I trotted off to Courthouse Clinics in Wimpole Street to discuss Vaser – a procedure that sucks out fat far less invasively than liposuction. My appointment lasted all of about four minutes because the Vaser consultant just said, ‘no, it’s not right for you – you don’t have fat, you have loss of elasticity.’ He then went on to recommend a procedure that Courthouse actually don’t do, but because it would be far more appropriate for the result that I want, he was completely upfront that I’d need to go somewhere else. At the risk of it sounding like a massive, biased plug, that’s why I go to Courthouse and why I have consistently gone there for at least five years. Cosmetic surgery clinics are often so pushy for their own procedures that they’ll book you in before you’ve had time to put your handbag down and take your coat off and you end up with a result that isn’t nearly as effective as you need it to be.
But it got me thinking about the beauty industry and what part age has to play. It is, without a doubt, a young industry. There are beauty journalists in their early twenties writing about anti-ageing procedures and anti-ageing creams who have no clue about the ageing process. That doesn’t mean they haven’t done their research or the features aren’t well written – they are – but for the very reason that they’ve yet to experience their first wrinkle, they’re not always best placed to recommend. It has to be said, there are many more experienced writers who are older, but I don’t know many who haven’t turned to some form of non-invasive treatment as a little perk up. I’m absolutely all for this – I’ve got far more faith in a bit of Botox than I have in a £200 face cream – and these days, it is possible to age beautifully, and more importantly, appropriately.
I can’t decide though, whether it’s because we feel we have to look younger in this business or whether it is because we know more about ways to tackle ageing through non-surgicals and it’s more available. Beauty isn’t about being beautiful, it’s more about making the best of what you have and also enjoying what you have. I’m prepared to be experimental with what works best for me but am quite prepared to admit that I have the odd moment of panic where I think it won’t be so long before there’s no place for me in a youth obsessed industry – I’m sure I still have a while to go yet – I’m not *that* old! Ageing is such a normal process, but my attitude is to do it as gracefully as possible. And if that includes a little *work* then I’d rather budget for that than a new handbag. It will keep me feeling a little more confident about my place in the beauty world for longer; and anyway, I want to look good for my age.. what’s wrong with that?
The whole issue with my chin is that realistically, it isn’t as firm as it was, I don’t like it and if at all possible (without going under a general anaesthetic), I want it snapped back into shape pronto! That’s just maintenance, not ageing denial. It also seems crazy to me that there are plenty of mid-age bloggers who are spot on for age appropriate products and yet the selection process for samples is never based on age.. and it kind of should be sometimes.
I’m also going to sound like a right oldie now when I say, you can’t get a hair trim anymore, can you? It has to be the whole wash, condition, head knead, blow dry, shine spray, straighten etc – who has time? So, when I nipped over to the Frizzi (Umberto Gianinni) launch, they had their hair styling team there who very kindly trimmed off my ratty ends. No wet-hair, no fuss and no bother. And my ends are perfection, which kind of validates my fear of hairdressers – you’re paying for a whole lot of stuff you don’t need and you don’t want.
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