until the day I die
BEAUTY8
No longer the preserve of London ladies who lunch, a cosmetically enhanced plumper pout and
a smoother brow are now accessible at a beauty salon near you. Sarah Newstead checks it out
I'll continue having
W
rinkles and crinkles are as
inevitable as an encroaching
love of gardening and
Countdown as we age. While
I've yet to meet a woman
immune to the hope
contained in a beautifully packaged,
dreamy-smelling jar, where do we draw the
line and what of growing old gracefully?
Over 40 per cent more women had dermal
fillers in the UK last year than in 2007.
Figures aren't available for Cumbria but
more beauty salons and spas across the
region have begun to offer appointments
with visiting aestheticians. One imagines
them travelling the county with their
Gladstone bags of vials and needles.
It's a peculiar phenomenon � even as the
recession bites, the industry is reporting a
steady rise in women and men spending
upwards of �300 on plumping out the lines
life gave them with Botox and fillers.
I headed to Aspire Lifestyle Centre in
Thursby for a "Cosmetic Enhancements
Demystified" open day to find out more.
Five ladies are gathered expectantly as I
arrive, waiting for the chance to quiz two
aesthetic nurses about what Botox and
injectable fillers could do for them.
We are introduced to Sue*, a 36-year-old
trained aesthetic nurse who has been
administering cosmetic treatments for the
last 10 years. She works for an aesthetic
medical group in the north east, but
freelances in Cumbria.
Sue had her first treatment when her
boss at a former workplace pointed out
lines on her forehead. At the time, Sue was
in her 20s. "She said `you can't have those
and work here'."
Since then, Sue has had skin resurfacing
treatments, Botox and fillers in her lips.
Her skin and forehead are smooth and
taught.
"I'll continue having Botox until the day I
die," she says.
She goes on to tell us people often ask if
she has had work done to her lips. "I
haven't had them done for a long time," she
adds.
Sue begins to explain fillers � products
used to plump out foreheads and lips. They
can be used to combat the lines that form
between the mouth and nose, remodel
cheekbones and soften facial contours.
Ten years ago, there were just one or two
products on the market. "Now there's 120
fillers out there," says Sue who explains
that she uses Teosyal, a brand of hyaluronic
acid, because she believes the effects last
longer than many of the other brands.
During treatment, a cream is applied to the
skin 30 minutes beforehand, then the filler
is injected.
"There's a little bit of swelling and a little
bit of bruising. It just depends on whether
you bruise easily or not. A lot of people are
quite self conscious about having these
treatments and don't want anybody to know.
"But after five days everything should
have settled down. Initially it feels quite
hard and it takes a few weeks for that to go."
A groomed and attractive woman who
looks younger than her 61 years, asks if the
injections hurt. "And does your face go
back to as it was afterwards? Like Mickey
Rourke. Is that really him? He was a good
looking feller in his day and now he's spoilt
himself."
"It doesn't hurt as much as having an
injection for a filling at the dentist," says
Sue. "It can sting a little bit when you get
near to the nose."
The conversation inevitably turns to
Lesley Ash, the actress who had silicone
injected into her lips. The unfortunate
reaction she suffered spawned the phrase
"trout pout".
Sue explains the fillers she uses are very
different and that if a client finds they don't
like the result, a substance can be injected
to dissolve it. "You would go back to the
way you were. People are concerned they
are going to look like hamsters, so I listen
to what they want.
"People should not be able to look at you
and ask what you've had done, but should
say `you look really well, have you had your
hair done?'"
Curious about the sort of women who
take the plunge, I ask what motivates Sue's
clients to seek out the treatments.
"A lot of women come to me when they
have had a break up of a marriage. I had
one patient that found her husband had had
an affair. They want to feel good about
themselves because they have had a
massive loss of confidence. People have it
done for themselves, but generally they do
it because they have self-esteem issues."
I move on to speak to Tessa*, another
aesthetic nurse, about Botox.
While I wait for her to become free, I chat
to Flo Nicholson, 68, of Brampton, and her
sister, Jessie Bell, 79, of Thursby.
Glamorous Flo, who is quite open about
the semi-permanent eyebrow make-up she
is sporting, tells me she and her sister are
widows and are enjoying spending time on
their looks.
They have come to find out more about
Botox injections.
Flo says: "I think it's important for
women to look after their appearance.
"My husband used to say `go and get your
hair done and put some make-up on'. He
was a great believer that if your hair was a
mess, you looked a mess.
"I think that younger people with busy
lifestyles, sometimes [their appearance] is
the last thing on their minds.
"Older people can say `I've done all that
and it's time for me now'. If it makes you
feel good, it makes a great difference if you
get little bits done now and again."
I then chat to Angela Errington, 60, of
Cockermouth, who is here both in a
professional and a personal capacity. She
wants to find out more about the
treatments and has already had semi-
permanent eyebrow make-up at Aspire.
She is also an agent for a collagen
supplement company and does, admittedly,
have fabulous skin.
"I really like the semi-permanent make-
up I've had done. I had very little eyebrows
and without make-up, I looked as if I didn't
have any," she says.
When I reach Tessa, 48, she tells me
Botox relaxes the muscles in the face and
can address lines such as crows feet and the
two vertical lines that appear between the
eyes. The effects last around four months.
"You are stopping the muscles moving
and the skin can rejuvenate," she says.
"You can use it as a preventative or to treat
lines that are there. You can use it in a way
that looks natural, like you are more rested.
"You can build someone's confidence up
so much. A lot of people hate the vertical
lines between their eyebrows, they think
that they make them look angry."
We file into a consulting room to watch
Tessa inject Aspire owner, Lana Brown,
with Botox to address lines at the corner of
her eyes � the cost of the treatment is �175.
First Tessa calls Harley Street. Earlier, a
full consultation document had been faxed
through to a doctor who will examine the
notes and, depending on his judgement,
will give the red or green light for Tessa to
administer the solution.
All systems are go and she marks Lana's
face as a guide for the needle, applies a
numbing solution and injects three times at
the corner of each eye.
Lana looks a little nervous, and we all
scoot closer to see. It's an unremarkable
looking needle and Lana doesn't flinch,
although she does look a little shaken. "The
pain was a level two on the scale if not a
level one," she tells us afterwards. "It was
nothing, I didn't really feel anything at all."
Lana is instructed to "keep her face
moving" and avoid rubbing her eyes for 72
hours. The effects will kick in fully within
the next two weeks.
Tessa says that she would not
recommend Botox for anyone under the age
of 30. "I just don't think it's good practice.
Most people who have Botox are between 35
and 55-years-old. "It's the baby boomer
generation. I do suppose there's peer
pressure from magazines [to look younger].
We do get a lot of teachers coming in for it,
because they frown a lot."
My mother used to say `frown when the
wind changes and your face will get stuck
that way'. I'd grin through gales rather
than grimace, impressed as I was by the
horror of a face furrowed forevermore.
Surely it can't be this kind of lesson
learned at the knee that drives increasing
numbers of women to the promise of
youthful looks at the end of a needle?
Perhaps its a potent blend of advancing
technologies and increasing exposure to
images of glossy celebrity?
Whatever the reason, the figures speak
for themselves as more and more people
turn to the Botox and fillers to keep the
years at bay.
You could see cosmetic enhancements as
a personal choice, a way of lifting your
mood and boosting your confidence. Of
looking as young as you feel for longer and
of remaining ahead of the game.
Or perhaps you share the view of Colin
Firth, who spoke about cheating the onset
of age on BBC Radio 5 Live.
As co-star in the new adaptation of Oscar
Wild's The Picture of Dorian Gray � a tale of
a young man who pledges his soul to
remain forever young � Firth criticised
actors who plump for Botox. "Why on earth
would you take a violin and make the
strings so that they don't vibrate?"
For more information about cosmetic
enhancements call Aspire Lifestyle Centre
on 01228 710244.
* names have been changed.
e-mail SNewstead@cngroup.co.uk
Out lines: Aspire Lifestyle Centre proprietor Lana Brown having Botox treatment JONATHAN BECKER
botox
Looking good: Angela Errington has had semi-
permanent make-up applied

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