Which treatment actually fits your concern?
Pick the concern you would treat first, say how much downtime you can take and whether needles are an option, and the compass ranks 13 treatment families against your answers. Each one arrives with typical sessions, downtime in days, how long the result lasts, a price band, the main risk and who should not have it, so the consultation starts from a shorter list.
Which family fits your concern?
Answer three questions. The compass weighs 13 treatment families against the one concern you pick, drops everything that needs a needle if you decline needles, and marks whatever asks for more downtime than you have. Texture and acne scars, up to 3 days of downtime and needles allowed are set as an example.
01 The concern you would treat first
02 Downtime you can take
03 Needles
Microneedling
Strong fitA consultation with a qualified, registered practitioner decides. Price bands are orientation only.
The closest three
Side by side
Three families for texture and acne scars, side by side
| Treatment family | Sessions | Downtime | Results last | Typical price |
|---|
The table scrolls sideways on a narrow screen. Every price band is orientation only: a typical range in Western Europe, varies widely with the city, the practitioner and the amount used.
Medical skincare first
How it works.
- Pick the one concern you would treat first, from expression lines to unwanted hair.
- Set the downtime you can take, then say whether needles are an option or not.
- Read the three closest families, compare them side by side, and take the list into a consultation.
Six mechanisms, thirteen families
Every family in this tool works in one of six ways. Neuromodulators such as botulinum toxin hold a muscle quiet so the line it folds softens: onset is 3 to 5 days, the full effect sits at day 14, and it wears off after 3 to 4 months. Hyaluronic acid fillers replace volume on the day and hold it for 6 to 18 months, and hyaluronidase dissolves them if the result is wrong. Biostimulators put in a material your tissue reacts to, so collagen builds over 3 to 6 months. Energy devices, from microneedling to fractional lasers, injure or heat the skin in a controlled way so it repairs stronger. Peels dissolve layers, either the outer one or down into the upper dermis. Light devices target what absorbs them: pigment, the blood in small vessels, or the pigment in a growing hair.
Downtime, courses and how long it holds
Downtime in this tool is social downtime: the days you look treated, not the weeks the skin is still rebuilding. A superficial peel flakes for 2 to 5 days while collagen keeps forming for 8 to 12 weeks underneath. Sessions are counted in courses because most devices work by repetition: laser hair removal needs 6 to 8 sessions 4 to 8 weeks apart to catch each hair while it grows, microneedling usually runs to 3 to 6, superficial peels to 3 to 6. Duration is the other half of the price: a result that holds 12 months for 500 EUR and one that holds 4 months for 200 EUR cost about the same across a year, so the compass shows both numbers. Price bands here are orientation only: a typical range in Western Europe, varies widely with the city, the practitioner and the amount used.
Who holds the needle, and who should not
A qualified practitioner is a registered medical professional, a doctor, a dentist or a registered nurse, with specific training in that treatment and insurance that names it. Check the national register before the first appointment rather than the reviews. The questions that come before any of this are the ones no tool can answer for you: injectables and resurfacing are avoided in pregnancy and while breastfeeding, over an active skin infection or a cold sore, and with a keloid history. Resurfacing waits 6 to 12 months after isotretinoin, blood thinners raise the bruising risk with every injectable, and photosensitising medication rules out the light based treatments. This compass ranks families, not clinics. It cannot examine you and it does not know your medication. What it gives you is a shorter list and better questions; the consultation decides the rest.
Frequently asked.
Why does a family I did not expect come out on top?
The ranking is the fit with the one concern you picked, then your downtime answer. A family with a fit of 3 beats one with a fit of 1, and anything that needs more downtime than you allowed loses a point and is marked on its card. Change the downtime answer and the order moves with it.
What happens when I decline needles?
Every family that needs a needle leaves the list: both injectable groups, skin boosters and both forms of microneedling. For some concerns that removes the strongest option, so the compass names what was filtered out rather than hiding it. For volume loss almost nothing is left, because putting volume back means injecting something.
Are the price bands what I will pay?
No. They are a typical range in Western Europe, they vary widely with the city, the practitioner and the amount used, and a low price is often a sign of a smaller amount rather than a better deal. Use them to compare families with each other, not clinics with each other.
Why is medical skincare shown as a baseline?
Because for pigmentation, texture, pores and dullness a topical retinoid, daily sunscreen and azelaic acid do a measurable part of the work over 12 weeks at a fraction of the cost. They also leave a calmer surface for anything that follows, which is why most practitioners ask for 4 to 6 weeks of it before resurfacing.
Can two families be combined?
Often yes, and clinics plan it that way: a neuromodulator and a filler in one appointment is routine, while energy devices are usually spaced 4 weeks apart. The order and the interval matter more than the list, which makes combining a decision for the consultation.
Does the compass store my answers?
No. Everything is worked out in the page itself, nothing is written to your browser storage and nothing is sent anywhere. Reload the page and the example comes back.
Guides behind this tool
Aesthetics
Botulinum toxin injections: onset, duration and risks
Aesthetics
Hyaluronic acid fillers: risks, red flags and reversal
Aesthetics
Microneedling: evidence, sessions and downtime
Aesthetics
Chemical peels: superficial, medium and deepMore tools
The Aesthetics Compass ranks 13 treatment families against one concern, a downtime limit and your answer on needles. It cannot examine you, it does not diagnose anything, and the price bands are orientation only: a consultation with a qualified, registered practitioner decides what is suitable for your skin, your history and your medication. This page is for general information and does not replace advice from a dermatologist, physician or qualified practitioner.