat it as best you can.”

If you’re concerned about your skin and unsure what to do with it, the skin health doctors at the Medical & Cosmetic Centre can guide you, assessing your needs and then providing a tailor- made skincare plan of medical-grade products. “We use ZO Skin Health, there are so many products to treat various skin issues, and they are far more effective than high-street alternatives,” Dr Nestor tells us. “Whether you need to change your basic routine, or bring in some targeted treatments for a specific issue, we advise on products and a tailored regime to help you get the best from your skin.”

For a quick fix ahead of the party season, Dr Nestor recommends his clinic’s most popular new treatment to help you get the glow back: The Carbon Laser Facial Peel. Sometimes referred to as ‘The Hollywood Peel’ because of its ability to give you an expensive-looking red-carpet glow, this quick-as-a-flash (literally) peel is great for when you want to rejuvenate, giving skin a fresher, smoother look and bringing back some radiance.

“The carbon laser facial peel is a quick treatment that dramatically enhances the skin, and it’s perfect for parties and special occasions, as it requires no downtime and leaves no redness,” Dr Nestor explains. “The facial promises brighter and smoother skin, with tightened pores, improved texture and tone, and a reduction in blackheads, blockages and blemishes, so the skin is much clearer too.”

Taking just 30 minutes to complete, we definitely think this is a fabulous facial to squeeze into even the most packed of schedules, to give you a radiant glow that will have everyone feeling envious. The clinic recommends a course of three to enjoy the full effects, but even just one will give you improved skin that you’ll want to show off.

However, ahead of party season, we appreciate that it might not be just skincare that you’re thinking about. Injectables and aesthetic treatments have surged in popularity over the last few years, and in particular the demand for ‘tweakments’, giving subtle, beautifully believable results that nobody would second-guess, has become more popular.

Dr Nestor specialises in ‘quietly enhancing’ his patients, using minimal and strategicallyapplied injectables to lift, refresh, realign or re-volumise the face, only where it’s needed. And he says that this is a great way to feel your best pre-party season: “If there’s an issue that’s been bothering you for a while, or if you feel like the face in the mirror isn’t ‘yours’ anymore, then injectables are (in the hands of a skilled, registered doctor), a safe, quick and effective way to make those changes.”

“Fillers and wrinkle-relaxing injectables can be used in a multitude of ways to subtly enhance the face, without anyone being able to tell what you’ve had done,” Dr Nestor continues. “And often, you might not even know what it is that needs changing, but a skilled doctor will. I see patients who think that bigger lips will balance their faces, but really, some filler applied to the chin or jaw is what creates the equilibrium they’re looking for. It’s not about creating an ‘obviously done’ look; injectables should be minimalistic, allowing for a natural look with plenty of expression. I like to use them to soften areas and restore youthful features or proportions, where required. The best treatments are those that are barely noticeable, and the best kind of results are those where people comment on how healthy, rested or happy you look, that you look like the very best version of yourself.”

And isn’t that what everybody wants this party season?

www.drnestor.co.uk