My Year in Tweakments: 2025

Another year, another chance to trial a bewildering range of tweakments, all in the name of work. From dry-eye treatments and regenerative facials to polynucleotides in my lips (yes, really), here’s a whistle-stop tour of everything I’ve tried in 2025. Below you’ll find short summaries of each treatment, and links to the longer write-ups and videos if you’d like the deep dive.

JANUARY

Envision for dry eyes

What’s this?

Dry eyes – whether they’re watery or gritty – are a common issue for mid-life women, and Envision, from Inmode, is an innovative treatment that uses heat from radiofrequency to loosen the oil in the meibomian glands  – the little oil glands along your lash line that often get blocked as we age. If the oil is flowing, it keeps eyes properly lubricated. There’s also IPL to reduce redness around the eye. You need a course of treatments and results depend on how bad the problem was in the first place.

What it’s like to have it done:

Not bad – except for the bit where Sharon Flora, the optometrist treating me, “expressed” the softened oil by squeezing it out of the glands in the eyelid with a tiny pair of forceps, which is just as unpleasant as it sounds.

Results:

After a few sessions, my eyes were definitely less watery and better hydrated, though I need to pay attention to a lot of lifestyle factors to hang onto this improvement.

Cost: From £350 per session, with Sharon Flora at The Eye Retreat.

Full TTG review: CLICK HERE

MARCH

Sculptra, with Dr MJ Rowland-Warmann 

What’s this?

Sculptra is a collagen-stimulating injectable (PLLA) that encourages your skin to rebuild its structural support over time, improving volume, firmness and overall skin quality. It’s subtle but powerful; a slow-burn glow-up, not the instant volumising fix you get with filler.

What it’s like to have it done:

Dr MJ adores this product, does masses of it works with confidence-inspiring precision. I can’t say I even noticed the injections stinging (some people say they do) and afterwards, I dutifully massaged my face five times a day for five minutes to help the product spread and settle, and had a second round of treatment six weeks later.

Results:

Sculptra takes ages to show its hand. I think we did the after pics a bit too soon at six weeks after the second treatments; I didn’t see so much change by then (May) but a couple of months later people kept saying “Wow, what have you been doing?” which made me feel that someone had quietly upgraded my dermis.

Cost: From £600-£900 per vial; most people need 1–2 vials per session at Smileworks Liverpool.

Full TTG review: CLICK HERE, and here’s the ‘after’ analysis video https://youtu.be/ghOpE6KcwwM

‘Immune to Botox?’ Can Mixing Toxin with Hyaluronidase Help?

What’s this?

Some people develop “toxin immunity”, where Botox (or its cousins) stop working as well. One theory is that diluting toxin with hyaluronidase may help it spread better, and get around this. I explored this emerging idea, and what clinicians think about it, and tried it out with Dr Sophie Shotter. It’s important to note that toxin resistance is complex, and this is still an exploratory technique rather than standard practice!

What it’s like to have it done:

Exactly like having normal toxin injected, no extra discomfort or drama.

Results:

Did it help? Dr Shotter and I think so. I’m not resistant to toxin but even with half the usual dose of toxin, my facial movement softened as expected.

Cost: From £400, depending on areas treated at Dr Sophie Shotter.

Full TTG review: CLICK HERE

APRIL

Q Physio (QMR) for My Knuckle 

What’s this?

QMR — Quantum Molecular Resonance — is a non-invasive and painless therapy that uses specific electrical frequencies to encourage tissue repair. I tried it on my persistently sore and swollen knuckle.

What it’s like to have it done:

Gentle, vaguely warm electrical pulses delivered by gentle massage with conductive gloves. Very soothing.

Results:

Impressively effective. The inflammation in my knuckle backed right off, it has shrunk in size, too, and regained much of its strength. A small but meaningful quality-of-life improvement.

Cost: £700 per session at the Geneviv Clinic

Full TTG review: CLICK HERE

MAY

Medik8 Crystal Retinal™ Age-Defying Facial

What’s this?

A professional, glow-boosting facial that layers exfoliation, fabulous sculpting massage and high-strength Crystal Retinal formulas to enhance cell turnover and boost radiance.

What it’s like to have it done:

Luxurious. Think warm towels, rhythmic massage, expert layering of retinal and hydrating actives. A proper facial-tweakment hybrid — relaxing but with real, visible oomph.

Results:

Immediate glow, improved smoothness, and skin that looked like it had been quietly ironed. A brilliant option for events.

Cost: From £120-£180, depending on the clinic, such as Naked Health Medispa.

Full TTG review: Here’s my Instagram post about the Medik8 Crystal Retinal Facial

Microneedling with Hybrosomes 

What’s this?

On a press trip to the astonishing Nescens clinic near Geneva, which is the longevity-and-wellness arm of the Genolier private hospital next door, I found myself offered a treatment with Hybrosomes – bio-engineered exosomes that have been fused with liposomes and vitamins for skin regeneration.

What it’s like to have it done:

Quicker and simpler than microneedling, the solution of hybrosomes was prodded into my face through a dispensing tube called a Turtlepin, with tiny needles on its end. It didn’t hurt but it did the job just fine.

Results:

Nothing immediate, but as so often with regenerative treatments, my skin gradually began to look a whole lot better over the next few weeks.

Cost: For enquiries, see the website at Nescens

JUNE

Cellular Matrix Facial, Aesthetics of the Royal Liver Building 

What’s this?

Rather more than a facial, this regenerative treatment combines PRP (taken from your blood) with a specially prepared type of hyaluronic acid, which is then microneedled into your skin to stimulate collagen, improve texture and give the skin a fresher, firmer appearance.

What it’s like to have it done:

A bit prickly, what with all the microneedling, though it’s not painful. Dr Farzana Khan, who was doing the treatment, had some extra PRP so injected that into my barcode lip lines and crows’ feet wrinkles while she had me on the table.

Results:

After a couple of weeks I saw a brighter complexion with that indefinable “healthier skin” look that regenerative treatments tend to bring.

Cost: £250-£450 at Aesthetics of The Royal Liver Building

Full TTG review: You can see my Instagram reel about the treatment here, but for various reasons we couldn’t show anything involving a needle.

The Ultimate Facial with Nadia Aminian at the Taktouk Clinic

What’s this?

Nadia’s facials are known for deeply personalised and deeply thorough, combining lymphatic drainage, sculpting massage and high-performance actives.

What it’s like to have it done:

Divine. A mix of intense lifting massage, clever product layering and techniques that make you wonder how many hands she actually has.

Results:

Immediate cheekbone definition, depuffed everything and a luminous, red-carpet-ready finish.

Cost: Around £250-£350 at the Dr Wassim Taktouk Clinic

Full TTG review: Here’s my Instagram post about the facial

JULY

Laser Genesis

What’s this? 

A gentle, non-ablative laser that improves redness, texture, pore size and overall skin clarity. A favourite for subtle brightening – and skin strengthening if you do a whole course.

What it’s like to have it done:

I took everyone in the Tweakments team along to get their views and we all thought it was really relaxing  — and there’s no downtime either.

Results: 

Clearer, smoother skin with reduced redness and that soft-focus finish.

Cost: From £150 per session with Dr Manav Bawa

Full TTG review: Here’s the Instagram reel about Laser Genesis

B-fab Hand Rejuvenation, with Dr Lorenzo Garagnani

What’s this? 

Hand rejuvenation done by leading hand surgeon Dr Lorenzo using injectable treatments and his signature injection technique to restore volume, smooth crepey texture and improve skin quality.

What it’s like to have it done:

I had filler to replace lost volume in my hands, finished off with polynucleotides into the skin on the backs of my hands. Not too many injections, and they didn’t even sting.

Results:

My hands looked miles better immediately — less bony and veiny, and just that bit more youthful.

Cost: From £350-£650 at SE1 Medical Aesthetics 

Full TTG review: Read the full article and watch the video here

AUGUST

Jalupro

What’s this? 

Jalupro is an injectable skin-booster – another one! – but different to the injectable moisturisers, or polynucleotides, or biostimulators like Sculptra because it’s based on amino acids, to provide fuel for the fibroblasts, so it works well alongside any of those products. It also contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate, improve texture and subtly thicken the skin.

What it’s like to have it done:

A mass of quick injections (which even with numbing cream, sting! Ouch!). These raise a lot of small bumps on the skin so you also walk out of clinic looking like you’ve got the bubonic plague but hold steady, and they’ll have vanished within two hours.

Results (after three rounds of treatment): 

Softer, more hydrated and subtly plumper skin.

Cost: From £250 per session at the Geneviv clinic

Full TTG review: you can read more about Jalupro here

SEPTEMBER 

Polynucleotides in my lips (with Dr Priya Verma)

What’s this? 

Polynucleotides (yes, the salmon-sperm thing) stimulate tissue regeneration without adding volume — so what they’re meant to do is improve lip hydration and the quality of the lip tissue on the inside, so it’s lip regeneration rather than volumisation.

What it’s like to have it done:

Very quick and easy, because Dr Priya Verma gave me local anaesthetic in the crucial areas so she could make one tiny hole for her cannula on either side of my mouth and from there, inject the Newest polynucleotides (which have a little added hyaluronic acid for hydration) above and below the lip (to improve skin quality there) as well as into the lips themselves.

Results: 

Subtle. I love the idea of what this ought to be doing for my lips but… I can’t really tell if anything is different.

Cost: From £300

Full TTG review: You can read more about polynucleotides for lips

NOVEMBER

Rexonage for a Chalazion

What’s this? 

Rexonage uses the same Quantum Molecular Resonance (QMR) as Q-Physio (see April), but works at a surface level rather than reaching more deeply into to the body. A chalazion is a nasty swelling from a blocked oil gland in the eyelid and Viviana Botoaca thought it was worth a try to see if the QMR could resolve the inflammation and swelling.

What it’s like to have it done:

Warm, comfortable, gentle massage with those conductive sending the QMR into my skin tissues. No downtime.

Results: 

My chalazion shrank significantly after the first treatment, and was gone after three. Wow. It’s not a conventional remedy for these – but it certainly did the trick.

Cost: £700 a session at Geneviv Clinic

Full TTG review: Find out more about Alice’s experience treating her eye issues here

DECEMBER 

MCT x Exosomes (with Dr Sophie Shotter)

What’s this?

A cutting-edge regenerative treatment where your own plasma-derived exosomes are extracted, amplified using Meta-Cell Technology™, and reinjected to boost cellular repair and skin firmness. I’m trying it to see what it can do for the bits of slack skin under my chin.

What it’s like:

Blood draw → processing → reinjection. The injections feel similar to any other: small, quick and annoyingly uncomfortable. It’s completely fascinating from a biotechnical perspective and surprisingly straightforward as a treatment.

Results:

Let’s wait and see. I need two more treatments before I’ll know the results.

Cost: £1,050 a session (three sessions are recommended) with Dr Sophie Shotter at Illuminate Skin Clinic.

Full TTG review: You can read more about the MCT technology on this link

Still looking for more tweakments inspiration? Head to the Guide to find more reviews and advice for all your common skin concerns. 

And if you’d like to read about the tweaks I’ve tried in previous years, take your pick from this list of links:

2024: My Year in Tweakments

2023: My Year in Tweakments Part 1  and 2023: My Year in Tweakments Part 2

2022: My Year in Tweakments

2021: My Year in Tweakments

Some of the treatments this year, as in previous years, were done for sponsored videos; I hope you know me well enough to know that I do my best to report on procedures as I find them, whether or not I’m paid to try them.