When to Book a Lifting Treatment — Counting Back from Your Date

If you are considering a treatment before a wedding or another occasion that matters, the reference point is one to two months ahead. Most lifting and booster treatments look their best not immediately after the session but one to two months later, as collagen builds.

One to two weeks ahead, by contrast, is usually too tight. The effect has not come up yet, and depending on the treatment there may still be slight swelling or needle marks. Botox is the exception — it works differently, so it can sit much closer to the date.

The timings below are based on the treatments we perform at COCO Clinic. All of them are typical averages and vary with skin condition and treatment area.

Why one to two months, and not right after

Many lifting and booster treatments work by prompting your skin to produce collagen. Collagen takes time to form, so a gap opens between the day of the treatment and the day the result reads most clearly.

XERF, a radiofrequency lifting treatment, is a good example. You may feel some immediate tightening on the day, but the point at which the result is properly visible is one to two months later. If you judge the timing by how your skin feels straight after the session, the date itself can land in an awkward window.

So when the date is already fixed, we suggest treating that day as your anchor and counting one to two months backwards from it.

Which treatments suit a fixed date

To meet a date that is already set, a single session needs to have come up by then. These are the treatments that fit that condition.

XERF — 1 to 2 months ahead

Dual-frequency radiofrequency at 6.78MHz and 2MHz, working across the full depth of the skin. Worth considering for overall laxity in the cheeks, deep cheek fat, jawline and under the chin. Temporary swelling or redness is possible but you can return to daily life straight away. The session takes about 40 to 60 minutes, and the result holds for around a year. → More on XERF

Jamber Lifting — 1 to 2 months ahead

A thread lift to consider when sagging and hollowing appear together, such as along the outer cheeks or nasolabial folds. The session takes about 20 to 30 minutes including anaesthesia and aftercare. The result lasts around six to eight months, by which time most of the PDO has been absorbed.

There is one more thing to factor into your timing. For about one to two weeks afterwards there may be slight swelling, and needle marks are still visible. That is why we suggest two to four weeks ahead of an important date. → More on Jamber Lifting

Juveacell — 1 to 2 months ahead

An ECM booster containing human dermis–derived material, which can be used on thin, sensitive areas such as the under-eye hollows and neck lines. A single session can bring a change, which suits a fixed date.

You can return to daily life almost immediately, with about two to three days of downtime. A single session lasts three to six months. → More on Juveacell

Sofwave — 1 to 2 months ahead

A non-invasive ultrasound lifting treatment in which seven transducers send parallel ultrasound waves to warm the mid-dermis at about 1.5mm. It acts on the thickness and elasticity of the skin itself, and while some redness or warmth may remain, it usually settles the same day, so you can return to daily life that day.

The result comes up gradually. Visible change begins around four to six weeks and peaks at about three months. If you are working to a date, use one to two months ahead as your reference, and go a little earlier if you have room. → More on Sofwave

Botox — 2 weeks ahead for wrinkles, 4 weeks for muscle

Botox is timed differently from the treatments above. Rather than waiting for collagen to build, it reduces muscle movement, so it can sit much closer to the date.

For expression lines such as the glabella, forehead and around the eyes, two weeks ahead is the reference. For the masseter, trapezius and similar muscles — and for salivary gland Botox — four weeks ahead is the reference, because muscle volume takes longer to come down. → More on muscle Botox

Wrinkle Botox holds for around three months and muscle Botox for three to six months. The session itself takes under five minutes.

Treatments we would not time to a date

Not because the result falls short, but because the nature of the treatment does not suit working to a fixed day. These are better planned separately from the occasion.

Radiesse and Juvelook — two to three sessions assumed

Both produce collagen from one to two months onwards, and hold for a long time — twelve to eighteen months and twelve months respectively. Reaching the result you want, however, usually takes two to three sessions, which is a longer rhythm than a single date allows.

Radiesse has one more thing to account for. The volume you see immediately after the session comes from the CMC gel. As that gel breaks down, the initial volume decreases, and the collagen effect comes up afterwards. It is not a case of the immediate appearance simply staying put.

Corage — an ongoing-care treatment

Corage combines cell-resonance radiofrequency with exosomes. It is not a treatment that shows a marked change in one session; it is designed to be received periodically to maintain skin condition. It belongs in your regular care plan rather than against a particular date.

Legato 2 — a therapeutic purpose

Legato 2 addresses acne inflammation, post-acne marks and depressed scarring. It is not received to improve appearance for an occasion; it should be seen as a process of treating the skin condition itself. Skin subcision is therapeutic in the same way, for scarring.

How long is the recovery

Separately from when the result comes up, you also need to count the days on which traces of the treatment are still visible.

• XERF — temporary swelling or redness is possible, but daily life resumes straight away.
• Sofwave — redness, swelling and warmth usually settle the same day, so daily life resumes that day.
• Juveacell — daily life resumes almost immediately, with about two to three days of downtime.
• Jamber Lifting — slight swelling and needle marks may remain for one to two weeks. This is the item that most affects your timing.

Recovery varies considerably with constitution and the extent of the treatment, so if you have an important date, the most accurate approach is to tell us the date at the start of your consultation.

Combining several treatments

Often there is more than one concern — laxity together with hollowing, or wanting to improve skin texture and volume at the same time.

In that case, rather than taking everything at once, we consider spacing them so that the points at which results come up and the recovery periods do not overlap. Which order and interval is appropriate depends on the combination and on your skin, so it is not something we can set out uniformly. Please check it at a consultation.

Planning it now

If you have autumn or year-end plans in mind, now is a reasonable time to start counting back.

1. Fix the date. Take the single most important day as your anchor.
2. Subtract one to two months. This is the reference window for most treatments. Botox is the exception, at two weeks for wrinkles and four weeks for muscle.
3. Subtract the recovery as well. For treatments such as Jamber Lifting, where traces may remain for one to two weeks, allow more room.
4. Separate out treatments of a different nature. Those requiring repeat sessions, or with a therapeutic purpose, are planned independently of the occasion.

The timings and durations in this article are typical averages and vary between individuals. Please confirm the timing and treatment that suit your skin through a consultation.