Elle UK – September 2019

Lauren

Hutton

ELLE.COM/UK September 2O19

*NPD,

August

2O18.

**NPD,

May

2O18.

***PsycINFO

Database

Record (c) 2O19 APA.

Photography: Beth Sternbaum/Art Partner Licensing, Gett y Images.

238

ELLEBeauty

CHAMPIONING

the MOVEMENT

as the new faceofSaintLaurent,lookingnotunliketheAtlasMountains:

rugged, but anundeniablybeautifulsight.AndactorssuchasBrooke

Shields and NicoleKidmanhaveturnedtheirbacksontheneedle,too.

Fifteen yearsago,thingswereverydifferent.Beautyculturefound

itself in the gripofananti-ageingepidemic,withphrasessuchas‘stop

the clock’ and‘wrinkle-busting’standardparlanceforanyoneover

25. Botox wasrhapsodisedaboutonthecoverofTIMEmagazine,
    while filler sprinkleditsmagicuponthecavernsandhollowsofhalfof
    Hollywood’s faces.OneofthemostpopularprogrammesonBritishTV
    was 1O Years Younger– a showthatpromisedtoscrubthelastvestiges
    of age from its contestantsthrougha combinationofstyleadvice,non-
    invasive beautytreatmentsand,insomecases,cosmeticsurgery.While
    culture has alwaysgenuflectedatthealtarofyouth,themessagingback
    then was clear: everyonecan– andshould– wanttostayyoungforever.
    So the adventofMcSurgerywasuponus.Clinicswereinundated
    with 22-year-oldswhowanted‘preventative
    Botox’, while fortysomethingsclamouredto
    conceal any linesthroughcheek-inflating,
    jowl-lifting plumpers.LunchtimeBotox,’Baby’
    Botox and lip fillersforlessthanthecostofa
    train ticket meantthateveryoneaged 21 to 81
    could stay wrinkle-free.It alsomeantsomething
    else... An eerienewaestheticspreadacross
    our streets – a seaoffacesthatboretoddler-
    round cheeks, tumescentpoutsandimmobile
    foreheads. In ourdesiretorunfromthetides
    of time, everybodyendeduplookingnot
    younger exactly,but...thesame.Asisoften
    the way with culturaltrends,a kickbackbeganbrewingin2O17,with
    brands wagingananti-ageingcampaign– onethathailedthebestsort
    of beauty as a facenotcuratedbydoctors,butbythelifeyouhadlived.
    At the MediceticscliniconLondon’sHarleyStreet,DrVickyDondos
    is one of thosedoctors.Shehassteadilymadeanameforherselfas
    one of the go-to‘facewhisperers’forthosewanting‘zero-detection
    work ’. For the past1Oyears,DrDondashasofferedeverythingfrom
    light Botox to restructuringfillers,andherclientelehaswillinglytakenit.
    Until now. For DrDondoshasnotonlyseenasurgeinthenumberof
    women wantingtheiroldfacesback– sheherselfis a leadingthecharge.
    In fact, it wasDrDondoswhoworkedwithJennytoclawbackher
    original face. But,sheexplains,it’snotasimpletask.Yearsoffillers
    can stretch theskin,meaningyou’llneedanexperienceddoctorto
    rebalance andsoftenwithoutleavingthingsslack.Jennyembarkedon
    a ‘Botox diet’: ninemonthscoldturkeytoletthefacereturntoamore

Tracee

Ellis

Ross

Diane Keaton

Michelle Pfeiffer

Tilda Swinton

“ IT’S ABOUT

LIKING your FAC E ,

not BEING

CONCERNED

T H AT you LO OK

‘TOO OLD’ ”

natural state, a focus on ‘skin health’ to improve texture and firmness

through non-invasive care, and a reintroduction of much-reduced

amounts of Botox to shift the deepest of lines. And Jenny is not the first.

‘More women are embracing technologies [such as facials and

lasers] that allow them to look their best at different ages,’ says Dr Dondos.

‘It’s no longer about escapism or vanity, but self-care, liking your face,

and not being held back by concerns that you look “too old”.’

Requests for trout pouts and taut foreheads have given way to

clients seeking to ‘reclaim’ their faces. ‘I regularly receive enquiries

about undoing fillers,’ says beauty editor favourite Dr Sophie Shotter

‘[These women] are proud of their age, but just want to look like the

best versions of themselves. Very few now ask me to take 1O years off.’

Dr Nima Mahmoodi, who works across a number of clinics in the UK,

agrees that the philosophy around ‘having work ’ is changing. While

the trend in Essex (where he has a clinic) ‘is still for that bigger-is-better

aesthetic... and [with] certain nationalities, their

approach is: the more work you have done, it

shows how much money you have’, in London,

his clients now prefer ‘the natural approach’.

This notion of relaxing your stance on

wrinkles doesn’t just end in clinics. In the world

of make-up, a new look has emerged that

goes further than ‘natural beauty’ to... barely

any at all. Last year, make-up sales only saw

3% growth, compared to that of skincare at

16% ,* while sales of contouring products are

in decline,** as consumers ditch the coverage.

There is also evidence to suggest

that allowing lines to reappear in their rightful place might change

the way other people view you. In a recent study that focused

on the ‘Duchenne smile’ (essentially, how genuine your smile is),

participants were shown photographs of people with more wrinkles

around the eyes and perceived them to not only be happier than those

without, but also more sincere.*** According to psychology professor

Daniel Messinger, who led the research, ‘It suggests facial actions have

simple meanings, and that the key to this language is constriction of

the eyes.’ ‘In other words, a given facial action could shape your

social interactions,’ says Nour Malek, another author on the paper.

With new technologies (plumping HydraFacials, tightening lasers,

glow-boosting microneedling) enabling you to sport beautiful skin

without making a mask of youth out of it, looking good while still looking

like you is easily achievable. As age-embracing Jenny so brilliantly puts

it, ‘Botox and fillers are just the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.’