The not-so-secret-secret to looking younger
Cosmetic and aesthetics treatments are one of the worst kept secrets in the beauty industry. Many partake, few admit they’ve undergone a helping hand in turning back the clock when it comes to their appearance. Until now that is.
“It’s just good genes”
“I drink so much water”
“I swear by this kale – spinach – blueberry – collagen – everything in the pantry daily smoothie concoction”
All viable factors in the contribution to looking fantastic no doubt, but wrinkles do not disappear by smoothies alone, and many it seems have simply protested too much.
In the UK alone, the cosmetic industry is worth a staggering £3.6billion. To put the popularity of non-surgical treatments into context, treatments such as Botox and Fillers account for 9 out of 10 procedures and are worth £2.75 billion to the industry. That’s a whole lot of special smoothies!
Today, non-surgical treatments are no longer a poorly kept celebrity secret – they have become an important part of many peoples’ beauty routines. And for good reason. The results speak for themselves.
Men and women are no longer ashamed to admit they’ve had a little bit of a lift and contour. Instead, they are celebrating it and sharing clinic and practitioner recommendations whilst flaunting their smooth, wrinkle free, plump faces on social media for all to see (and admire).
“Who’s your aesthetics practitioner?” now has the same ring in your local Waitrose as “who’s your surgeon?” does in the Hollywood hills.
And it’s about time. Contrary to popular belief, Botox is not a new treatment. It’s been around for almost 20 years, since the FDA approved it for wrinkle smoothing back in 2002. Since then, millions of men and women have made it a regular part of their skincare routine.
A new age of beauty has dawned, one where sexes have regained confidence in themselves and feel more empowered to share, likely spurred on by how good they look and feel. Over recent years, we’ve seen a huge uptick in people wanting to look after themselves better. Whether that’s exercising more, eating healthier or staying out of the sun – days of excess feel like they’re dropping away, further fueled by the pandemic, and what is emerging is a simpler, happier life with fewer wrinkles and more defined lips. Furthermore, people now believe that a good skin routine and SPF supports the non-surgical aspect of preventative care, not cure. And as a nurse practitioner, I couldn’t be more thrilled about it.
As a result, Botox, is now a widely accepted anti-ageing beauty treatment across genders and ages. Time has allowed people to become accustomed to the idea of having a bit of help in supporting the aging process. It’s no longer deemed as “vain” but more seen as promoting self-worth, and a way of supporting mental wellbeing and happiness by being confident in your appearance. Aging is inevitable, it’s the one thing that links us all and it should be seen as positive. We’re lucky to age. But whilst our minds, wisdom and life experiences deepen, our wrinkles don’t have to.
We shouldn’t underestimate the power of celebrity in turning the tables on cosmetic and aesthetic procedures. A-listers like Cindy Crawford who have built an entire career and lifestyle around the way they look have been vocal about cosmetic enhancement. And when you look as good as Cindy does at 55 years old (yes really!), well, you can’t argue with results. Whilst she promotes those good genes and a healthy lifestyle as contributors to her youthful appearance, she is in fact, very open about her use of cosmetic treatments such as Botox when it comes to her enviable wrinkle-free skin. It’s true influencers like Cindy that have made non-invasive treatments such as Botox more widely acceptable in society. But wisely, she recommends only visiting a skilled and certified surgeon or practitioner to avoid looking like an extra from ‘Botched’.
In this new era of transparency, people simply feel less shame in doing the things that make them look or feel better. And in my eyes, that can only a positive thing.
