In a city where youth is currency, the pressure to look flawless never wanes. Just as powerful is the pressure to stay in the spotlight. Industry titans are embracing a new generation of technologies that promise lifted features and age-defying results with modest to no downtime. Here are some of the less invasive procedures seducing Hollywood, as well as some of their most sought-after practitioners.
All Hail Fat
For those on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, don’t go losing too much fat — it might just be your personal fountain of youth. If you’d rather rejuvenate skin using your own tissue instead of foreign fillers, fat transfer (aka fat grafting) offers a compelling natural alternative. Typically harvested from the thighs or abdomen via liposuction or a syringe, fat is gently purified and re-injected to restore volume and smooth wrinkles on the face, hands, and beyond. The result? Natural-looking, minimally invasive rejuvenation, without the overfilled look.
“Fat grafting has been around for decades; however, recent advancements have made the procedure safer, more predictable and effective,” explains Dr. David Samimi. “As the face matures, volume is lost in the upper half of the face through thinning bone, muscle, fat, and skin.” While hyaluronic acid–based fillers are frequently used to replenish lost volume, fat is Samimi’s preferred source for his signature Restore technique. “This involves harvesting fat in smaller micro globules, making the fat resemble smooth liquid. The fat is placed in the deeper tissue layers of the face using micro cannulas in multiple directions from strategic port sites resulting in smoother skin and more facial harmony.”
Dr. Marc Mani’s trademarked MIST (Minimally Invasive Stromovascular Transfer) method harnesses the regenerative power of stromal vascular cells naturally found in fat to restore skin health at a cellular level. “I inject these cells into the face, neck, décolletage, and hands to rejuvenate the skin,” he explains. “It’s truly regenerative, and I often combine it with fat transfer to improve sun damage, fine lines, melasma, acne scars, and volume loss.”
Bespoke Body Contouring
Whereas fashion stylists shape your outfits, body stylists promise to sculpt your silhouette. The secret to Hollywood’s most flawless figures isn’t just lighting or makeup — it’s what happens days before and even the day of. Behind the scenes, both male and female red-carpet regulars are slipping into Shapetress, a serene Santa Monica studio, known for non-invasive sculpting treatments.
Lauren Rock’s proprietary therapies melt away inches, tighten skin and reduce cellulite with zero downtime. The MedWave Narrow Light Technology uses a patented focused light therapy to achieve impressive results. “Clients lose 5 to 12 inches when using the machine every 4-5 days,” claims Rock. Another standout, Cryo Selene, offers cold sculpting to lift and tone the skin on the face and body and is said to permanently eliminate fat deposits around the belly, back, love handles and thighs. “It’s one of the only face treatments safe enough to do the day of a big event,” says Rock. And The Vive, developed by the co-creator of the Pacemaker, claims to replicate three hours of exercise in 25 minutes with bioharmonic frequencies that tone the muscles.
SonoBello in Beverly Hills helps clients downsize in just one visit with just a local anesthetic, employing a technique called TriSculpt. “TriSculpt is a 100 percent awake, micro-laser liposuction that can target and remove 50-70 percent of fat,” claims Dr. John Hsu. “With over 300,000 procedures performed, our technique has evolved to safely treat a wider range of patients than ever before.” When combined with a healthy lifestyle, TriSculpt promises long-lasting body contouring results. “Patients are back to work in three days with minimal pain and scarring.”
Aesthetics isn’t just about beauty; it can also improve quality of life, especially for those with lipedema, a chronic condition caused by a genetic mutation that leads to stubborn fat deposits and discomfort. “Lipedema affects roughly 10 percent of women worldwide — around 370 million,” says Dr. David Amron, a globally-renowned lipedema specialist. “Many are misdiagnosed or told to just lose weight, which doesn’t treat the condition.”
Preventive measures include an anti-inflammatory diet (avoiding gluten, sugar, and refined carbs), compression therapy, and targeted supplements. For advanced cases, the minimally invasive lipedema reduction surgery—specifically ALT (Advanced Lipedema Method) — is the gold standard. Done under twilight anesthesia, it costs around $15,000. “My approach treats the full affected area circumferentially for both medical relief and the best cosmetic results,” says Amron. “While it’s not a cure, properly performed surgery rarely results in recurrence.”
Next Level Nurses
Ever wonder how certain friends seem to have cracked the code on staying forever young? Chances are, they have access to a nurse practitioner who specializes in energy-based treatments and injectables. These elite medical pros bestow clients with high-impact, low-downtime results.
Jennifer Hollander, who just debuted Holländer Clinic, is sought after for her subtle enhancements and holistic approach to aesthetics. “We value individuality over uniformity,” she says. PRX Derm Perfection and PRX Plus fit “perfectly” into her ethos. “PRX is a biostimulator—a patented blend of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) to stimulate collagen and kojic acid to brighten and even skin tone,” she adds. “You get the depth and results of a medium peel: firmer, smoother skin, without the peeling or downtime. PRX Plus targets thicker skin, deep wrinkles, pigment irregularities, and scars. It’s ideal for patients who want more correction without venturing into aggressive laser territory.” Safe for all skin types, with little to no downtime and priced at $450 per session, it’s used on the face, neck, chest, hands, elbows, knees, and buttocks.
Clients trust Shea Denmark, known as the Beverly Hills Sculptress, for her delicate touch and expertise with laser and light-based therapies. Her go-to treatment? The powerhouse pairing of Sciton’s MOXI, a non-ablative laser with BBL Hero, a broadband light device (from $1,500). “MOXI is safe for all skin types, evens skin tone, reduces pore size, and promotes collagen and elastin while BBL Hero, which was proven by a Stanford Study to reverse cellular aging, targets pigmentation, fine lines, wrinkles, and texture,” she says. “And both have minimal to no downtime.”
Natalia Guzman recently opened Atelier Aesthetix, a sleek new haven where she offers the most current medical innovations that “support graceful, long-term aging, not quick fixes.” She personally vets every device and procedure: “I study the data, test everything myself, and witness the results firsthand.” One of her favorites? Sylfirm X (from $1,350). “It’s a dual-wave RF microneedling device that targets redness, pigmentation, skin laxity, and texture while lifting and tightening.”
Lisa Giffen of Giffen Aesthetics is raving about Alma Hybrid Laser (from $1,500). “It’s a revolutionary combination of ablative and non-ablative wavelengths that allows us to deeply resurface the skin while still being safe for all skin types,” she explains. “It’s customizable, powerful, and one of the most effective devices we’ve ever worked with when it comes to treating aging skin, acne scars, pigmentation, and textural issues.” Expect 2-3 days of downtime for lighter sessions and up to 10 days for deeper treatments.
Skin Savants
Perfect, ageless skin isn’t always due to genetics or lasers. Sometimes, the skilled hands of an esthetician make all the difference. These virtuosi are sought after for their trailblazing treatments that sculpt and lift, helping you look years younger, without injections.
Industry clients flock to Suzanne Wilson for her intuitive techniques and meticulously tailored facials. With deep expertise in Korean beauty innovations (such as spicules, tiny needle-like particles derived from the purified, micronized skeletons of marine organisms that help gently exfoliate and refine skin texture), she ensures no two facials are the same, customizing each treatment to your skin’s evolving needs.
With over 25 years of experience, Linda Ross is the referral-only aesthetician trusted by Aubrey Plaza, America Ferrera, Bebe Rexha, and Uzo Aduba. Her namesake line — best known for its colostrum mask — and signature microcurrent treatment deliver facelift-like results, no scalpel required. And when it comes to old-school extractions of blackheads and milia, there’s nobody better.