Famous Women on Beauty and Ageing: Quotations

In any culture, beauty has been about perfection but concepts of what constitutes “perfection” have changed over the centuries. As the population ages, it could well be that concepts of beauty will shift. We live at a time of great variety of age, gender, style, background, culture and attitude and contemplating beauty brings pleasure to each of us yet it comes in all shapes, colours and sizes.

Chic, Autentic and Natural

“Being an English person, and having lived in France for 40 years, I am not as nicely turned out as the French but I don’t care like the English.”  Jane Birkin 

“I never put my face in the sun. I am determined not to go the way of my contemporaries and get surgery. I have a lot of facials and take scrupulous care of my skin.” Joane Collins OBE

“Self image is a complicated thing. I campaign against cosmetic surgery because it a grave act in which you don’t necessarily foresee all the consequences. The people who have it are lacking in confidence.” Emmanuelle Beart, French acress by Matthew Campbell for Sunday times.

“The more healthily you live, the better you look. We still want to look like ourselves when we grow older. We lose our sensuality when we have surgery, it takes away a part of who you are. If you look after yourself and use good products, you won’t need surgery or any other intervention.”   Sharon Stone for YOU, January 2012.

The Botox Lovers

“Botox, lasers and fillers have given us new control over ageing. Not by making us look younger but by slowing down how we age. Now, if you choose to, from your early to mid thirties you can enter a twilight zone of ageing in which you are in a reverse version of dog years – for every seven years you will only age one.” Newby Hands for Harpers Bazaar

“The psychological effects of Botox and fillers have been as profound as the physical – the elongation of the life span in which we can feel good about ourselves. Psychologically, women feel empowered by the knowledge that they have this as backup. This may have contributed to a more relaxed approach to ageing, women beginning to feel more comfortable in their own skin. We want to take care of ourselves but we do not mind a few wrinkles or few signs of ageing to show we have lived.” Betty Catroux for Harpers Bazaar

“You can get an instant snapshot of a woman’s character by looking at from whether she says yes or no to Botox… Just from that one apparently superficial decision…Botox lover likes to keep up appearances, is insecure to some extent in either in her relationship, social circle or work. She is competitive, keeps secrets from her partner, is a natural townie, on a diet of some sort, permanently, and not actively involved in the community. She does not have men friends, only admirers. She has women friends but the sort you meet for a glass of bubbly before shopping at the sales, not the sort you watch TV in bed with. She dresses for bed, exfoliates regularly. The un-Botoxed are brave. They will not be coerced – even by the threat of looking uglier than everyone around them – and that suggests a degree of courage as well as confidence.”  Shane Watson for Sunday Times

And Going for Surgery

“Another facelift? I’ll do whatever’s required.” Anne Robinson for Sunday Times

FaceLift or 12 Years Of Anti-Ageing Facial Massage. Same Price.

In terms of facial ageing, prevention works always better than repair! A facelift in your 50′s and 60′s or 12 years of relaxing facial massage – the price is the same!

Dr Frances Prenna Jones, a London based dermatologist, states that a British woman starts to show signs of facial ageing at the age of 26. And it is not a coincidence that in continental Europe, the age of 27 is the point when women start investing into their preventative facials. In Britain this is not always the case – as with any preventative treatment, we might not see and therefore appreciate the long-term benefit. We are busy building our families and professional life, and give more attention to our bodies, yet not the face. The consequences of inadequate care come later, when we reach the menopause, for a British woman around the age of 51.

Reduced levels of estrogen lead to a sudden drop of hydration, increase in lines and wrinkles, loss of elasticity and sagging. The sun damage done in our teens and twenties comes to the forefront as an uneven pigmentation. We wake up wanting a radical, quick fix!

The costs of a face lift with a good surgeon goes to £7000 – £8000 in the UK. There is a risk associated with any surgical procedure that we might not be entirely satisfied with the final result, subject to our individual skin and bone structure, ability to heal and our psychological well-being. The same investment would get you more than 12 years of monthly facials – preventative and relaxing treatment that becomes a part of our lifestyle.

We pay great attention to our hair and have a hair appointment at least once a month. But our facial skin is a living organ, far more delicate and susceptible to damage that is difficult to repair than our hair that can always grow back.

Our facial skin requires regular attention and professional care, one-off pampering is not a solution. Contrary to common belief, it is not the skincare products – these work mainly on the skin surface – but the treatment of facial muscles that support the structure of our face, facial massage and facial yoga – that are the key in anti-ageing!

On Beauty And Ageing

For so many women, life gets better in their later years. They grow into their looks and trade in their spotless perfect skin for experience and self-fulfilment. But if we are all living longer on average, we are going to spend most of our lives “not being young” and we might as well embrace it.

Women complain of becoming invisible to men in middle age and research supports this as our programming. But older women have their life experience written into their faces – all these fascinating, inspiring, individual stories. Young girls have inimitable, peachy, smooth skin with their future unmapped in their faces.

We can surgically enhance till we are blue in the face but we can never be beautifully young again. Instead, lets embrace our experiences and cherish the face that shows how interesting life we had.

Source: Walter H. Beauty and truth. Harpers Bazaar, August 2010, 76.

 

Facials With A Difference

What are your expectations of a facial? Is it that ”the glow” in your complexion will be short-lived as what you are really paying for is a quiescent body and mind? Are you reaching a point when – lovely and relaxing as a traditional facials are – you need to do more?

From a dermatology point of view, ageing should be considered in three dimensions: 

• 1. the internal skin structure,
• 2. the surface of your complexion and
• 3. the underlying muscles.

There is no quick fix that can stop ageing but a careful and diligent routine can help you look younger and slow down the rate of ageing. Go for facials with elements that were once mutually exclusive – pampering and lasting results.

What To Do: For brighter complexion

In autumn, repair of  an ageing complexion means having a seasonal facial peel. The benefits include

• brighter and even skin – and as we know pigmentation is ageing
• enhanced skincare penetration and improved performance
• fading of fine lines and acne scars.

Use products with a mix of acids (combination suitable for your skin type, not aggressive and irritating) that will make you mildly red afterwards but induce no flaking when removing the dull surface skin.

What to do: For internal skin structure (collagen production and alignment) and soft, supple muscles

Anti-ageing facial exercise. Reclaim your jawline without surgery! with facial yoga.  Anti-ageing facial massage. Just as you layer your skincare, layer up your treatments to ensure you are ageing as slowly as you can. Long and relaxing European massage that nurtures your inner wellbeing as well as lifts the jawline? A radical Chinese face-lift massage that works on relaxing or stimulating specific facial muscles and leads to a sunny, energetic and lifted face?

“With so many shades of grey between the facial and the scalpel, to age gracefully is not to do nothing but to look like youve done nothing.” Kelly Gilbert,  Beyond facials. Vogue 2010

Anger, Botox and Smile…

“Bad Botox made Sally’s eyebrows pushed so far down that she looked constantly angry. She felt it, too. She felt angry all the time and was reminded by a therapist that if we want to lift our spirits, one of the ways we can do that is to smile. The opposite is also true.“

Research shows that controlling our facial expression controls our mood.  A smile can help to defuse a potential toxic reaction but Botox might paralyse you outwardly and inwardly into hostility.

It is meditation and yoga that are helpful in combating our anger and the natural methods of facial yoga and reflexology that achieve radiant skin, reduce wrinkles and improve definition.

Source: Sally Brampton, Seeing Red: How to handle your anger. Sunday Times

The Ideal Of Beauty

What women want is to look like better versions of themselves, without losing their expression and character. Nowadays, they are more vary of looking “done” than old – in light of celebrity images where Botox, injectables or surgery went wrong! Facial expression is crucial for basic human interaction. Lines are a proof that we’ve lived -we get them when we laugh and express ourselves. The mentality that encourages women to emulate perfection is about the safety of belonging. (Dr C d’Felice: Dare To Be You, Orion). In transforming themselves into living dolls, women feel they fit.

Forget the “ideal” image – when it comes to beauty, it’s time to embrace your unique features

• Your face is your business card – learn to care for it. Make sure you are doing 99 % right in terms of skincare, facial yoga and relaxation.
• Make a point of noting the positive aspects of your appearance in the mirror before you critique the negative.
• Cosmetic procedures can offer benefits but the dangers arise when they erase the features that give personality to a face. In general, people dislike the lack of variety that often comes with these procedures - and although we strive to look fabulous, we should also look real.

Source: Betts, H. Busting the beauty myth. Psychologies August 2010