The holidays sneak up like a relative you swear you blocked last year. One minute you are crunching leaves under cute boots, the next you are in a change room under fluorescent lighting asking yourself why your face suddenly resembles an under-hydrated peach. I always think I have time. I always think, oh, I will schedule that laser next week. Then next week becomes the week I am stress-eating Ferrero Rochers and wondering why my skin looks like it survived a dust storm.
So, here is the honest seasonal planning guide. No lectures, no moral superiority. Just realistic steps so you do not panic-book a peeling laser treatment three days before the office party and show up looking like a lizard who wants to network.
First, timing. Aesthetic treatments have their own pacing. You cannot rush collagen, the same way you cannot rush a teenager to move out. Botox takes around 7 to 14 days to settle. Fillers need a week to stop giving that subtle puffy look. Laser treatments can take a couple of weeks for redness to fade and results to appear. So if you are thinking about sprucing up before holiday gatherings, give yourself a comfortable runway.
Rule of thumb:
- Botox: do it at least 2 weeks before the event. It needs time to relax those expression lines. If you do it three days before the party you will still be lifting your forehead like a surprised cartoon character.
- Filler: ideally 2 to 4 weeks prior. There can be swelling. The first week is not the week you want to be photographed a hundred times by relatives who never learned how to angle a camera.
- Lasers: Depends on the type. Light laser facials? A few days to a week. Stronger resurfacing? Think 3 to 4 weeks.
Now, skincare. Skincare is the part people either take too seriously or not seriously at all. For the holiday stretch, the basics are non-negotiable: vitamin C in the morning, retinol at night, moisturizer that does not smell like candy but actually hydrates, and sunscreen. Yes, sunscreen. Even if it is cold. Even if the sun looks like it took the season off. The sun is still up there, plotting. All your expensive treatments will work better and last longer if you do not fry your collagen under sneaky winter rays bouncing off snowbanks. It is like protecting your investments. Except instead of stocks and bonds, it is your face.
If you are dealing with dryness because the heat indoors has the humidity level of a dehydrated museum, add hyaluronic acid and drink water. I know, drinking water feels like cliché advice printed on wellness mugs. But dehydration shows up on your skin faster than regret after a second martini.
Let us also talk about holiday stress because it is its own cosmetic villain. Stress tightens your jaw, clenches your teeth, raises your shoulders to earlobe height, and pulls your entire face toward the center. I can feel my face contracting just thinking about the dysfunctional dinners. If you get jaw tension or grinding, Botox can help the masseter muscles relax. It does not change your personality, just your jawline and your ability to not snap a fork while chewing turkey.
And sleep. I once thought I could cheat sleep by buying expensive eye cream. I now know that eye cream is like hiring a therapist after a breakup. Helpful, but it cannot undo the damage if you are still texting your ex at 2 am. Sleep is the cheapest beauty treatment. It is also the most annoying because you cannot buy it in a chic bottle. But it works.
The holidays are also a time when we eat things we normally pretend we do not eat. Salt, sugar, alcohol. I am not telling you to abstain. I am not here to ruin the only time of year when cheese is considered a meal. Just hydrate and maybe walk around a little so your body does not feel like it was embalmed in brine.
One more thing. Do your maintenance for yourself, not for the in-laws, coworkers, cousins you see once every five years, or that one person who always says you look tired. There is a special place in hell for people who tell others they look tired. You do this because you like how you feel when your skin looks luminous and your forehead has stopped folding like origami.
So, think ahead. Give your treatments time. Love sunscreen like it is a religion. Sleep like it is your job. Drink water, even when you wish it were Prosecco. And enjoy the holidays with your nicest face forward, not your panicked one.
Your future December self will thank you.
