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The festive season is one of the busiest times of year for aesthetic clinics. With Christmas parties, family gatherings, and New Year’s celebrations, most people want to look refreshed, radiant, and confident. But how soon should you start planning your treatments? In this blog, our lead injector and aesthetics expert, Amish Patel, BEM, discusses the importance of planning your aesthetic procedure with a guideline on how much downtime is required. This expert guide breaks down the recommended timelines for the most popular treatments and offers advice on how to prepare in advance.

Why Timing Matters for Aesthetic Treatments

Booking your aesthetic treatments well in advance is always the best option. As we head into Christmas, appointments become scarce and while we do open up my diary to accommodate the festive rush, it pays to book in early and ensures:

• Optimal results in time for Christmas events
• Enough healing and recovery (if needed)
• Availability with your preferred practitioner
• Less stress during the busy festive period
• You’ll look and feel fabulous in all those social media tags!

Leaving it too late may also mean you don’t achieve the full effect before Christmas.

Timeline Guide: When to Book Popular Treatments

Here’s a rough guideline to your party season glow-up;

8–12 Weeks Before Christmas

Join Our Beauty Bank: Our exclusive client loyalty program gives you incredible discounts on your treatments, plus gifts and offers. Unlike other memberships, the Intrigue Beauty Bank is unique in that it allows you to choose which treatments you want or need, when you want them.

• Skin Boosters & Profhilo: These treatments require at least two sessions, spaced 4 weeks apart, so starting early is crucial.
• Laser Resurfacing or Peels: Allows time for skin recovery, redness to subside, and fresh collagen to build. Ensure skincare routines offer enhanced sun protection and support your skin post-treatment.
• Commence A Collagen Supplement: Taking a quality collagen supplement now will not only support your skin during the hectic social season, but also support healthy, glowing skin. My favourite collagen supplement is the Nuskin Beauty Collagen +. This supplement really does make a difference to your skin.
• Microneedling Courses: Best results come from multiple sessions spread over several weeks, but if you’re microneedling at home, you should be able to continue throughout the festive period as long as you give yourself a make-up-free day post-treatment.
• Elevate Skincare Routines: Switching up your skincare routine can make a huge difference to your skin. From helping tailor a skincare routine that embraces prescription skin care to discussing skin cycling and the best skin protection, ask for your FOC skincare review in the notes section next time you book through the website with us, and let’s transform dull to dewy skin!

4–6 Weeks Before Christmas

• Dermal Fillers: Whether you are looking to improve dark circles under eyes, get lip filler, cheek filler, or jawline filler, try to plan at least a month ahead to ensure your dermal filler results look fantastic and to allow any swelling or bruising to settle. Dermal fillers give an instant result but they continue to improve as time goes on.
• Anti-Wrinkle Injections (Often referred to as Botox®): Results from your anti-wrinkle treatment appear at around 7–14 days, but allow for a 4–6 week window for your anti-wrinkle treatment to take effect and to accommodate a follow-up tweak if required.
• PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) Therapy: PRP facials improve skin tone and texture, and unlike dermal fillers, the results from this treatment develop over time gradually.

2–3 Weeks Before Christmas

• Chemical Peels (Mild): Chemexfoliation/dermapeeling is a superb consideration for glowing skin. However, these in-clinic facial treatments should allow downtime for mild peeling and ensure you wear a high-level SPF sun protection. If you are considering anti-wrinkle treatments or fillers, consult your aesthetic practitioner about planning these in the right timeframe and sequence of treatment.
• Skin Tightening Treatments: Non-invasive devices often need a few weeks for results to peak. My favourite beauty home tech device for improving skin tone and texture is the Nuskin ageLOC Boost System – easy to use from the comfort of your own home, and gives incredible results.

1 Week Before Christmas

• Facials & Hydration Boosts: The perfect last-minute glow-up with no downtime, and it helps the skin cope with frosty weather.
• LED Light Therapy & Microcurrent Treatments: Ideal for skin rejuvenation, calming irritation, and adding radiance just before the festivities. Both these treatments can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home and are often viewed as complementary treatments to sit alongside your anti-wrinkle treatments and dermal fillers.

Expert Tips for Getting the Best Results

• Book early – Most clinics fill up fast from October onwards, and Intrigue Cosmetic Clinic is no exception. We do open up our appointment diary to accommodate the rush and often will advertise last-minute cancellation availability through our social media channels, but booking early is always advisable. Keep an eye out for clinic updates.
• Consult first – discuss your goals with your aesthetics practitioner to create a tailored plan to coincide with your festive plans ahead of sitting on their treatment couch, so you can plan the perfect countdown to New Year’s Eve!
• Avoid last-minute dermal fillers or anti-wrinkle injections – While we always get a few last-minute appointment bookings for fillers and anti-wrinkle treatments, you do run the risk of having some swelling or bruising for your office party and other social engagements, especially if you are drinking alcohol and not getting your full quota of sleep!
• Allow Time For Top-Ups: Allow time for your two-week follow-up appointment if you are having an anti-wrinkle treatment. There is only a short window of time after your first appointment to top up, should you require it.
• Think maintenance -schedule treatments at intervals throughout the year, not just before Christmas, for consistent results. Non-surgical rhinoplasty is one of our most popular treatments and may not need topping up for 12 months, but it’s worth booking your appointment in advance, especially if it is due around the holidays.
• Prioritise skincare – a professional regime can enhance and prolong the effects of aesthetic treatments. At Intrigue Cosmetic Clinic, we give free skincare advice to our clients. Whether you should be double cleansing or boosting your skin barrier, our skincare experts can cater for all your aesthetic needs.
• Don’t be swayed by holiday specials – Discounts and special offers will fill your social media feeds, but there is a reason you don’t see this in our marketing plans. Because we focus on quality, not quantity – every single client is treated with a tailored plan, created specifically for them. Dermal filler bundles, cheap lip fillers and anti-wrinkle treatment offers all come at a cost, through the aesthetic practitioner’s lack of expertise, inferior quality, counterfeit products or lack of insurance, etc. The aesthetic industry is largely unregulated, so stay safe by only booking your aesthetic treatment with a healthcare professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I get Botox a week before Christmas?

A: Having anti-wrinkle treatments the week before Christmas is possible, but not ideal. Results after anti-wrinkle treatments take between 7 and 14 days to show, so for the best results, plan at least 4 weeks ahead.

Q: How long before Christmas should I get lip filler?

A: Book 4–6 weeks before to allow bruising and swelling to subside and prep you ready for that mistletoe moment! Ensure you have chosen the right injector for your lip fillers. If you want a natural look, don’t book with someone who specialises in Russian lips. Getting your lips dissolved is the last thing anyone wants, but especially so in the middle of the party season.

Q: What’s the best last-minute treatment before a party?

A: A hydration facial, skin booster, microcurrent or LED therapy can give you an instant glow-up with no downtime. I highly rate the NuSkin ageLOC Lumi Spa facial device for any Skincare routine looking to maximise results. This device throughly cleanses the skin, avoiding the need for double cleansing and boosts circulation, making it a fabulous asset to any Skincare routine.

Q: Do I need a consultation before booking?

A: Yes, always. A face-to-face consultation is a legal requirement in the UK and ensures your treatment plan is safe, personalised, and scheduled correctly. It also gives you an opportunity to see how comfortable you feel with the aesthetics practitioner before you sit in the treatment chair. Remember, never feel pressured into having a treatment and always ask questions about face fillers.

Q: When do clinics get busiest?

A: November and December are peak months, and appointments are in high demand. Book your treatments as early as September or October to secure your spot heading into the festive period.

Key Takeaway: To look your best for Christmas, start planning your aesthetic treatments at least 2–3 months in advance. From injectables to skin boosters, timing is everything for achieving radiant, natural-looking results in time for the festive season.

About Amish: From Harley Street To Gravesend

Amish Patel, BEM, is an award-winning aesthetics practitioner and clinical director at our flagship clinic in Kent, Intrigue Cosmetic Clinic. The aesthetics expert trained with the best of Harley Street before launching Intrigue in 2016 to meet the demand for a London clinic experience and service offering outstanding quality, care and results. Amish is regularly mentioned in industry news and is a favourite source of beauty news for the national and international media

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