Dr Jonquille Chantrey, 39
When did you start having procedures done yourself? I didn’t try anything until five years after I started. I’m quite cautious, so it’s only been in recent years that I’ve had more done. The first thing was mesotherapy at the age of 31, which is a vitamin-andhyaluronic-acid cocktail injected into the skin. This was followed by Botox, aged 33, when I first started to notice fine lines. I now have it twice a year, but I want to do it more as I get older.
So you don’t experiment with procedures unless you have a definite need for them? Exactly. It was only a year ago that I started to notice the lower aspect of my face dropping a little. This is normal for women in their mid-30s and can happen earlier for people with a weaker jawline or major weight fluctuations. I decided to try Ultracel, which combines ultrasound and radiofrequency. The ultrasound targets a deeper layer of tissue (typically treated in a surgical facelift), tightening it up over time and lifting the face. The radiofrequency heats the collagen in the skin, causing it to shrink and tighten, while stimulating new collagen. I was really impressed and now have it every six months.
And microneedling? I use a device called Dermapen, which delivers multiple needle penetrations per second – much quicker and more comfortable than the original derma rollers. For myself, I would always choose this over laser for skin retexturing, because I develop pigmentation [dark spots] easily due to my ethnicity [laser causes trauma to the skin and can result in postinflammatory pigmentation in skin with higher amounts of melanin].
Does the ‘vampire facial’, made famous by Kim Kardashian West, really work? I started researching platelet-rich plasma when I was doing plastic surgery for burns and trauma 15 years ago, prior to working in aesthetics. Blood is taken, then spun down to extract growth factors and proteins [responsible for healing wounds]. These are then injected back into skin to stimulate new cell growth. It works best as a course of three treatments, six weeks apart, then a top-up every six months. My skin looked noticeably brighter and smoother afterwards. It looks scary, but I don’t find it uncomfortable.
And if you could only have one of these treatments for the rest of your life? I think I’d have to go for the Ultracel. Botox lifts certain areas, but Ultracel works more structurally.