The Natural Lift

Many people thought that the surgical facelift was still the ultimate weapon in the fight against ageing. Even though invasive cosmetic procedures experienced a 9% dip in popularity from 2005 to 2006 alone, whereas non-invasive procedures increased by a staggering 747% from 1997 to 2006 vs 98% for invasive cosmetic surgery.

Sagging cheeks and drooping jowls are the obvious sings of ageing in the lower face region and were therefore considered a prime indication for a surgical facelift until recently.

You might be amazed to know that most of the lower face ageing is down to hyperactive muscle movement. The two main muscle groups pulling the cheeks down causing jowls are called depressor anguli oris (short: DAO) and platysma band.

It is also interesting to know that in some people those muscles are much more developed than in others. It is even estimated that 9 out of 10 people who had a facelift have strong, often hyperactive DAOs. Which also explains why facelifts in average on last 5-7 years. As long as the strong DAOs still pull down nothing will prevent the cheeks from drooping again.

It often helps to look at your parents, should either of them have heavy jowls chances that they have strong DAOs are great. Which also makes it very likely that you might have inherited some of it.

Expressing disapproval by pulling down the corners of the mouth is even called "The Mouth-Frown", which eventually leads to heavy jowls. Just as easy and successful as you have your hyperactive frown muscles on your forehead treated with Botox® it is possible to lift your lower face and cheeks with Botox®. By simply relaxing the downward pulling facial muscles we can create all the benefits of a facelilft without the pain.

Following the Botox® we replace the missing volume in the skin with Juvederm Ultra®. You will get back the jaw line, lifted and rounded cheeks in a natural and easy way. Juvederm Ultra® restores your skin's elasticity and texture as well as replacing volume in those areas of the face where we lose it as a normal sign of ageing.

There is no age limit to this procedure, whether you start at age 20 or at 70 your looks will improve.

However, prevention is better than cure, should you have well developed DAOs or "mouth frown muscles" start with Botox® as early as you can and you will never have to worry about your face becoming saggy one day.

All you need to do now is book your consultation and let me do what I do best.

Your makeup and skincare problems solvedPost your beauty
questions forleading makeup artist Alex Byrne, who will be live online
today, Wednesday 6January, at 1pmModels have always had expert help
with their makeup - and nowyou can too! Photograph: Stephen Chernin/AP
Have you resolved to stick to a proper skincare regime in 2010?
Perhapsyou've always wanted to try false eyelashes but don't quite know
how? Or maybeyou're even toying with cosmetic surgery, but would like
to research the lessdrastic options first?
Whatever your skincare or makeup needs, AlexByrne is here to help. Alex
is a leading international makeup artist.Through her experience hosting
masterclasses, consulting with beauty brands,and researching trends and
advances in technology and treatments, she has vastknowledge about the
latest developments in beauty.
She will be live online from 1-2.30pm today, Wednesday 6 January, and
ishappy to answer any questions you may have concerning makeup
application,skincare advances, cosmetic treatments, or any other beauty
matter. Alex canalso refer you to specialists for more complex queries.
Post your questions in the comments section now, then check back to
seeAlex's answers at 1pm. And if you can't wait for a beauty fix, check
out her videoguide to red lipstick, the first in our new series of
beauty tutorialsfeaturing real women.AlexByrneBeauty 16 Jan 2010,
11:11PMContributor
@annakarina - feeling like you have too many wrinkles at age 28, not
sureabout botox, lives in the tropics and does lots of sports, thinks
anti-agingproducts make skin sensitive... what to do??
You fall under the RULE NUMBER 1 umbrella. You MUST wear a
sunscreenevery single day no matter what the weather. I could be wrong,
but itsounds to me like you don't use it every day, because you didn't
write and say 'Iuse sunscreen religiously and it's not working!'
That is the most important this you can do to preserve your skin from
now on.Look at posts above for product recommendations.
It's never too late to start.
Since you're sporty, read instructions and see how often you need to
reapply,or see if you can find a water resistant formula that feels
like your skin canstill breathe, perhaps Vichy or La Roche Posay are a
goodstarting point.
As far as I know, anti-aging formulas generally only make your
skinsensitive to the sun if they have Alpha Hydroxy or other Glycolic
Acids --which is only ONE way of preserving your skin, by using acids
that make yourskin regenerate quickly.
So I recommend you find an anti-aging daily moisturizer, night
moisturizer andeye cream that doesn't have glycolic acid; anything
hydrating and for sensitiveskin will do the job. Just check the label.
Using an SPF combined with acid free creams should do the trick.
As far as BOTOX goes, generally speaking, if you tell your Doctorthat
you don't want to look frozen, your treatment should be
extremelyrespectful. I would venture to guess it's the patient who gets
hooked more thanthe Doctor. Another angle you can take is to only allow
yourself to gettreatments every 6-9 months or so. Generally speaking,
3-6 months between treatmentsis normal, so stretch them out and you'll
be more natural.
The most graceful Botox guy in London is Dr Michael Prager,
http://drmichaelprager.com
Clinic: +44 20 7323 3660. Perhaps you could call his clinic and ask if
he canrecommend someone in your area. He has his own way of addressing
wrinkles andaging in such a way that you look fresh, but not
fake. AlexsandraByrneBeautyEditorPlastiqueMagazine Ltd. +447973 963
102+1917 226 5526alexsandrabyrne.com