My ultimate head-to-toe anti-ageing guide to look THIS good in your sixties: ALICE HART-DAVIS
When Helen Fielding, creator of Bridget Jones, declared she wanted Mad About The Boy to 'smash the idea that there's a sexual sell-by date for women', all of us in our midlife years stood up to applaud. But how to translate such an admirable idea into reality?
If you're in your 50s and feeling your age, the idea of being, shall we say, raring to go, let alone with a man half your age, may seem risible.
But there are plenty of highly effective treatments to give your face, body and libido back their va-va-voom, from the perfectly cheap and easy to those that require a little more commitment and time.
'No woman should feel like her 'sell-by date' has passed because she's hit 50!' agrees Dr Shirin Lakhani, an aesthetic physician and one of the UK's leading experts in women's intimate health and wellness.
'There are so many ways to stay confident, comfortable, and in control of your body.' Indeed, the pursuit of better sex in midlife and beyond is something of a boom industry.
'Women are living longer, healthier lives, and they don't want to feel like intimacy is something that fades away with age.
Many women come in because they have noticed changes – loss of sensation, vaginal dryness, or discomfort – that are affecting their confidence and pleasure.
'Some are in long-term relationships and want to reignite intimacy. Others are newly dating post-divorce or menopause and want to feel their best.
There are plenty of highly effective treatments to give your face, body and libido back their va-va-voom, from the perfectly cheap and easy to those that require a little more commitment and time, says Alice Hart-Davis (pictured)
A lot come primarily for health issues, but the knock-on effect of treating those things is often a better, more enjoyable sex life.'
But it's not just your nether regions! Head-to-toe, we can all benefit from a bit of skilled, de-ageing attention to make us feel more confident. So where do you start?
As a top aesthetic and beauty expert, and the founder of The Tweakments Guide – the go-to website for trusted advice on non-surgical cosmetic procedures – I'm here to help. I'm now nearly 62 and started having procedures and tweakments at 40 so, over the years, I've tried almost every one there is and know exactly where to go for the best in the business.
This is my ultimate guide to the most effective treatments and skincare to help you look and feel your best over 50 – and, yes, prolong your 'sexual sell-by date' too...
Halting hair loss
There are many factors involved in hair loss, including genetic, nutritional, stress and hormonal imbalances, but by the time we hit menopause, most of us are losing hair in one way or another. I found I had what practitioners call 'the hormonal Vs' – receding patches on my temples – even though the rest of my hair is holding up well.
Start with a blood test at your GP surgery to check if you are low in iron or vitamin D, both of which have a role in hair growth, says consultant Kelly Morrell (scalpconfidential.co.uk).
She then offers bespoke advice: maybe a DNA test like Trichotest to establish whether you will respond to the drug Minoxidil – which reduces hair fall, but doesn't work for everyone – or specialised treatments including the Calecim Advanced Hair System (from £350), where you apply a growth factor serum at home using a microneedle stamp to stimulate follicles into action.
I've tried it and it's not comfortable, but it certainly works, and once I saw new baby hairs growing in my 'hormonal V' patches, I had plenty of incentive to keep going.
Or try the trichologists at Philip Kingsley (philipkingsley.co.uk) who are brilliant at personalised advice.
Restore your skin
'Skin is our body's largest organ and hence a huge consideration in ageing well,' says Dr Paris Acharya, the aesthetic specialist who runs The Ardour Clinic in Marylebone.
Skincare is the first step: 'A broad spectrum SPF and antioxidants are an excellent way of ensuring we are taking optimal care of skin and protecting it from the environment,' she says. 'Ageing is driven by multiple factors, and regenerative treatments like polynucleotides act at the source to restore the skin.'
These are injected into the dermis (the lower layer of the skin) where they provide the DNA building blocks to regenerate cellular components, boost collagen and elastin, reduce inflammation and stabilise pigment production.
All of which gives 'a healthier skin canvas on a molecular level'.
I tried Plinest polynucleotides with Dr Acharya and it took three months to see results – but after three rounds my skin looked very healthy and glowy. Polynucleotides, from £450 per session, theardourclinic.com
De-ageing tired eyes
If yours are hooded and wreathed in wrinkles, there is still hope. Start with decent skincare – an eye cream and daily SPF around your eyes (my favourites are i-shine from Doctor Skin Collagen, £75, thetweakmentsguide.com and No7 Future Renew UV Defence Shield SPF50, £24.95, at Boots); to stop UV light ravaging them any more than it already has.
If your eyes are hooded and wreathed in wrinkles, there is still hope. Start with decent skincare – an eye cream and daily SPF around your eyes
Step up to an energy-based treatment such as Sylfirm X RF needling (try Dr Mahsa Saleki at sas-aesthetics.co.uk from £400 per session), which firms and tightens the area.
And then… there is surgery, which will cost £5,000 or more. An upper eyelid lift or blepharoplasty is pricey, but the quickest and surest way of beating hooded eyes. I know, I've had this done twice in the past 15 years and consider it money well spent.
Yes, you'll need a week of quiet time (the quieter, the faster you'll recover) until the stitches come out. Oddly, however, there's no pain – I found I didn't even need paracetamol – and after two weeks you're rewarded with younger-looking eyes, with faint scars fading into the crease of the eyelid.
Who to see? Try Mrs Sabrina Shah-Desai (perfecteyesltd.com), Miss Caroline Wilde (danielezra.co.uk), or Dr Nick Koutroumanos (koutroumanos.com)
Fabulous fillers
'Filler remains an excellent – and the only effective – tool for addressing volume loss in the 50-plus face,' says Dr David Jack (drdavidjack.com).
'As we age, we lose fat and bone structure, leading to a more tired and hollowed appearance.
'When used skilfully and solely for volume replacement, fillers can restore the architectural balance of the face. My preference is for deep volume replacement, which avoids risks like migration and puffiness that have marred the reputation of fillers.' This treatment should last a couple of years or more.
Lose the lip lines
You could try smoothing them with a retinoid, blurring them with Trinny London Miracle Blur (£28, trinnylondon.com) so that make-up simply skates over where the lines were, or if you're stepping up to treatments, use a touch of filler in the upper lip, which can work wonders to define your lip-line.
The most effective tweak for lip lines is lasering, which burns away the old, wrinkled skin and encourages new skin to grow. Yes, that's savage, yes, there's lengthy downtime, but take a look at the results achieved by practitioners like Dr Asif Hussein (drhconsult.co.uk).
Treating the 'perioral' area around the mouth with CO2 laser is a one-off treatment and costs around £3,250.
Face up to a facelift
If you're up for a full facial makeover and not tinkering in certain areas, the one thing that will make the most enormous difference is a facelift.
The one thing that will make the most enormous difference is a facelift, says Alice Hart-Davis (pictured)
Actually, it's probably not just 'one thing' that you want: a facelift only deals with the cheeks and upwards.
Comprehensive facial cosmetic surgery can mean a neck-lift alongside that deep plane facelift, and perhaps an eye lift, too.
Who to see? Three of the very best are George Orfaniotis (orfaniotis.co.uk), Tunc Tiryaki (tunctiryaki.co.uk) and Kshem Yapa (yapaplasticsurgery.com). Facelift and neck lift from £15,000, depending on the extent of work.
Ultrasound boost for our neck
Kim and Khloe Kardashian are currently raving about the skin-rejuvenating effects of Sofwave, a device that uses ultrasound energy to lift and tighten, which works well on the neck.
It's not comfortable – I flinched from each pulse of ultrasound energy despite all the numbing cream I'd been smothered in, and there were an awful lot of pulses; but three months later, the smoother results were visible and worth it. From £3,000, illuminateskinclinic.co.uk.
Damage control on the decolletage
Our decolletage often shows the effects of a life well lived. Once the sun's out it catches more than its fair share of rays.
That means damage from ultraviolet light, crepiness and pigmentation marks. You can soften crepiness with polynucleotides or injectable moisturisers, but to really wipe away sun damage, consider laser treatment.
'I'd recommend either a CO2 laser (if your skin tone is fair to olive) or PicoFX laser for darker skin tones,' advises Dr Tatiana Mandavia, 'both of which can be combined with radiofrequency microneedling for optimal tightening.' From £595, drtatiana.co.uk
Getting rid of crepey arms
'Profhilo is well-known for its rejuvenating properties on the face,' says Dr Preema Vig, 'and it's the perfect bio-remodelling, moisture-boosting treatment to firm up skin on the body, too, particularly the inner arms and elbows.
'When injected into skin it stimulates cell receptors to counteract skin laxity and improve and restore firmness.'
I thought my arms were OK and was offended when Dr Vig suggested they needed treatment – but she was right, and after two sessions the floppy skin just below my armpits was much stronger and less crepey. From £950 per session, drpreema.com.
Ace away age spots on the hands
Nix them with treatments of intense pulsed light (IPL), widely available at beauty and tweakment salons (the IPL breaks up the pigment so the spots fade away, from £150 per session).
Pop any skincare products you're putting on your face and neck on to the backs of your hands, too, and make a commitment to use SPF on your hands daily. Any sunscreen will do, but there are handcreams with SPF like Eucerin Hyaluron Age-Spot Correcting Hand Cream SPF30 (£14.50, Boots).
Boosting boobs
Short of an uplift or other surgical enhancement, your best bet is a well-fitting, supportive bra.
Breasts don't have muscles, so a bra that holds them steady is vital. Research shows many of us are wearing the wrong size bra, so book a specialist bra fitting (it can be done over clothing).
M&S offer free appointments (marksandspencer.com).
If you are wondering what sort of difference surgical help would make, there's a new imaging system called Silhouette Adoreal available at some clinics which, says plastic surgeon Mr Adrian Richards (iqonicaesthetics.com), 'allows us to demonstrate realistic expectations in a way that words or static images can't achieve'.
A tighter tummmy
Reducing the 'meno-belly' that creeps up on us during and after menopause takes dedication. HRT will help enormously. (When we lose oestrogen, male hormones, which encourage fat storage on the tummy, become dominant – adding oestrogen back in your system balances this out and also improves insulin sensitivity so our bodies process sugar more efficiently.) So will exercising with weights and eating protein at every meal.
For a hi-tech skincare boost, try Naturium retinol body lotion (£27 spacenk.com), or the Revision Bodifirm (£158, revision.co.uk) which contains a proven fat-busting ingredient on top of its firming and toning benefits.
If you've just got a little podge of fat that won't shift, Morpheus8 could be the tweak that helps.
HRT will help enormously with reducing the 'meno-belly' that creeps up on us during and after menopause
This involves radiofrequency, delivered through microneedles, into the skin – and if the needles are long enough and the power is high enough, it can melt fat below the surface while tightening and smoothing the skin.
It's reputed to be one of the more challenging tweakments in terms of comfort – I haven't tried it, but I gather that lots of numbing cream is required.
'People know about Morpheus8 for the face and neck, but it gives great results on wrinkly tummies, too,' says Dr Pamela Benito (drpamelabenito.com) who uses it in her Knightsbridge clinic. From £1,350 per session – you may need two or three.
Smoother thighs
One treatment that will definitely reduce heaviness and bloating in your legs is lymphatic drainage massage. Either find a specialist (try the Association of Manual Lymphatic Drainage practitioners mlduk.org.uk) or take the high-tech route with a session of LPG Endermologie – a mechanical lymph drainage massage that sounds awful but feels wonderful. Available in many clinics nationwide. Prices from £50 (lpg-group.com).
Pop 'female viagra'
Many women on HRT claim its most welcome effect is a libido boost, but there's another – non-medical – supplement that has been hitting the headlines too.
It's called The Golden Pill (elle-sera.com, from £49.95 a month) and it's based not on vitamins and minerals but adaptogens, which are herbs, roots and other plant-derived substances reputed to help the body manage imbalances – whether that's stress, hormonal or intimacy issues.
Model Abbey Clancy says she knows why it's called the 'female Viagra' as it saved her sex life with partner, former footballer Peter Crouch, after anxiety hit her libido.
Buff up your bottom
Exercise wouldn't go amiss here, and anyone can work a few squats and lunges into their daily routine, but for instant effects, I can't recommend Peach-Lite Derriere Firming Cream, £55, from Legology.co highly enough.
I don't know by what alchemy the 'lymphology complex' in this rich product works its magic, but it's lovely to massage in and leaves the skin feeling fantastic – firmer, smoother and softer.
Fabulous feet
Few things make your feet look and feel better than a medical pedicure. It doesn't sound like the most beautifying of procedures but I've been a fan since discovering how the medi-pedis you get at Margaret Dabbs clinics around the country will give your feet a thorough, clinical going-over, sort out your corns or calluses and leave your toenails looking more lovely than you knew was possible. From £85, margaretdabbs.co.uk
And va-va-voom down below...
There's a lot more focus on so-called intimate rejuvenation nowadays. While cosmetic surgeons report an increase in labiaplasties (trimming the labia so that they look neater), the emphasis today isn't about creating a 'designer vagina' but improving intimate health and function to reduce issues like stress incontinence and vaginal dryness, both of which get worse with age.
'We can now take a holistic, regenerative approach to intimate health,' says Dr Lakhani (elite-aesthetics.co.uk). 'Women don't have to settle for discomfort or loss of sensation as they age. The technology and the results can be life changing.
There's a lot more focus on so-called intimate rejuvenation nowadays
'One of the most effective technologies I use is EmpowerRF by InMode. It's completely non-surgical and combines radiofrequency (RF) and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) to rejuvenate and strengthen the pelvic floor and vaginal tissues.
'The different treatments within EmpowerRF can help with vaginal laxity, dryness, stress incontinence, and even improve sexual sensation.
'Another great option is the O-Shot which is done with PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections, which use the body's own growth factors to stimulate blood flow, collagen production, and nerve regeneration in the intimate area.
'This is fantastic for increasing sensitivity, improving lubrication, and enhancing orgasmic response. It is a completely natural way to restore function and confidence. I also use hormonal and non-hormonal therapies, whether that's vaginal oestrogen, DHEA, or newer regenerative options such as polynucleotides.'
The O-Shot, £1,350 (usually only one treatment is needed).
- Alice Hart-Davis is the founder of The Tweakments Guide.
- Details of all the procedures mentioned above, and more, can be found on thetweakmentsguide.com along with a network of practitioners around the country whom I'd trust with my face.
