Is it fashionable to admit caring about how you look as you age? Do we just embrace ageing and all the frown lines, jowls, and grey hair it brings? These days there is a growing mood among the 50+ sisterhood of pro-age stance denying Botox and fillers and railing against the impossible beauty standards set by the cult of celebrity. 

But here’s the thing. I’ve just turned 59 and I have absolutely no interest in ageing gracefully. I don’t want to let the natural procession of bone loss; fat loss and gravitational sagging take over if I don’t have to. Because there is an alternative path. 

I look 15 years younger than I am because I entered the world of cosmetic medicine. 

What have I tried? What haven’t I tried? Fillers, Botox, Bio remodelling, Lip Flips, Threads. 

All the cutting-edge anti-agers where they take plasma from your own blood, blend it into a syringe of hydrating hyaluronic acid and inject the lot back into you, and use it to pad out your hollow cheeks. 

I’ve had more than 300 anti-ageing treatments, including 450 shots of Botox and over 30 syringes of Filler. Some may say I’m mad, but I have had the privilege of access to the very best in the business. I don’t look like waxwork or plastic like most critics assume will happen to you. The reason I escaped the ‘trout pout’ and waxy look is that I learnt two key lessons early on: you always need an expert practitioner such as Define by Jill.

Both practitioners Jill and Aislinn will give you honest advice and tell you when to stop. We have all seen what happens to those who don’t adhere to these rules and lose their sense of perspective. It’s bad work that gets noticed.

Most of us don’t clock the best aesthetic work because it’s invisible. Think of all those famous faces that have barely aged. Do you really think that is from Pilates and collagen tablets? Come on!

If you quiz people on their motivation for having anti-ageing treatment, they rarely say they want to look younger. What they want is to look ‘well’ and ‘rested’- less tired, less angry, less sad. They want what they see in the mirror to tally with how they feel inside.
I once asked Jill which treatments work the hardest. Her response was- ‘The ones everyone has heard of- they are popular because they work. Botox relaxes muscles and softens frown lines.

Bio-remodelling is great for improving skin texture, and like plasma treatments, boosts collagen production in the skin. Injectable moisturiser treatments such as Profhilo (Bio-remodelling) and skin boosters give ageing skin back the glow and plumpness that vanishes with the years. Fillers redefine facial contours, replace lost volume and can last a long time.

‘Should I be stopping with all this?’ I asked as Jill whisked around my face with a syringe of toxin. She shook her head “As we age, we lose collagen in the skin and we lose both fat and bone in the face- the actual shape of the skull changes- and by the time we hit 60, these changes are often more marked.

Fillers can be a superb tool to help restore the framework of the face and maintain a good facial structure. Combine this with skin treatments to boost levels of collagen in the skin, and potentially Botox to help soften lines and wrinkles and address any muscle imbalances, can absolutely look age-appropriate, yet refreshed’ Phew!!