What did you do to your face?!

Age 30 feeling confident fresh faced

 

I literally get asked this ALL the time. And that's ok. I like sharing my treatment experience with my clients, to some this is completely confidential, for me, I'm open about my love of tweakments I've had over the years. 


My treatment started nearly 7 years ago when I was 24. I'd dreamed of a fuller pout and surprisingly back then it was so hard to find a practitioner who would treat me due to my age. Many clinics refused to treat clients under 25 without a doctors note…oh how things have changed!  I knew nothing about proportions and insisted in 0.5ml just in my top lip, so many of my friends were dead against my choices but most didn't notice when I'd had it done. I followed this with another 1ml again just in my top lip 12 months later. I looked awful and ducky - and this time, people did notice. Since then I've had my lips done 5 times but at small increments at a time always more in the lower lip to stay balanced - although I like a full pout, I also prefer a more natural look. 

Age 23 pre aesthetics treatments

Age 25 year of the duck.

Then a little toxin… I started with my frown at 25, I'm a naturally frowny person. 

Driving - frowning
Mulling over the day - frowning 
Having a great time with friends - frowning 

I started to see lines there at rest so it was time to start on muscle relaxing injections. 

 I have regularly had upper face three areas since I was 27. Anti-wrinkle treatment can be performed every 12 weeks, but I prefer to stretch mine out to three times a year. Like the lips, I like a more natural look, so I opt for a softening with a brow lift oppose to the full frozen. Clients often tell me I don't look like I need botox (that's because I get Botox, Carol). 
 
 My favourite treatment I've had has been tear troughs; I had this treated for the first time at 27 and once more since. I love how this treatment freshened up my look and took away under eye hollowness. The day after I had the treatment I felt amazing.  I swanned into work and my nurse turned to me and said: "so you didn't get that treatment last night?"  I  felt like I looked like I'd slept for 40 years, but it is the subtle freshening that this treatment gives you that I love.  This sparked my interest in the treatment, and I went on to train the procedure myself 18 months later.


​Then the rest; I've had a little filler in my nose to mouth lines, and a touch in my chin to bring it into a more feminine point. I've also had muscle relaxing injections in my master (chewing) muscles to help with my grinding (but also slim down the bulked out muscle along my jaw).

I always get asked about cheeks - I've never had my cheeks filled or treated. I've got great cheeks, I always have. I'm happy to say that, as women, we don't celebrate our great features enough. I'll talk openly about my small eyes and wonky nose, but if you ask me about my cheeks, you'll get a smug answer. 

---

Age 26 before for tear troughs and toxin

​
So what about skin? I have notoriously been awful with my skin, one of my best friends frog marched me into Aesop age 26 as a desperate plea for me to stop using face wipes. In February this year, my good friend Dr Rosanna Petch got me into ZO skin health. I loved the product so much I headed to London early this year to invest in training myself. Since then, my head of skincare at Paragon Aesthetics, Danielle Grimes, has drawn me up a bespoke plan including Vit C, Retinol skin brightener and growth factor serum on top on my Getting Skin Ready Fundamental 5. This approach to skincare perplexes a lot of clients (there is no moisturiser in any of the bespoke regimes - it's all about getting your skins barrier function up to being the best it can be). For a girl who dodged moisturiser for 30 years, I slid right into it. 
 
 I have been having microdermabrasion every 4-8 weeks with a trusted beauty therapist for the last two years - ever since I learnt about collagen production dropping off in your late 20's. I recently started dermapen treatment in an attempt to clean up a little pigmentation I have on my mid face. I've combined this with my microdermabrasion visits.

So what's next? This week I had a consultation for HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound). Although the practitioner advised me I am on the younger spectrum of clients requesting this procedure, I've noticed since I hit 30 changes in my skin laxity. Though I am a lover of injectables, I am fully aware there's only so much 'lift' they can do without looking at the canvas of the face. The treatment uses ultrasound energy to the target the deep skin layers stimulating cells to produce more collagen and create a lifting and tightening effect without damaging the skin. Usually a course of treatment takes 3 visits, but for now, they've signed me up for one.   After that I'm considering Profhilo.  I have been performing Profhilo for almost a year now, it is a hyaluronic acid injectable but oppose to acting as a filler it stimulates collagen production addressing skin laxity; can you see a theme here with my treatment goals? 

Though I haven't, and I probably won't dabble with all the procedures we offer at Paragon Aesthetics (I'll accept my wonky nose) it's good to try out different options to see what might be a worthwhile investment for what we might offer in the future in our clinics. 
 
 I can't wait to share my results…and our future investments with Paragon Aesthetics with you! 

---

Enquire about facial aesthetics or skin treatments