What Is Tweakmaxxing? Is It Just Tweakment ‘Stacking’? Here’s What You Need To Know

If you spend any amount of time on social media you may have seen the “Maxxing” trend all over the place right now – which basically means going all-in on any lifestyle habit. Now, with a 5,000% spike in searches, “Tweakment Maxxing” is the latest iteration. But is this approach to maximise the results of our in-clinic treatments really just tweakment stacking in disguise, and is it even a good idea? We investigate…

So, what is tweakment maxxing?

At its core, tweakment maxxing is about getting the very most out of your time in clinic – but exactly what that looks like depends on who you ask.

For some people, the trend represents a true “maxxing” mindset: taking an all-in approach and combining multiple treatments, technologies and products to try to achieve the biggest possible transformation. It’s the aesthetic equivalent of ‘going big and going home… with basically a new face’. That can certainly save you time and potentially some money (if you purchase a combination treatment package), while helping you achieve all your skin goals in one fell swoop.

However, especially in the wrong practitioner hands, the more-is-more approach can have the very opposite effect of the natural-looking tweakments trend we’ve been enjoying in recent years. In fact, this ‘give me everything mindset’, could be behind the Slop Face phenomenon we’ve recently been seeing. That makes it less of a good idea…

Is it basically the tweakment stacking approach that South Korea loves so much?

If you’ve read my recent piece about how South Korean clinics are revolutionising the tweakments industry you’ll know that one approach they absolutely love is organising for individuals to have multiple treatments in one day; a trend called ‘treatment stacking’. It has been particularly popularised on social media where influencers and even UK-based aesthetic practitioners have been documenting their travels to South Korea to get the latest treatments back-to-back (sometimes up to 10 treatments in one day!), with the aim of maximising their results in the shortest amount of time. So, yes treatment maxxing – if you decide to follow this same approach – really is the more or less the same thing, just with a more extreme name.

And it’s a new approach?

Well, no. We’ve actually been writing about tweakment stacking since at least 2022 by our last search (and it has definitely existed before then too). It also doesn’t actually have to mean throwing everything and the kitchen sink at your face! Combination treatments can be as streamlined as using just two tweaks synergistically, or building a tailored treatment plan of different tweakments over multiple months. In fact, this approach has been a long-accepted way for your practitioner to provide a complete 360 approach to your skin concerns. After all, it is very rare for one device or one needle to be able to tackle every goal you might have.

So, tweakment stacking itself really isn’t a problem. We just need to be careful about our mindset around it, especially in an age where over-zealousness can be supercharged by ‘clicky’ social media nicknames.

Could there be a better way of thinking about maximising tweakment results?

Here at TTG, we’d prefer you framed both tweakment stacking and tweakment maxxing as less about doing everything and more about doing the right things. The best version of tweakment maxxing isn’t about having the longest treatment list for social clout. It’s about creating a personalised plan where every element has a purpose, so you actually get the maximum benefits for your skin. For example, a popular approach is combining treatments that work at different levels of the skin, such as a treatment to improve skin quality alongside one that addresses facial movement or volume loss, for a better overall facial refresh. But the key approach is to be strategic. More treatments does not automatically mean better results, and we don’t want you wasting your money for no reason.

You also need to make sure you go to a great practitioner! “Treatment stacking is what I have been doing for over 12 years at my skin clinic, and how I built a good reputation,” says leading facialist and laser expert Debbie Thomas. “It’s multi-tasking, time-saving and people love it. Our bespoke treatments always incorporate several different modalities that we tailor to each person each time. If you’re looking to try tweakments tacking, the key thing is to go to someone who knows what can safely be combined/stacked — and that’s something that requires years of experience using all the different machines, products and technologies out there.”

Can tweakment maxxing also involve skincare?

Within reason, yes! While skincare can only work topically on the surface of your skin so won’t offer the same results as a more invasive treatment in clinic, your at-home routine can support your tweakment journey.

Who should do tweakment stacking?

The experienced patient

Tweakment stacking is probably best suited to the experienced patient – if you’re new to aesthetic treatments, take it slow to begin with and don’t do too much at once. “I would advise to start the tweakment journey slowly, in a step-by-step manner, guided by an experienced practitioner,” says Dr Aggie Zatonska, founder of The Atelier Clinic in Egham, Surrey. “However, as my patients get familiar with the treatments, I am frequently asked to combine the sessions. Stacking treatments, or combination therapy, is a popular choice in my clinic. Patients love it as it saves their time, delivering the desired results faster. We are all very busy these days!”

Someone looking for holistic results

Combining tweakments makes sense, because how many of us actually have just one lone concern we’d like sorting? Usually, the ageing process dictates that one thing leads to another – someone with jowls probably also has excess fat under the chin; if you have frown lines, you probably also have horizontal forehead wrinkles; a lot of pigmentation from sun damage often goes hand in hand with rough, irregular skin texture. Dr Zatonska agrees: “I rarely see a patient with only a single concern – ageing is a complex process, there isn’t a simple way to manage it,” she says. “In my opinion, the best way to tackle multiple problems and achieve natural results is to approach the concerns from multiple angles. Also, some treatments have a synergistic effect.”

A great practitioner will look at their patient holistically, listening to all their concerns and thinking about the face – and, crucially, its anatomy – as a whole, rather than individual parts to be tweaked. “To create a tailored treatment, the skin, soft tissues and bone structure need to be carefully analysed. We use an Opatra facial analysis device to look deeply into the skin. We then create an individualised treatment plan that sometimes allows me to address multiple patient concerns during a single treatment session,” says Dr Zatonska.

An example of successful face stacking

Dr Benji Dhillon, cosmetic surgeon and co-founder of Define Clinic in Beaconsfield, is a fan of combining facials to boost patients’ skin before injectables or energy-based treatments. “We’ll commonly perform a facial, such as the Byonik facial [a cold pulse-triggered laser that adapts its frequency to your pulse, releasing energy into the skin with every heartbeat], followed by injectables, as you often see the results of the facial immediately, while the injectables may take two or three weeks to show optimum results,” he says.

If he’s treating a patient for pigmentation, broken blood vessels or rosacea with a laser treatment, Dr Dhillon will often use a facial to prepare the skin and improve the results of the laser. “This also works well with PRP treatments – preparation of the skin can help improve the outcomes associated with the procedure,” he adds.

Many clinics take different standalone technologies and combine them together in one all-singing-all-dancing treatment – often a signature treatment that works out cheaper for the patient than having each element separately and is done within the same sitting. Dr Zatonska’s clinic offers HydraDerm – “a combination of HydraFacial, Forma radiofrequency and Dermalux LED” to address multiple concerns at once, or, for patients looking to leave the clinic transformed (in a good way), “I often combine IPL, peels, wrinkle-relaxing injections and Profhilo for the ultimate skin glow,” says Dr Zatonska.

An example of successful body stacking

It’s not just the face that can benefit from tweakment stacking. Patients who are after a tightening and toning body rejuvenation can kick-start their journey in one session with Dr Zatonska. “EMSculpt Neo is a combination treatment for the body, merging HIFEM (high-intensity focused electromagnetic) technology and radiofrequency. We combine it further with Profhilo body,” she says. This means crepey, sagging skin is addressed at the same time as muscles are toned and fat is reduced. Patients still need multiple sessions of both treatments, but combining them into fewer clinic appointments cuts down the time it takes to reveal a non-surgical, full-body makeover.

A final reminder!

Before you go asking your practitioner to do everything at once, remember that consultation and assessment are absolutely key to achieving the outcomes you’re looking for, and to achieve them safely. “I wouldn’t advise new patients to start their aesthetic journey with multiple combined treatments,” Dr Zatonska reiterates. “It is best to wait and see how your body responds to individual treatments first, before moving to more advanced and complex treatments. My recommendation is to find an experienced practitioner for guidance.” And you can do just that by using our practitioner finder to find someone near you who we’d trust with our own faces.

Find out more about the best tweakments for all your skin goals on our targeted concerns pages.