Believe it or not, Botox can give you thicker hair

I HAVE noticed my hair thinning on top as a result of radiotherapy. Is there anything I can do to help new growth?

ATO STIMULATE hair growth, Dr Philippe Hamida-Pisal of PHP Aesthetic Clinics combines Mesotherapy and Botox: vitamins, nutrients and botulinum toxin are injected superficially into the scalp to promote follicle and hair health.

Freaky as it sounds, the toxin relaxes the blood vessels, improving the oxygen and nutrient supply to the scalp. It also inhibits the level of the DHEA hormone, responsible for thinning hair, and promotes the activity of female sex hormone oestradiol, which stimulates hair growth.

The result is significantly healthier, thicker hair in six weeks. A three-treatment cycle costs €1,400 (phphealth

first.co.uk).

Or try Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP): your scalp is injected with your own blood plasma, rich in growth factors. The procedure promotes thicker, more plentiful hair, noticeable within two months. Nationwide, three sessions start at about €1,000.

Meanwhile, eat plenty of protein, consider iron supplements and don’t aggravate your condition with stripping shampoo; switch to a sulphate-free one that cares for your scalp.

I love Mother Dirt Shampoo (€17.20, amazon.co.uk).

QMY PROBLEM is skin tags around my neck and upper shoulder area. What is the best way to get rid of them? I’ve heard you can zap them with radiofrequency waves. Does it make any difference if I am currently on medication and I need to avoid bleeding?

ADR SARAH Tonks from The Lovely Clinic recommends electrolysis to nip them off. This involves using a galvanic or radiofrequency current to cut each tag, while at the same time cauterising the area, so there is no bleeding. It feels like being pinched with hot tweezers.

Prices in beauty or medical clinics around the country would vary from €50 to €300, depending on how many tags you have.

Most skin tags are perfectly harmless or hereditary, butit is important to realise that a sudden increase (especially in the neck, armpit and groin) in the appearance of tags can point to insulin resistance and, therefore, be a sign of earlyonset Type 2 diabetes or hypothyroidism.

So it’s a good idea to ask your GP for a full history and examination to see if there are any other corroborating signs pointing to these conditions — just to be sure!

QI AM in my 80s and my eyebrows have started to thin out. I pencil them in each day, but could you suggest some other means to repair the loss?

AI THINK you should consider microblading — it’s a new-ish trend, but don’t let that stop you! A technician will insert pigment under the skin with an ultra-fine blade, drawing hair-like strokes.

The beauty is, the pigment won’t bleed into one block colour, as can happen with semi-permanent tattooing, but retains its hair-like effect. Numbing cream makes the process bearable. Results are really natural and last up to three years depending on your skin type and age.

You can intensify the colour and shape at will with brow make-up.

Brow queen Vaishaly Patel recommends finding a specialist with plenty of before and after photographs (there will be a little blood, so look for afters shown posthealing).

They should also offer a proper consultation that involves discussing and carefully drawing the shape of the brow, plus determining the right colour before pushing ahead with the blading.

Expect to pay round €200.

QI’M IN my mid-60s and have suddenly developed marionette lines from the corner of my mouth towards my chin. They really bother me. Is there anything I can do?

AIF YOU really do have two very deep lines, they are caused by a loss of the fat pad in that area (it happens with age).

Dr Frances Prenna Jones says: ‘The best treatment is volume replacement, ie. a dermal filler. A slightly viscous hyaluronic acid gel is injected, not in the lines, but below them, to lift the area, smoothing it out.’

Prices vary. Fillers last for about nine months. For the most dramatic result s ‘a tiny bit of Botox in the base of the lines, costing about €150, can also help, as it stops the facial muscles pulling them down’.

If your lines aren’t superdeep, the Botox alone can help. As will a good retinoid cream, if you don’t want to go down the injectables route — I love Medik8 R-Retinoate, (€155, zest.ie).

Team it with an at-home micro-needling roller such as GloPro (€223, currentbody.

com) which punctures the skin for deep delivery of your cream’s active ingredients (no, it doesn’t hurt) for visible results. O Ingeborg Van Lotringen is beauty director at Cosmopolitan.