Facelift Alternatives for Red-Carpet-Worthy Skin

Don’t expect one-and-done; allowing time for results is necessary. “They are typically performed in a series, with a final result in usually three to five months [as the collagen remodels] and with ongoing maintenance,” says Shamban, founder of the CARA multimodality face tool. She also suggests a strategic multi-layered approach that goes beyond energy treatments and can include injectables, resurfacing treatments and neuromodulators to optimize results. In other words, you may want to rethink bouncing between multiple providers and medical clinics.

Timing is everything. “All of these advances in technology allow us to achieve the holy grail of true nonsurgical tissue tightening especially when started at an earlier age,” she adds. “Early intervention helps counteract gravity, supporting the skin structure and delaying the need for a facelift.”

Keep expectations in check, too. “These are not surgical procedures nor are they surgical results. However, depending on age, ethnicity, skin condition as well as individual skin reaction and retraction, for many, these combination therapies can help to push back the dropping point.”

Pick Your Provider Carefully

Equally critical is who you choose to perform your treatments. “The modality is only one part of aesthetics success — the hands who operate it are even more essential,” she notes. “The best outcome and an optimal result of any in-office facelift-free or lesser invasive treatment is with an expertly trained and qualified provider using the customized settings and treatment protocol that meets your specific skin needs.”

Post-treatment, the rejuvenation journey isn’t over. Prolonging results requires investing in a solid skin maintenance program, including evidence-based skincare products, at-home face tools, staying out of the sun and daily SPF, even when it’s cloudy. “This can help stave off the need for surgery and you can save your facelift money — for a while, anyway,” Shamban declares.

Joining Shamban in this aesthetic renaissance are other industry-trusted medical pros and the science-backed treatments transforming skin and hair rejuvenation — just in time for the mother of all red carpets: the Oscars!

Everesse

Built around advanced monopolar radiofrequency (RF), Everesse by Volnewmer is designed to lift and firm skin on the face and body in two sessions, spaced three months apart. “Monopolar” refers to how the energy travels, in this case, from a single treatment tip through the tissue to a grounding pad affixed to your back. “It travels deep into the skin, allowing us to restore skin quality with precision and intention, supporting collagen, improving texture without pain or numbing and delivering natural, long-lasting results our patients love,” says nurse practitioner and specialist Natalia Guzman of Atelier Aesthetix. It costs $2,100 for the face, with visibly noticeable improvements after a single one-hour treatment.

PRX Derm Perfexion

Formulated with a blend of kojic acid, hydrogen peroxide and trichloroacetic acid (often called TCA), PRX Derm Perfexion improves skin quality on the face and body during an easy, 30-minute office visit. “I love how it gives skin that healthy, rested, more even luminosity,” says nurse practitioner Jennifer Hollander of Holländer Clinic. “It’s ideal during awards season when clients want their skin to look flawless in high-def but can’t afford the redness and peeling.” Priced at $400-700; three to five weekly treatments are suggested with results lasting several months.

Matrix Pro

Using precision needles paired with radiofrequency energy, Matrix Pro by Candela creates controlled microchannels that stimulate collagen and elastin, tighten skin and improve texture. The 25-minute, full-face treatment involves numbing and is highly tolerable, with one to two days of mild redness. At her hilltop aesthetics retreat, Beauty Villa Vergara, Dr. Mariana Vergara (Sofia’s cousin) applies regenerative aftercare to amplify results. “Salmon-derived PDRN by Rejuran and Vamp enhance healing, reduce inflammation and accelerate cellular repair.” A CO₂ mask completes the protocol. “It’s like immersing your skin in 100 percent oxygen for optimal tissue recovery,” she adds. Treatments start at $750.

KeraLase

Think of your scalp as an extension of your face. Combining laser therapy with a proprietary topical growth factor serum, KeraLase targets early-stage hair loss and thinning by revitalizing dormant follicles. Using the Lutronic LaseMD Ultra device, microchannels are created in the scalp to enhance absorption of the KeraFactor serum application that follows. “It’s drug-free and hormone-free and patients see improved hair density and thickness with reduced shedding,” says facial plastic surgeon Dr. Arash Moradzadeh who performs the treatment at his AMORAmd clinic. The fee is $750 per visit, with typically three to five monthly sessions suggested along with topical home care.

XERF

Similar to Everesse, XERF by Cynosure Lutronic (from $1,500) is also a monopolar radiofrequency (RF) device for targeted skin tightening on the face and neck. “It gently remodels the structure of your skin and restores firmness from within,” says dermatologist Dr. Tess Mauricio, MD FAAD. “You get all the skin-tightening, collagen-boosting power of RF energy without numbing or needles. Just visible, natural-looking results, backed by science.” Two treatments are suggested one month apart.

BBL HEROic + Moxi

Talk about a Hollywood power couple: combining BBL HEROic and Moxi by Sciton delivers what some skincare practitioners describe as the ultimate glow-up. “BBL [Broad Band Light] works on what you can see first: sunspots, redness, uneven tone,” says Dr. Kian Karimi, MD FACS. “It targets pigment and vascular changes that build up over years of sun exposure and helps reset the skin, so it looks clearer and more even.” MOXI works on a deeper level. “It’s a non-ablative fractional laser that gently stimulates the skin’s renewal process, improving texture, dullness, early fine lines and encouraging collagen production without stripping the skin or disrupting daily life,” he adds. “When you combine the two, you’re improving how the skin functions and ages over time.” You’ll numb in advance of the 35-minute combo treatment (from $1,100). Expect mild redness and a sandpaper-like texture for several days; small sacrifices for a complexion that steals the spotlight.