Botox, Facelifts, Liposuction & Eye Baggage

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This post is part of the Gorgeous 50’s series inspired by a book given to me by one of my sisters on my 50th birthday – ‘Grown up and Gorgeous in your 50’s’ by Pamela Robson.  I will be sharing some of Pamela’s words and my own thoughts along the way.  To see all posts published as part of this series, go here.

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PLEASE NOTE THAT I DON’T RECOMMEND OR ENCOURAGE ANY OF THE PROCEDURES WRITTEN ABOUT BY PAMELA AND DISCUSSED IN THIS POST.  NOR DO I JUDGE ANYONE THAT CHOOSES TO HAVE ANY OF THESE PROCEDURES DONE.  I AM MERELY SHARING INFORMATION AND OPENING UP THE TOPIC FOR DISCUSSION. 

A few weeks ago I published a post on Cosmetic Medicine as part of this series.  As indicated within that post, Pamela has quite a bit more to say on this topic.  Rather than do separate posts on each of the remaining areas she writes about, I’ve decided to include them all here so we can discuss and then move on.  Cosmetic medicine is not something that takes up a lot of time in my mind but it is something many women in midlife might consider and a big part of the ‘beauty’ chapter within Pamela’s book, so let’s take a look at what she has to say. 

Pamela says:

THE MANY USES OF BOTOX

The way Botox is used is constantly being refined, and doctors today have a better understanding of where and how to inject for best results.  Each practitioner has their favourite techniques and applications, and be mindful that some are more skilled at injecting than others. Botox injections don’t have to be overly painful.

Botox is known for its use on the upper half of the face: blocking the formation of frown lines across the forehead, crows’ feet and bunny lines (those horizontal lines across the bridge of the nose).  Botox can also be used to relax the downward pull of the muscles around the mouth, as a successful treatment for migraine and to reduce excessive armpit sweating.  A promising new treatment is for prominent neck muscles, which occur as a result of bad posture.  By injecting these muscles with Botox, they can be relaxed so that they don’t stand out.  The treatment can make a big difference, but many practitioners are wary of using Botox below the eye area.

EXPERT TIP

Like everything else in life, you get what you pay for.  If a practitioner is offering you a cheap deal they may be using a more diluted concentration of Botox.  This means it won’t work as well and it won’t last as long.  A good treatment should last a couple of months.  Many people find that as time goes on the effect seems to last longer and they need less frequent visits.  Practitioners offering deals might also be new to the game and in need of more patients.  If you go to a practitioner with L plates, you have to be prepared for the fact you might not get the best results.  Avoid Botox parties (like Tupperware parties!) at all costs.

FACELIFTS

There are as many types of facelifts as there are surgeons performing them.

The facelift is a very individual thing.  It depends on the techniques used, the style preferred by the surgeon, and the quality of the original material (your face).  There are deep facelifts where the surgeon lifts the underlying tissue and drapes the skin over it, removing the excess skin.  There are the so-called less-invasive facelifts – the mini lifts – although reports suggest these don’t last as long.  Whatever type of facelift you have, it will drop over time.

LIPOSUCTION

Liposuction is not a method of overall weight loss; it reshapes specific areas.  It works on stubborn areas of fat, such as saddle bags, when no amount of dieting or exercise can get rid of them.  But lipo is limited to subcutaneous fat and can’t be used to remove the dangerous intra-abdominal fat around your middle.  And the sad but true fact is that it works better on younger bodies with good skin elasticity.  Post-menopause, especially, the results can be less than perfect.

If you’ve exhausted all other options and opt for hitting the big league, you must do your homework. Find a surgeon with good surgical training and plenty of experience. Don’t be swayed by the doctor’s charm or the sales patter of the staff and stick to your guns in your quest for the best. It takes time and energy finding Dr Brilliant but you’ll thank yourself in the long run.

GOT EYE BAGGAGE?

Some women develop a fat ‘pocket’ under the eyes as they age.  It can be corrected in a fairly simple procedure in which the surgeon cuts a small incision along the lash line, the fat is removed, and the incision is sealed.  Results are generally very good.  Dark, sagging under-eye bags are a little trickier to fix.  If you compare the face of a young person with that of a 50-year-old, you’ll see how the cheek ‘fat pads’ descend with age and dark circles develop under the eyes where the tissue has gone, giving a hollow look.  To correct this, the surgeon has to lift the entire cheek fat pad in a mini-facelift.  Some doctors fill the hollow area with fat or cosmetic filler.

SCULPTURE CLASS

The big new thing is facial sculpting.  As we age we lose fat from the face.  Facelifts can lift dropped cheek pads and reduce excess skin but they can’t add volume.  Now there’s a range of synthetic products that achieve this.  Some stimulate the body to produce its own collagen and can be injected into any facial area that needs volume; others are injected at the deepest level – next to the bone itself – to help define a jawline or build up cheekbones.  These fillers are also used to fill in the hollow under the eye and just under the eyebrow to help lift the upper lid and reduce drooping.

My thoughts:

Well that was quite some education for me!  I wasn’t aware of the various uses for Botox mentioned.  I also wasn’t aware that liposuction is no good for around the middle or that it’s less successful for post menopausal women.  

I think that if I were rich I might consider some Botox here and there on my face some day, just to look more awake and less tired, but considering I’m not rich and it needs to be redone every 2-3 months, that is not likely to happen.  Face fillers don’t really appeal to me.  I wouldn’t want to risk ending up looking like those puffy plastic frozen faces that we see too much of these days.  The other procedures are too extreme for me.  Ageing gracefully is fine with me BUT I do believe in looking after our skin and having a good skin care routine in place using fabulous natural and nourishing products.  Many of you’d know I used to sell some skin care products – 100% natural plant oils.  They’ve done wonders for my skin.  I no longer sell them but I still use them.  You can purchase with a discount using a code allocated to me if you’re interested.  You can find out more here – Gorgeous Woman Skin Care.

Recently, I went to a Skin Clinic to have a Microdermabrasion treatment using a Gift Voucher that was given to me by my daughter for my birthday (which was back in May).  The girl who was doing the treatment on my face was a young girl in her 20’s.  We got into a discussion about anti-ageing and all the treatments available nowadays.  She was 26 and said she’s been having Botox for several years.  She believes it will prevent or at least hold-off her ageing process.  She was very pleased with herself but I think it is sad.  When I was in my 20’s the most I ever did for my face (apart from using skin care products) was have a facial and that was usually only just prior to an occasion (like my wedding).  Times are a changing!!

What are your thoughts on the above procedures?  If you were rich and could afford them, which one (or more) would you consider?  Maybe whether you were rich or poor you’d never consider any of them.  What are your thoughts about young girls having botox to hold off the ageing process?

Ciao for now,