Comfort & Joy

In reality sharing the following information in this post brings me little comfort or joy. I have agonised over baring all - not what was done but the photos I will be sharing!  If I take you back to last year I went to find out more about anti-ageing at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic. To follow my journey from slapping it on (creams) to getting it on (anti-ageing arsenal!) then read this post - Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda.  To pick up where we left off, I had numbing cream over my face. The fact is the moment I put that cream on my face or rather it was applied I felt that zsa zsa zsum of anticipation and dived in. I knew I was going to become a non surgical anti-ageing junkie.

To date I've shied away from even thinking about or discussing botox and fillers based purely on seeing really bad plastic surgery jobs in New York on people who were over the age of 60. This was back in 2007 which was my last visit. Equally I have witnessed some awful non surgical application of both filler and botox. Yet as I have got older and moved nearer to the M word certain things have come to pass.

Mainly I have noticed my face becoming more jowly and less plump. It is the plumpness that gives you that fresh faced look. In fact think of your face or skin in general as a tablecloth. What we need is a nice tight fitting cloth on the table but of course what we end up with is one that gets a big baggy and that room allows for sagging!

In noticing things, I've felt more curious about what one can do. Having saved a shed load of money to pay off my college debts by buying basic face and body creams and really not noticing a shred of difference I began to think the experts were right - it all boils down to your genes and the ageing process. Quite frankly no amount of cream is going to save you from the natural aging process.

The only barrier to my dipping the toe into the water, aside from the expenditure, was fear. Fear that I'd look weird or odd. Part of the reason for not saying whether or what I have had done was because I wanted to find out what people said.

Let's start with family members...my mother, father and one of my sister's haven't even notices. MrB only had an inkling due to some slight bruising and even then I didn't tell him about everything. A few friends mention my cheeks, others didn't notice and one, only one friend commented about my forehead. Not one single person has noticed anything about my lips.

All of this is a testament to the experience and deft hands of the team at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic and the products they use. For me the anti-ageing treatment recommended was fillers and botox. The cheek, mouth and nose area were treated with Emervel rejuvenation filler to lift the face and thereby add volume to the area of most volume loss. The amount injected was a minimal as possible and it took place over two sessions which really gave the most natural enhancement. Additionally, Azzalure (botulinum toxin type A) was injected to the forehead to diminish the deeper lines and create a more even tone but not to eradicate natural movement. Nothing about me has essentially changed except everything is in the right place. Less eyelid dropping, less pronounced frown and worry lines and overall a fresh face in the morning, which after showering and application of facial moisturising no longer fills me with dread. Honestly if there was one thing that has really changed it is attitude. Because the Cosmetic Skin Clinic is committed to delivering natural enhancements and rejuvenation of the face it means anti-ageing is not about looking drastically younger but looking fresher, more at ease. My attitude has changed so much people notice my hair and what I am wearing, they think I 'look well'.
It is time to step away from the 'done' look and be satisfied to tackle just the effects of ageing. Top tip step away from pouty lips!

When does the ageing process kick in? The honest answer is it is different for everyone. Certainly in your 40s you will begin to notice your skin is less elastic and it starts to lose some plumpness and colour. The colour loss is the illuminating fresh look of youth. By the time you enter the fifth decade, your 50s, the aging process is well underway. I know hardly the most uplifting facts but there you have it. Think about adding a budget for anti-ageing, start in your 40s and select the right approach in respect of keeping it real. That means no trout pout or Kylie eyebrows! Less is always more in fashion and it seems the same is true in non surgical cosmetic approaches to keeping ones face 'lifted'.

And now for the bit where I share the pics.... Excuse my hair in the first photos - I had had it tied in a ponytail and didn't get a chance to brush it (opps) but in fairness I wasn't expecting to take the plunge. I did just turn up with my notebook and pen.

Before

After

And there we have it! I am wearing more make up in the before set on my eyes and mouth. I don't think I am wearing any on the after ones except some mascara.

Treatment using Emervel and Azzulure was undertaken at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic 01753 646 660

Feminism & Ageing

Let's face it when one ages, particularly women, you become almost invisible. Society is predicated on youth. Why even our Prime Ministers are getting younger. Gone are the days when old duffers took charge and rallied on regardless. The thought of an old person in charge of a country seems slightly repellent. But why is this the case? How did the fashion change in respect of clothes and views?

I find the ageing process almost out of my control these days with magazine proffering advice on what to wear and what to inject or what to fill. Phrases like '1661', 16 from the back 61 from the front leave me cold. As does that most hideous one 'mutton dressed as lamb'. Why - well these type of comments are aimed directly at women, not men. Women are encouraged to 'age gracefully'. Once you've mastered the fact you can hold your drink and not be seen as a sexual predator or a flirty or a slut then you've got to go all quiet and well dressed.

And being well dressed means well groomed and a specific size to boot. That is the problem there are too many rules, strictures and fashion edicts on what elicits good taste, style and gosh lets not forget the g word - glamour.

Being female and ageing is a potential minefield. On the one hand you are damned if you let yourself go and on the other if you try too hard. I cannot even begin to proffer an answer to this. Yet there is some food for thought.

Images - how women are portrayed in respect of fashion (otherwise the topic is too big!) The Guardian Weekend magazine does an 'All Ages' spread and on the whole (well when the lovely Priscilla Kwateng does it) it portrays a great fashion spread on, as it says on the tin, women of all ages. Granted the models are tall, slim and well put together but it shows differing ages wearing clothes. Equally some designers are branching out and using older women, larger women than a Eur 36 model. There is an attempt to mix things up however small the contribution.

Power - lets face it, who is in charge, Anna, Grace, Hillary, Jess, Lisa, Emmanuelle, to name a few. With their editorial clout the shift has to happen in respect of a more egalitarian view of women and ageing and fashion. I think they are embracing the shift, and the examples should filter through soon. All eyes are on Paris Vogue. What does this mean, well my hunch is that styling will be less about frission of the sexual sort and more situation based of the woman's everyday life. Women will be placed and contextualised against art, architecture and in situations that represent a shift in power. Less Marie Antoinette more Simone de Beauvoir.


Brands - Something has to give regarding mainstream clothes for older women. Please where is the place for, and the list sums up my view on consigning women to the grave before their time, Phase 8, Per Una in M&S, Kaliko, Fenn Wright Mason, and the blandness that is Artigiano. I could name countless middle of the road, blending in to the background examples of women's clothing companies. It is no wonder that the raptures of well cut clothes from Celine et al captured the imagination of women of all ages. It offers hope in cut, cloth and fashion. I don't expect to be buying much in Topshop at 70 but I will still pop in and browse. I grew up with Topshop.

Style - my only view on what people wear can be summed up by 'why can't people get dressed properly'. What I mean i,s pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt doesn't count. Anyone can do that but can they make you look twice at them? I think as one gets older the duty to get noticed or admired should be the motivating force. What example are we setting if we forget to dress, to add details to be adventurous. It is easy to stop caring but I still want to do my hair, nails, add some makeup, pull together an outfit. I don't want to pass my latter age in a pair of slacks, a top and a gilet. I feel I owe it to young women everywhere to be more Miss Havisham than Margaret Thatcher. I'm not going to be prescriptive and say Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn or even Jane Birkin but I do think colour, cut and having fun will go a long way. That's Not My Age does a wonderful analysis of keeping stylish and enjoying it!

The bits! - Okay so you get wrinkles, you backside spreads or goes south a bit and maybe the veins on your legs are going to be more prominent but so what. This is the issue-why does ageing have to be 'corrected'. Men mature with age so they say, women just get old. Okay maybe a varicose vein isn't a great sight but it is an outcome of a life. Interestingly what has happened with the NHS is lots of nice services for women, like the removal of varicose veins has gone. Regardless of the pain the chances are pretty much nil. What does this say about the value of an older woman or any woman? The trends for enhancements gives women options but are they really worth it? Why is there such pressure for women to deny or stave off the ageing process?

As women we should question the effect of us morphing in to an acceptable look for an older women. Why is there such pressure to remain young and attractive. Who determines what attractive is?

I was very naughty as a few weekends ago I snapped an older woman with my Hipstamatic app on my iPhone on the train in to London, because it doesn't flash or make much of a noise!. I was captivated by how lovely she looked. The varying items she was wearing and how well they suited her. She was wearing lots of colours and she exuded glamour. Not show stopping glitzy glamour but the glamour of poise, an elegance of the mind, her age and her life. I felt dreadful being sneaky but I didn't want to seem patronising or intrude. She seemed to represent an example that we don't often see, an older woman in possession of herself. No short cuts, no attempts to be someone other than who she is at the age she is.



Will I succumb to botox or fillers or liposuction? Can I be brave and individual like Dame Vivienne Westwood.? Will I be bold and age disgracefully, not giving a fig for society and its views? Can I be a woman who along with other women are pioneering in attitude, dress and what they do as they become part of old age? What do you feel about ageing?

Anti Ageing help at hand

You know me I think all rules are out of the window when it comes to styling. The moment you get caught up in rules you close down your options and kill your creativity. However, whilst I might be uber confident when it comes to style stakes, I'm a scared cat in the headlights when it comes to skin care.

There are two people I've met in person who have the most perfect porcelain skin, one is fellow blogger and jeweller Wendy Brandes, the other is TV presenter Nicky Hambleton Jones. Both keep out of the sun and their skin is so soft I look upon it longingly.

Now Wendy can holla from over the Atlantic with her many pronouncements and we can hear her! Luckily Nicky has turned her years of experience to helping inform the skincare debate. Her new website Look & Feel Younger offer wonderful advice on products and treatments for the skin and for all budgets, which is music to my ears. Also there are lots of discounts for becoming a member (which is free).


Take a look and enjoy seeing people being guinea pigs for beauty treatments. It made me feel less scared knowing about how procedures are done. The small clips are brilliant.