I've just turned 60 – this is how I look ten years younger
It took me a while to join the tweakment party, but last year, just before turning 60, I dove head first into the world of collagen stimulation, cell rejuvenation and semi-permanent make-up.
As a fashion PR and Instagrammer I've always been nervous about trying any kind of tweakment as I didn't want to look as if I'd had anything done. My generation remembers Leslie Ash's injectable mishaps and the stigma around frozen foreheads and overdone faces only too well. The aesthetics industry has moved on since those alarming days and there's so much great work out there now. Fortunately for me, the rise of the invisible and natural looking tweakments coincided with the time I was beginning to seek them out.
My first foray
I first took the plunge at 57, with the tiniest sprinkle of 'baby' Botox. We'd just come out of lockdown, I needed to rebuild my fashion PR business, and look my best. On a daily basis I was putting myself out there on social media and running Instagram workshops. Public speaking had become a new part of my business. I didn't want to look drastically different, just a better version of myself.
As I approached 60, I was self-conscious about my age and I hid it from everyone. I started noticing deeper wrinkles, more pronounced marionette lines, and darkening under-eye circles. Although Instagram filters and FaceTune became my allies for achieving a polished look, I didn't want to be someone who looked great on social media but unrecognisable in real life.
Instagram had opened up a vibrant world of creativity and a bunch of fabulous new friends. Many of them, in their late 40s, had embraced tweakments like Botox, Profhilo, lash extensions and fillers. They looked great on it, and I thought, 'why shouldn't I?'
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One doctor told me that I had left Botox too late. That my facial muscles would be too weak and rather than Botox lifting my eyes, it would push my forehead down and give me hooded eyelids. So I sought a second opinion at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic in London. I saw Dr Matthew Jarvie-Thomas who recommended carefully placed baby Botox on my smile lines around my eyes, between my brows and at the top of my forehead. So I had the tiniest splatter. The results took a few days to appear and were fantastic. My frown lines almost disappeared and my under eye wrinkles were faint. It was a subtle and natural result and the compliments flooded in. 'Your skin looks amazing! What have you done?'
This was my entry into the world of tweakments. Four years later, I've tried a few, all aimed at looking a better version of myself. I feel more confident during client meetings, fashion launches, industry events, and influencer gatherings. I no longer use FaceTune or Instagram filters, to hide my age. When I turned 60 last summer, I had a new-me attitude and started to make a virtue of my age on my Instagram. While my confidence fluctuates, like most people, my career is thriving and I navigate life with my head held high.
The tweakments I tried (and what they cost)
The 'grow your own face-lift'
Sculptra is a bit like growing your own face lift via bio stimulating injections that creates a lift, not with fillers, but with your own collagen. It appealed to me because the results are very natural looking and it is recommended for droopy jowls and pronounced marionette lines, which I had both. It works by stimulating the skin's natural collagen production and restores volume, gently lifting around the jawline and cheeks.
I went to see Dr Jarvie-Thomas. He recommended treating the temple, as this was where I'd lost volume and it would help with my skin quality. It took about an hour, and while the procedure does involve 20 minutes of numbing cream and a series of injections, I found it only mildly uncomfortable.
There is no down time either, so I could go on to my next meeting no problem. For the following five days, you have to massage five times a day for five minutes to prevent any lumps or nodules from forming beneath the skin. And then, very subtly, I started to look better, more youthful and my skin more vibrant. You need two sessions though, approximately 4-6 weeks apart. The results, take three months to work, and can last up to two years.
My verdict
Sculptra is priced per syringe, at £425. I had two treatments in total, bringing the overall cost to £850 – but the results can last for up to two years. Because it works by stimulating your body's own collagen production, the effects develop gradually, creating a natural, long-lasting lift. The treatment left me looking fresh, youthful, and noticeably more vibrant. It's a worthwhile investment: the results are subtle yet visible, with a real lifting effect around the jowls.
Baby Botox Sprinkles start from £215. It's important to find the right practitioners, so better to spend a little more to get someone that comes with a strong track record. A good investment, lasts for at least 6 months.
Eyebrow 'tailoring'
Finding a great brow artist to define the arch will open the eyes and lift the whole face. Brows are so good for providing structure to the face, but as we age they get thinner, shorter and more droopy. I tried microblading four years ago, and ended up with comical Groucho Marx style brows. Fortunately they did fade and now, finally I've got great brows thanks to Shavata Singh, in Harvey Nichols, who undid the old work.
She is a master in creating the ultimate sexy siren brow, which is more feminine, refined and designed to open up the eyes while lifting the entire face. It had been four years since my brow blading mishap, and although the tattoos had faded, they were still somewhat visible. Shavata recommended removing the old tattoos and reshaping my brows with her unique micro-blading technique of delicate feather strokes and precisely plotted shapes.
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TikTok is inundated with stories of botched jobs, leading to a high demand for removal services such as this. The tattoo removal process was quite straightforward. She numbed my brows with ice and then zapped away the old pigment with a laser. You can slightly feel it burn but it only takes a few minutes. The healing process involves some itching, and tiny scabs that take a week to heal. I needed two sessions to completely remove the old tattoos and then had to wait a further six weeks before the new microblading could be done.
At my next session, with my brows fully numbed, Shavata and her skilled assistant, Cody, carefully mapped out the ideal shape. I requested high arches to open up my eyes and achieve a feminine, natural look – and that's precisely what I got. The downtime was minimal; I just had to avoid getting them wet for a week. So I cleansed with micellar water and wore a brow guard when I showered. The results are exactly what I was hoping for. I now have the perfect sculpted brow, with high arches that lift my face and open up my eyes. Maintenance is minimum, you just need a tidy up every 4 to 6 weeks
My verdict
Removing old eyebrow tattoo blading costs £300 per treatment (I needed two sessions). Eyebrow blading starts from £800 to £1000, depending on the practitioner's experience. Shavata offers an 'Erase and Refresh' package for £1500, which includes both removal and new blading.
This is a fantastic investment if you're looking to reshape your eyebrows. The key is finding a practitioner who understands how to create the perfect shape for your face. The results last at least a year, and you'll save on salon eyebrow shaping too. I now maintain the shape at home, but I'll head to Shavata for threading every few months. I highly recommend this – my eyes look more open, and the new eyebrow shape has lifted my entire face. The laser removal was a crucial step for me, so it's essential to do your research and decide on the shape you want beforehand to avoid going through the 'Erase' laser removal process.
Shavata Singh, 125 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RJ
The 'fish sperm' facial
It may not sound particularly inviting, but with celebrities like Jennifer Aniston swearing by the treatment, I was intrigued to see if a 'fish-sperm' facial could help me achieve my skincare goals. It promises impressive benefits, such as reducing under-eye bags, smoothing the upper lip and minimising fine lines, all leading to youthful, radiant skin. Several of my friends have tried it, and their complexions looked so dewy and youthful that my curiosity was definitely piqued.
I decided to consult Dr Paris, a highly recommended expert in aesthetics at her new clinic, The Ardour, in Marylebone, London. The 'fish sperm' facial is more formally known as the Polynucleotide treatment and uses DNA derived from salmon-trout.
This procedure offers numerous benefits, including deep hydration, cell regeneration, skin repair, anti-inflammatory effects and the stimulation of collagen and elastin production, all of which help strengthen the skin barrier. After applying numbing cream to my face, Dr Paris administered the treatment using a cannula, delicately infusing the polynucleotides into the middle layer of my skin, including the under-eye area, my top lip and my neck.
It takes about half-an-hour, and you need three treatments spaced six weeks apart, with visible results starting to appear 12 weeks after the first session. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. For the first time in forty years, I feel confident enough to leave the house without foundation. The transformation is both striking and natural; in fact, my mother even remarked over Christmas that I didn't look much older than my 24-year-old daughter. While I'm sure she's biased, these tweakments have truly helped turn back the clock. With a renewed sense of vitality, I'm now on track to make my 60s my best decade yet.
My verdict
For the Polynucleotides, I needed three treatments, each costing £450, bringing the total to £1200. This treatment promotes cell regeneration and enhances skin quality but doesn't add volume, which is why I also opted for Baby Botox.
If I had to choose between Sculptra and Polynucleotides, I'd go for Sculptra. The results are more noticeable and last much longer. It really depends on your goals – Sculptra provides more structure and lift, while Polynucleotides is ideal for skin rejuvenation.
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