Cut out the knife

It’s a really weird concept, but cosmetic surgery is in danger of becoming the norm.

Although injecting a substance that chemical weapons inspectors would impound or sculpting your nose to the size of a toothpick sound deeply unpleasant experience, more people than ever before are prepared to go the extreme lengths in the search for eternal beauty.

Have we really become so desperate to look 30-something when we’re 50-something that we’d willingly – and at great expense – put ourselves on an operating table? I mean, I was concerned about an emergency Caesarean – and I had no choice about that.

Make-up artist Barbara Daly is one of the many beauty-industry insiders who think it’s all getting a bit out of hand.

She says: “It’s ridiculous when Americans talk about their wrinkles in terms of ‘zero tolerance’.
“I speak to a lot of reputable cosmetic surgeons in the course of my work and they say that if you care for your skin properly you can stave off the onset of irretrievable ageing by many years.

Guido Bertelly, technical director of RVB, a new skin-nourishing treatment, agrees. He says: “Surgery is a trauma for the skin. It may give an overnight appearance of youth but it has a weakening affect.”

The simple truth is that pulling the skin and muscle tighter doesn’t necessarily make up for a youthful face. It’s plump, fresh-looking skin that bounces light which is attractive, whatever your age.

But the good news is that there’s now an array of surgery-free treatments that can give you healthier-looking skin.

Guido explains: “You can now find serious scientifically-researched products with real benefits that have long-term effects and are better for the skin.”

IPL FACIAL REJUVENATION

This is a light-therapy treatment that’s milder than a laser and doesn’t carry the risk of hyper-pigmentation.

Aileen Gallagher, senior nurse at The Private Clinic, explains: “It works on the principles of light and heat. The light turns to heat as it hits pigment. The treatment works on sun-damaged areas, age spots and thread veins and helps to puff up the underlying collagen.

“Clients feel a rubber-band snapping sensation on each area, but I’ve yet to meet someone who can’t take it. There can be slight swelling or bruising and the pigment darkens as it comes to the surface and sheds.

“We treat all age groups from 18-years-olds with red cheeks to women well into their 80s”

The treatment costs £1,200 for a course of five and around £350 for one.

Source: Daily Mirror