The anti ageing map of Britain
From subtle tweaks in the capital to look-at-me transformations in Scotland, 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; road-testing 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 super-discreet 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
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.’