For A-list actresses, awards season is a multi-legged marathon of dermatology appointments, facials and wellness interventions to prime skin. (High-tech cameras show no mercy to pores and wrinkles.) In years past, event prep has been more about “the glam”—red-carpet speak for hair and makeup—but the emphasis is increasingly on having a natural glow, said New York makeup artist Mary Wiles.
Here, a cheat-sheet to the cutting edge treatments that help stars get ready for their close ups, with expert reality checks on their effectiveness.
3+ Months Out
Key treatments: Stem-cell injections, Xerf and Potenza
Price range: $1,500-$15,000+
Purported benefits: Tighter and more radiant skin
Got a month or more to see results? Leading Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Marc Mani’s $15,000+ stem-cell procedure involves harvesting stem cells from fat that’s removed via micro-liposuction from flanks or inner thighs, and then injected into the face. According to Mani, the “improved vascularity from the formation of new blood vessels” results in glowing, thicker (read: less wrinkled) skin. Dr. Heather Rogers, a dermatologist in Seattle, said that research suggests fat grafting can improve skin quality, but the biggest benefit is “volume restoration.”
New York dermatologist Dr. David Kim uses two Korea-imported technologies on red-carpet-bound celebs: Xerf, a $2,000+ radiofrequency device; and Potenza, a treatment that combines microneedling and radiofrequency (cost range: $1,500-$2,500). Potenza is frequently combined with polynucleotides (derived from salmon sperm—yes). “Do it at least a week before and skin will appear brighter and more hydrated,” said Kim of Potenza. Rogers’ take? Energy-based devices like Xerf and Potenza can stimulate collagen production, helping to modestly tighten skin, “but it takes months for your body to respond.” She also noted that the FDA recently published a warning about radiofrequency microneedling complications .
Several Weeks Out
Key treatments: NAD+ drips, injections and nasal sprays
Price range: $65-$1,200
Purported benefits: Boosted glow and overall energy
It’s well-known in Hollywood that celebrities use NAD+ supplements, which contain a molecule essential to converting nutrients into energy. Decreased NAD+ levels “accelerate aging and degeneration of all tissues in the body, including and perhaps most visibly in the skin,” said Dr. Amanda Kahn, an internist and longevity specialist in Manhattan. She gives patients a NAD+ nasal spray to use once a day for two weeks before a big event ($280 a bottle) or bi-weekly injections of NAD+ for 5-10 weeks.
For a $1,000, one-and-done jolt, Niagen Plus’s 45-minute NR drip (a NAD+ precursor) can be administered by a nurse at an A-lister’s place the day before an event. Athena Hewett, a celebrity aesthetician in San Francisco, loves the glow-enhancing effects of NAD+ drips but advises clients not to use them on an empty stomach: “It can make you nauseous.”
According to Rogers, there’s little clinical evidence of NAD+ infusions meaningfully improving skin quality or energy levels in healthy people. “A lot of what people feel after an IV is simply the effect of hydration and electrolytes,” she said.
The Week Of
Key treatments: Lymphatic drainage, electro-stimulation
Price range: $500-$900
Purported benefits: Enhanced circulation, less fluid retention, stress relief
To depuff the face, celebrity facialists reach into a Mary Poppins-style bag of tricks that might include intra-oral (inside the mouth) massage and an electro-stimulation machine, a favorite blood-flow-stimulating tool of Hewett’s. Her clients include Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst, whom she recently gave a facial that included lymphatic drainage massage.
The $500-900 Lift, Sculpt and Slap facial from Edyta Jarosz, a New York aesthetician who has previously prepped Megan Thee Stallion for the Oscars, focuses on reducing fluid retention and decreasing inflammation via LED therapy, cold gua sha stones and lymphatic drainage massage (light pressure is applied, moving from the center of the face outwards and down the neck). Los Angeles celebrity facialist Joomee Song uses a microcurrent-charged glove to help release muscles in the face. “Most people carry tension in their face, often more on one side than the other,” said Song, who said her facials help restore symmetry and subtly lift the face.
Rogers stressed that lymphatic massage facials work as a temporary fix by “shifting fluid and boosting blood flow,” but noted that “they’re not changing the underlying biology of aging.”
The Last 24 Hours
Key treatments: Handheld devices, sheet masks, ice baths
Price range: Free-$215
Purported benefits: Plumper, smoother, more hydrated skin
For celebs with mere hours to spare, San Diego and Beverly Hills-based dermatologist Dr. Tess Mauricio likes hyaluronic acid-infused sheet masks and carboxy therapy masks ($100 a pop). She calls the latter a “hyperbaric chamber for the skin” that triggers a rush of blood to the skin where the mask is applied, resulting in a healthy brightness. Rogers, the dermatologist, uses carboxy therapy masks herself the day before she gets her picture taken.
Wiles, the makeup artist, keeps a hand-held device from Laduora in her kit that incorporates red and infrared light therapy, microcurrent stimulation and low-intensity electroporation (to make product go in deeper). She said she has used this on Naomi Watts and others to give their faces a more lifted and defined look.
Remember that there’s always the old standby—and it doesn’t cost anything. Dunking your face in ice water “decreases inflammation and causes everything to contract, giving a temporary firmer appearance,” said Hewett.
