The best alternatives to Botox
Last week, I briefly mentioned the word ‘Botox’ and my inbox was overflowing with people asking for alternatives. It appears that even for those who don’t want to go down the injectable route, we are all pretty keen (or at least, intrigued), to achieve the same skin smoothing results.
So today, I’m going to cover the best Botox alternatives you can use at home, to help keep your skin healthy and youthful. There is absolutely no agenda here, I’m completely and honestly neutral on the Botox front.
This is simply the advice I give my clients in clinic who don’t fancy the injectable route and equally, I share the same tips with clients who are looking to extend the longevity of their Botox treatments. Let’s dive in into the skin smoothing options…
1. Give your skin an at-home treatment...
It will be no surprise to you that microneedling is top of my list for an at-home facial treatment. Not only does it naturally stimulate your collagen and elastin production to smooth lines and wrinkles, but it creates millions of tiny micro channels into your skin that have been proven to increase product absorption from 4% to 70%!
This means all the powerful active ingredients in all our BASE products, can work up to 66% better and take the results of your routine to a whole new level. The TLC Roller treatment takes just 5 minutes, and you only need to do it twice per week to supercharge your skincare results and soften lines and wrinkles.
2. Bathe in SPF as it treats what Botox can't...
SPF has been scientifically proven to reduce up to 90% of skin ageing caused by the sun. However, it’s so often overlooked.
Skin ageing isn’t just about preventing lines and wrinkles. It’s also about reducing pigmentation, minimising broken capillaries, evening skin tone and texture and keeping pores refined and skin plump.
As Botox only targets the facial muscles and not the skin itself, it can’t treat these other aspects of sun damage that can make our skin appear far older than it actually is.
So, whether you chose injectables or not, applying a layer of Sunbeam Cream - SPF 50 every morning is essential. It will keep your skin fully protected from all forms of sun damage and is potentially the best thing you’ll ever do for your complexion.
3. Give your facial muscles a workout...
Face massage was one of my favourite things to learn when I was training and I still practice it daily on myself, even if just for a minute when cleansing.
The idea behind facial massage is that it sculpts your face and loosens tension in your muscles to prevent them creasing so much throughout the day…A bit like when you have a back massage and they ease the tension around your shoulders. All of a sudden you walk taller and hold yourself straighter.
Face massage also helps to bring fresh, oxygenated blood to the surface of the skin allowing it to rejuvenate faster. The repetitive motions increase lymph drainage too, which instantly reduces puffiness and drains the toxins from your complexion for an instant glow.
If you don’t know where to get started, I have a whole follow-along library on Instagram that you can watch right here.
4. Start using Active Ingredients...
And last but by no means least, wondrous active ingredients. If you played along with this week’s ‘Skincare School’ on Instagram, you’ll know that active ingredients are the ones that are scientifically proven to change your skin and generate results. And when it comes to treating lines and wrinkles, there are a few in particular that are absolute game-changers…!
#1. Retinol: Potentially the Queen of active ingredients, Retinol accelerates cell turnover and collagen production to make your skin act and look younger. We use the highest quality, gentle form of Retinol in our One Cream Wonder, so that you can use it daily for all the incredible results, with none of the typical side effects.
#2. AHAs: These exfoliating acids help to slough away the dull, lacklustre top layer of skin to unveil the smooth, even, glowing one below. To get the best from them, all you need to do is apply a few drops of our Overnight Glow Drops each evening. The 5 AHAs within the formula will get to work as you sleep, so you wake up to radiant, youthful skin every morning.
#3 Peptides: Peptides help to build essential proteins in the skin like collagen and elastin. These proteins firm and plump the skin and are best applied in serum form so they can work deeper and faster. This is why they are packed into our Super Youth Serum and just one pump each am and pm under your moisturiser, is a miracle worker!
Side Note: If you’d like all these ingredients in one place, they’re perfectly balanced in my signature skincare routine, The 5 Minute Kit, so you don’t even have to think about it.
And those are my top recommendations for Botox alternatives. It also goes without saying that practising general self-care is key for maintaining healthy, youthful skin. Eat well, stay hydrated, move your body and get plenty of sleep…These little things are far more powerful than we ever realise 🥰
Amy x
Amy is a qualified skin expert and founder of BASE. When she’s not writing about skincare, you’ll find her applying it, developing it or daydreaming about it instead!