For those with an invitation to the Oscars ceremony, the final days before the red carpet are a beauty sprint to the finish. For everyone else, it's an opportunity to watch the results of a finely tuned timeline of expert beauty prep. Dermatologists are squeezing in last-minute touch-ups and no-down-time treatments, the world's top facialists are flying in from around the globe to set up temporary residencies at various Beverly Hills hotels and lymphatic drainage specialists are nearing the end of marathon days spent sculpting and de-puffing bodies and faces before tonight's ultra-high-definition broadcast.
So, what exactly are the beauty treatments that Hollywood swears by in order to be red carpet-ready? And how far in advance does awards season skin prep really begin? I spoke with three sought-after experts who treat the A-list each year leading up to awards season to learn how they prepare clients for Hollywood's biggest night.
Months Ahead In-Office Treatments
Dermatologists say that awards-season skin begins months in advance of the event itself. "For those doing the whole circuit, award show prep starts months in advance," shares Los Angeles- based dermatologist Dr. Ray Jalian, MD. Jalian, who treats a number of celebrity clients in his Los Angeles clinic.
Like personal training sessions months in advance of a dress fitting, Jalian says that collagen-building requires lead time. "First, skin tightening devices like Sofwave can help achieve a lifted, more youthful appearance. This needs to be done two to three months in advance for optimal results." he notes.
While Sofwave, often starting at $3,000 per treatment, is indeed having a moment among his red-carpet-ready patients, there are a number of other laser devices in his arsenal that Jalian reached for based on a patient's goals, such as Thermage for radiofrequency tightening.
Closer to the event, dermatologists recommend tools with less downtime and faster results. Jalian recommends tools such as Clear + Brilliant, Pico Genesis or Laser Genesis for tone, texture and glow. He often recommends pairing these in-office treatments with a Hydrafacial or oxygen facial in the final days before the event to help with immediate plumping and hydration, and for what Jalian calls, "dewy, glowy, effortless skin."
Week-of Plumping Facial
London-based Adeela Crown asks each of her red carpet clients a question not about their face at all: "how low does your dress go?" The answer helps her customize each treatment not only for a hydrated, lifted face but for a neck and decolletage that are camera-ready, too.
Crown's celebrity clients include Cate Blanchett, Claire Foy, Paris Hilton and Keira Knightley, who all trust their pores to Crown's famous hands for red carpets from the Oscars to the BAFTAs.
Crown is part of a small group of the world's most sought-after facialists who pop up at various five-star hotels in Beverly Hills in order to make sure their famous clients are ceremony-ready. Clients will book anytime during Oscars week, with some coming to see her the day before or even day of without risk of redness or downtime due to specific techniques that maximize luminescence without any downtime.
Beginning in March 2026, Crown’s schedule opens up to the public via a quarterly residency at The Maybourne in Beverly Hills hosted in a new Privé Skin Suite, open now until March 22. She will return in May.
Her fully custom, proprietary protocol lasts anywhere from 80 minutes to 150 minutes and start at $850, include a combination of her signature massage techniques as well as a range of meticulously sourced products, from Cellcosmet's Ultracell Intensive-XT (which comes in a cold-storage requiring vial and is dispensed via a topical syringe) to a freeze-dried collagen matrix from a German lab specializing in collagen biomaterials. "Oscars season is high-performance theatre and skin has to rise to the occasion," shares Crown. "At The Maybourne Beverly Hills, I'm engineering faces to look lifted, rested and resilient under the brightest lights in the world."
Days Ahead, Lymph Draining
Lymphatic drainage has become a go-to body treatment for much of Hollywood in advance of any big event. The process is reported to reduce inflammation, fluid retention and improve circulation. Chicago-based lymphatic drainage expert and founder of Brazilian Lymph Spa Val Oliveira regularly travels to treat her celebrity clientele for red-carpet events ranging from the Oscars to the Met Gala, Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and New York Fashion Week.
This Oscars week, Oliveira is doing marathon days of house calls, with some of her days beginning as early as 6am and wrapping after 9pm. Her signature Detox massage is designed to boost health, but has a slimming effect, making it a go-to service for celebrities hoping to look optimally sculpted for the red carpet. Unlike a more traditional Swedish or deep tissue massage, her Lymphatic Drainage massage includes some long strokes, as well as targeting areas of lymph in key areas on the body to encourage draining fluid. Oliveira uses her hands as well as a gua sha tool, body paddle to aid lymph flow and a dry brush.
"With our technique, you will feel immediate results, but we are not solely focused on slimming and sculpting. Our massage is the only massage that will detox your body and strengthen your immune system, prevent chronic disease, aid digestion problems and improve hormonal balance."
During tonight's broadcast, we get to see the real-time glitz and glamour of the Oscars ceremony and the red carpet. But what will be invisible during the broadcast are the weeks and months of beauty prep that have gone into perfecting each look presented on the red carpet.