Humans have been tinkering with their appearance since the first mirrors emerged roughly 4,000 years ago. 

The beauty industry can trace its roots back to a similar era. Millions of people around the world have enhanced their appearance with makeup and a variety of products, some home-made and humble, others a bit more exotic. 

In contrast, the aesthetic industry is only half as old, launching around 2,000 years ago. 

It has more than made up for lost time, developing into a billion-dollar business that seeks to help people combat the march of time and regain their confidence. 

This blog will take a closer look at this booming professional environment and lift the lid on some of the most in-demand treatments provided by UK aesthetic clinics. 

A short history of aesthetics 

We’ve already established that the aesthetics industry began around 2,000 years ago, in countries such as Egypt and Greece, where skincare treatments passed down from generation to generation. 

However, it wasn’t until the late 19th-early 20th centuries that the business we recognised today really started to emerge. 

Increased demand for healthy, beautiful skin, coupled with a rash of new treatments and technological innovations, drove the aesthetics sector’s growth over the decades to the present day. 

People from all walks of life and from a large age bracket, were looking for knowledge and treatment. 

Now every UK clinic team has the technologies, products and therapies to cater to almost every customer’s health journey, from concerns about wrinkles to banishing acne on their chin. 

Despite this success, the aesthetics industry remains an unregulated one. That is why using our app is crucial when looking for a clinic you can visit with confidence.

What does an aesthetic clinic do?

Many clinics offer advice and support about skin care, aiming to educate clients on the best ways to look after their skin. 

That could be anything from encouraging them to cover up when out in the full sun, to how they can make their skin look amazing, and keep it that way. 

The aim of many clinics is to empower their clients, and reassure them that they are in safe hands. The professional team will help patients make informed decisions about their skin care routine, so they always feel a million bucks. 

Treatments offered by aesthetic clinics 

There is a wide range of treatments on offer from UK aesthetic clinics, using a variety of technologies from lasers and chemical peels, microneedling and radiofrequency, to ultrasound. 

No matter their complexity, they all have the same goal: to keep our skin looking great as we get older. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular therapies and what they do.  

Dermal fillers

As we get older, our skin loses hydration and volume. The result is slightly saggy, sometimes wrinkled skin. 

Dermal fillers are gels made up of synthetic hyaluronic acid. It is a naturally occurring protein that both attracts and holds water, and is used to restore both volume and plump to skin. 

There are several brands on the market, all of which will give your skin a fuller, more youthful appearance. 

Dermal fillers are among the most popular treatments offered by aesthetic clinics. They are commonly used on the skin fold between the nose and cheek, on lines around mouth and deep facial lines, as well as on the lips, jaw line, under the eye, cheekbones and chin.

This aesthetics treatment time is around 45 minutes, with up to 48 hours recovery time. Results are often immediate, and can last for between six months and a year. Prices start at approximately £150. 

Facial lines and wrinkles

Laughter lines, crow’s feet, smile lines: for some people, these wrinkles and creases are unwanted signs of ageing. 

If you are worried these issues could negatively impact your confidence, it might be worthwhile talking to a qualified professional. Find one near you with the SafeAP app.  

Lip injectables

Lip fillers are also synthetic hyaluronic acid gels. The skin clinic team will inject it directly into the lips to create volume, though some have pre-mixed local anaesthesia to minimise discomfort. 

The treatment time is shorter at just 15 minutes but recovery can take up to five days. Clients can expect to see the results in 14 to 28 days, and the treatment lasts four to six months. 

Prices vary, depending on the aesthetic clinic and treatment, though be aware it can take more than one session for patients to achieve their required lip size. 

Chemical peels 

Also known as chemoexfoliation, these anti-aging procedures see a chemical solution, usually alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) or beta hydroxy acid (BHA), applied to a patient’s skin. 

This ‘controlled’ wound then stimulates the body’s production of collagen, which rejuvenates the skin, giving it a youthful appearance and boosting people’s confidence. 

Chemical peels are not just a useful beauty treatment that prevents skin ageing, they can also help with a range of other dermatological conditions, including: 

• pigment-related issues, such as melasma or freckles
• inflammatory conditions like acne or rosacea 
• trauma, surgery or acne scarring
• superficial wrinkles

Aesthetics doctors offer three grades of chemical peel: superficial, and the medical grade medium and deep. They are defined by the type and concentration of acid used, patients’ skin types and number of applications required. 

Be sure to discuss any concerns about your skin type during your consultation with the doctors and team at your chosen skin clinic. They will ensure every patient makes the right decision. 

This aesthetics treatment lasts around half an hour, while the recovery time depends on the grade of peel. Expect up to 24 hours for a superficial peel, and up to three weeks for a medium grade. 

It takes up between three weeks and six months for the results to be visible, and prices start at around £100. 

Microdermabrasion

As the name suggests, this cosmetic procedure uses fine crystals and a vacuum to gently scour away dead skin cells. It is suitable for the face, neck, chest, back and hands.

This aesthetic treatment rejuvenates the skin without using needles or chemicals. It is effective against skin scarring, sun damage, stretch marks and dark pigmentation.

Microdermabrasion typically takes 30 to 45 minutes, while patient recovery can be several days as the skin heals from sunburn-like symptoms. 

Results can be seen in two to four weeks and last about a month. Prices start at around £80.  

Laser skin resurfacing

This aesthetics treatment is a great way to rejuvenate skin, remove minor blemishes such as age spots or pigmentation and mild to moderate acne scarring. 

Depending on the skin clinic, they may use an ablative laser, or nonablative laser or light source to remove the thin outer layer of skin and heats the underlying dermis to promote collagen growth. 

Treatment time for laser skin resurfacing is around 20 to 45 minutes depending on the area in question, with recovery taking between two weeks and one month. 

The results of this anti ageing treatment can last for between three and five years, a duration which is reflected in the price: laser resurfacing a full face and neck costs over £1,400. 

Skin rejuvenating injectables

Skin rejuvenating injectables are anti ageing treatments mainly composed of hyaluronic acid and are injected just under the skin, to stimulate collagen and elastin production.

They have a long-lasting rejuvenating and moisturising effect, leaving your skin plump and hydrated, with a range of skin treatments on the market, including Profhilo® and Restylane®.

The treatment time is 15 to 30 minutes with minimal recovery, and results are visible after four to six weeks. How long those results last depends on the individual product, and prices start from £250. 

Be aware, these skin treatments can come with risks. Your qualified practitioner should discuss them with you, alongside any concerns you have, during your consultation before any beauty treatment begins. 

The skin clinic and beyond

Many UK clinics offer more than skin care treatments aimed at making people look and feel younger or banishing their acne. 

There is now a range of medical therapies available that cater to a broad range of skin conditions. 

Clinics offering this professional service may also provide medical solutions for skincare problems that pose no danger to people’s health but can impact their confidence. 

It means people can have a medical consultation in an aesthetic clinic about skin tags, thread veins, mole mapping, warts or even fungal infections.

Some have stepped outside the skin journey altogether, offering medical treatments that focus on wellbeing, as well as body aesthetics.  

Laser hair removal

This is one of the beauty and aesthetics industries’ most popular treatments as it often boosts the confidence of people having it. 

The skin clinic team uses lasers to remove fine hairs from the face and body by the root, destroying the melanin pigment that stimulates growth.

Treatment time will vary depending on the area of focus but on average a leg takes between 30 and 60 minutes to complete. 

Typically, patients need up to six sessions to eliminate all hair from a region, with a gap of several weeks between each laser hair removal treatment. Results can be immediate and in the long term, any hair that does grow back is finer and lighter. 

Prices range from around £60 underarm hair removal, to £300 for a full leg, including foot. 

Non-surgical nose job

Just as hyaluronic acid fillers can plump out the skin on a patient’s cheeks, a skin clinic team can do the same for bumpy noses with liquid rhinoplasty. 

Even though this non-surgical nose job is not permanent, it remains one of the industry’s most popular treatments, especially for people looking to smooth bridge bumps or have more symmetrical nostrils.

Treatment time is around 15 to 30 minutes, depending on what is needed, and the recovery period is around one week. The results are immediately visible and can last up to 18 months, depending on the filler used. Prices are around £365. 

Body contouring 

Some UK clinics have diversified and offer medical ways that both treat and help shape people’s bodies, providing a safe pair of hands for sometimes vulnerable patients. 

Services offered in some clinics range from bariatric surgery and liposuction, to injection lipolysis or cryolipolysis, which both target fat cells in specific areas on the body.

Vaginal rejuvenation 

One of the most recent aesthetics trends, some clinics are offering injectables to help with labial reshaping as a service. 

People experiencing vaginal atrophy due to menopause may also turn to cosmetic practitioners for tightening treatments, using radiofrequency or fractional lasers.

Wellness services 

Some aesthetic clinics have also branched out into the wellness industry, offering IV-versions of vitamins and minerals, supplements, so-called nutraceuticals and bio-identical hormones. 

Find the right aesthetic clinic for you

Everybody’s health journey is different but some of the services offered by aesthetics practitioners have the capacity to change someone’s life for good. 

From skincare advice for acne scarring to laser treatments that rejuvenate someone’s confidence, your chosen medical team could put an end to decades of misery with a single consultation. But how do you find an aesthetic clinic that’s right for you? 

You download the Safe Aesthetic Practitioner (SafeAP) app. 

This industry-leading technology puts qualified aesthetic practitioners and clients looking for non-surgical or medical aesthetic treatments at each others’ fingertips. 

A curated marketplace

The online marketplace is a curated, national database of verified doctors, dentists and nurses. We have great pride in only working with qualified aesthetic practitioners across the UK who offer non-surgical facial aesthetic treatments. 

They have clinics throughout the UK, providing cosmetic treatments and services including dermal and lip fillers or skin rejuvenating injectables. 

As well as listing these practitioners, SafeAP also allows you to compare clinics and filter by locations, so you know exactly where your aesthetic treatments will be delivered and by whom. 

Sign up to the SafeAP app 

Whether you’re looking for laser resurfacing, non-surgical wrinkle treatments or dermal fillers or to improve your skin health, our practitioners can help. 

To find one that’s right for you, sign up for our app. Click the download button at the top right and follow the instructions. 

We look forward to supporting you on your aesthetics journey.

PS If you’re a practitioner, why not join our growing platform? Click the sign up button at the top of the page.