The anti ageing map of Britain

From subtle tweaks in the capital to look-at-me transformations in the North, how where you live dictates what work you have done

AS A veteran beauty editor, I’ve spent the past 15 years editing cosmetic surgery guides for the world’s glossiest magazines.

My job has taken me the length and breadth of the country, visiting the nation’s busiest clinics; roadtesting treatments and taking the pulse in countless waiting rooms to get to the bottom of what women want. At home too, countless requests from friends, and friends of friends, seeking my advice on cosmetic procedures led me to set up The Editor’s List ( editorslist.co.uk) a superdiscreet service that connects people to the world’s top cosmetic practitioners, often fasttracking through long waiting lists.

With a client base from Edinburgh to Chelsea, this role has given me great insight into what women around the country want tweaked, and whom they like to see. And it has shown me that

where you live has an astonishing influence on what you have done — and your perception of modern beauty.

LONDON THE NEW ATHLETIC BODY

DRIVEN by the booming ‘athleisure’ trend, Londoners are channelling a lean look, ditching surgical procedures such as liposuction and tummy tucks (down 20 per cent and 12 per cent respectively last year) in favour of CoolSculpting, a

It’s strange that the years teach us patience; that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting ELIZABETH TAYLOR

non-invasive contouring procedure where fat cells are frozen and flushed through the body for a slinkier silhouette.

Dr Tracy Mountford, of The Cosmetic Skin Clinic, Europe’s busiest CoolSculpting hub says: ‘CoolSculpting is replacing surgery. Key target areas include the stomach and flanks to redefine the waist, inner thighs to increase the gap between upper thighs and the banana rolls under the buttocks to make bums look smaller and more pert.’

Skin tightening is incredibly popular in the capital too, with Ultherapy — a non-invasive treatment that uses ultrasound to tighten up muscles and stimulate collagen and elastin — and radio frequency treatments in high demand for arms and knees.

Breast surgeon Patrick Mallucci, of Mallucci London, says: ‘Balloon-like breasts are out. It’s about shape rather than size as more women are opting for low-profile breast implants, often positioned so the lower half of the breast is fuller than the upper half to offer a more natural look.’

For the face, subtle tweaks are key. ‘Focusing on just one cosmetic treatment is a really oldfashioned approach,’ says A-list favourite Dr Jean-Louis Sebagh. ‘The most successful doctors customise a clever combination of different treatments, such as injectables, resurfacing lasers and skin-tightening ultrasound, that work in synergy to refresh the face.’

Botox remains popular, but is more lighthanded. The ‘Boy Brow’, named as it mimics the way young people’s brows sit, uses light doses of the toxin around the hairline to soften rather than elevate the brow (think of elfin Natalie Portman).

Facial fillers are popular too, but drip-fed in small amounts. London’s Lip Queen, Dr Rita Rakus, is pioneering a new 3D approach, filming the way her clients’ mouths move before incrementally injecting lips.

She says: ‘My patients don’t want the work to be seen. They don’t want their husbands to notice, whereas the further north you travel, I suspect they do.’

WEST COUNTRY THREAD LIFTS & THE PERFECT NOSE

IN CLINICS from the Cotswolds to Cornwall, there’s a call for, ‘as natural as possible please’. Thread vein and laser skin resurfacing are popular and Botox is administered fairly conservatively. Women here are not hung up on chasing every line and wrinkle. They want polished skin.

On the South Coast, thread lifting, a procedure inserting fine threads under the skin to lift neck and facial sagging, is thriving.

Leading cosmetic doctors Victoria Manning and Charlotte Woodward, of River Aesthetics in Dorset and Hampshire, say: ‘In this part of Britain, people are slightly more wary of surgery, they want to look refreshed without downtime or fuss. The most popular treatment is the lower face and neck thread lift to sharpen the jawline or, for older patients, to get rid of jowls.’

Bristol is the area’s cosmetic surgery hub. In fact, one study recently found that the city ranked only second to Los Angeles for most nose job searches online in 2017.

Bristol-based rhinoplasty specialist Lisa Sacks says: ‘People in the area are looking for a refined and elegant look and, while noses are tailored to suit the individual’s features, I am often presented with photos of Emma Watson as a reference point.’

That may change however, as reports from the U.S. say Meghan Markle’s ski-jump nose is now the most popular plastic surgery request.

WALES FACELIFTS & LIPO BOOB JOBS

WITH a keen appetite for procedures, Wales has been at the heart of a cosmetic surgery boom in the past few years. Tummy tucks, face and neck lifts are most popular.

Dr Harryono Judodihardjo, a dermatologist with clinics in Cardiff and London says people still favour going under the knife, with facelifts viewed as the answer to ageing skin.

‘There is far less external celebrity referencing than elsewhere in the country. It’s more internal and based around how patients feel about themselves,’ explains leading surgeon Anthony Macquillan, who operates in Newport and Bristol.

This feeling translates to body shape, too. ‘The new trend is for ladies in their 40s, who have previously had breast augmentations, to have their implants taken out and replaced with fat grafting, a two-pronged procedure where fat is liposuctioned from flabby areas and injected back into the breast for a softer more natural look,’ he explains.

‘People want sensible-sized implants, a trimlooking tummy, but requests for things like buttock enlargements remain low.’

YORKSHIRE A FACE FULL OF FILLER

From Sheffield to Scarborough, full lips and cheeks are the cosmetic fashion choice of the moment. ‘Pouty lips in particular are a priority for the under 30s,’ says nurse practitioner Sharon Bennett of Harrogate Aesthetics. ‘Young girls often go back every three months for dermal filler topups as the original effect deflates.’ But the older demographic (45plus) want a more natural-look with the upper lip lifted and gentle cushioning in the lower lip.

The beauty ideal involves high, curved cheekbones with filler treatments used to highlight the cheekbones and boost fat loss in the mid cheek, which stops that dreaded tired, older look. on average, four syringes of filler are used to lift a weary face.

‘Women want brows lifted as much as possible and super smooth foreheads,’ continues Sharon. ‘ People often ask for “baby” Botox (reduced amounts), then come back for more. We end up injecting 50-60 units of Botox in the upper face compared with softer treatments favoured in places like London that would use around 25 units.’

To frame the look, there is often a microbladed brow — eyebrows are semi-permanently tattooed.

Practitioner Karen Betts who has a clinic in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, as well as in London and Wilmslow in nearby Cheshire, says: ‘Whereas in London my clients ask for natural, fluffier brows (Holly Willoughby and Jennifer Aniston are often referenced), in Yorkshire they’re after more of a sleek Angelina Jolie arch.

‘Yorkshire women are very keen on lip enhancement with tattooing to compliment their lip filler. They feel it’s better value for money as the tattooing lasts three years, whereas filler lasts up to one year.’

CHESHIRE & LIVERPOOL LIQUID NOSE JOBS

‘ CHeSHire is Chelsea and Knightsbridge on steroids,’ says Dr raj Acquilla of Yuva medi spa, a leading clinic in Cheshire’s affluent Alderley edge. ‘Women want to wear their brand on their face, and with the rise of Wags and reality TV, they think big cheeks and lips define femininity.’

Famous for his advanced injection techniques such as liquid nose jobs (injections of dermal filler across the bridge of the nose), women are queuing up for procedures that offer longerlasting solutions than make-up contouring tricks and using camera filters to hide blemishes.

The neat little Nicole Kidman nose, the highly contoured Kim Kardashian cheek, the plump Kylie Jenner lip, can all be copied using Botox and fillers.

Cheshire’s Botox Queen Dr Nyla raja, the largest user of Botox and filler outside London, adds: ‘Young women under 30 who need the least work are the ones requesting a “done” look’ [one where it’s obvious they’ve had work done]. rather than being taboo, cosmetic procedures are seen as a status symbol here and worn like a badge of honour.’

The filler craze climaxes in Liverpool — reported to have the largest appetite for filler, not only in the UK, but in the world. Demand is fuelled by hundreds of unregulated beautician salons offering injectable treatments at ‘ bargain’ prices which often produce exaggerated results.

‘Women here just want to look sexy,’ concludes Dr raja, whose clinic performs more than 300 CoolSculpting treatments a week. ‘The Cheshire woman embraces curves. They want a nipped-in waist, slender arms, fuller breasts and a pert, round bum.’

NORTH EAST A GEORDIE FACELIFT

‘i ALWAYS thought the Geordie Facelift (a popular northern look where girls scrape their hair into a high ponytail so it pulls the skin on the upper face to raise the eyebrows) was a myth until a patient came into my clinic sporting the ponytail and asked me to Botox her eyebrows to mimic the look,’ says Dr TJ esho, who has clinics in both Newcastle and London.

‘The real difference i see between my two patient cohorts is that northern women are far more open than Londoners about talking about cosmetic procedures and what they’ve had done.

‘They want glamour. They like a highly arched brow, although the look has been slightly modified by injecting just the tail of the eyebrows with filler or Botox to give a more subtle lift rather than a surprised look.

‘Lip fillers are huge business. Women want to emulate the likes of our Girl star michelle Keegan and Gone Girl actress emily ratajkowski, and i see about 60 women a week for lip-filler treatment, often paired with chin sculpting, which i do with dermal fillers to balance the face and give a prettier profile.’

in Newcastle, the epicentre of most cosmetic work, women have moved away from using sunbeds as they become more conscious of skin health. This is driving a boom in corrective laser and light treatments as well as obagi skin peels to correct sun damage. Fake tan sales have rocketed with Sunderland second only to Belfast as the UK’s fake tan capital.

SCOTLAND MEGA POUTS & LASERS

‘WHeN it comes to cosmetic procedures in Scotland, there are two distinct clans,’ says Dr Nestor Demosthenous, who has run clinics in edinburgh and Glasgow.

‘There is a lower class demographic of Glaswegians, who tend to favour larger pouty lips and voluminous cheeks, pumped up with dermal fillers. Angelina Jolie is their poster girl.

‘They also seek out toxin treatments, asking for the frozen look across the brow.

‘in contrast, edinburgh is a little London. Patients are far more reserved and a little fearful of cosmetic treatments. They want discreet changes.’

These include higher cheekbones, sharper jawlines, and fuller, rather than bigger, lips, achieved with a combination of subtle dermal filler and toxin treatments.

‘ iPL ( intense Pulsed Light) treatments, which tone down redness and fade pigmentation, are also in high demand as rosacea is a common problem with Celtic skin tones,’ adds Dr Darren mcKeown, of The Aesthetic medicine institute in Glasgow.

‘it’s not about looking younger. it’s about having healthy looking skin and looking alert and active rather than old and tired.’