W
hen it comes to ageing gracefully, we know
we can’t go wrong by eating a healthy diet
that includes red berries and leafy green
vegetables. Wearing sunscreen daily is a
simple, yet startlingly effective, way to preserve a youthful
appearance. On smoking, the message is clear: give up.
On stress: less is more. Drinking water regularly can help
maintain a hydrated, fresh look.
We are bombarded with stories about the ageing
process – especially that any visible sign of it is a wretched
blight to be avoided. On television shows such as
Extreme
Makeover
and
Bridalplasty
, where brides compete against one
another for the chance to win a plastic surgery makeover
before they walk down the aisle, the endless search for
perfection runs an irrational race to a ridiculous finish line.
Extreme transformation is in; subtle is out.
Closer to home, in Thailand, many of our friends
and acquaintances have their breasts augmented, teeth
whitened, noses reshaped and tummies tucked, all in the
hope of bringing youth back into their looks. That quest
for rejuvenation, particularly in our skin’s appearance,
can be an all-consuming project – and one with a nearly
unattainable goal.
But trying to look your best doesn’t have to be a bad
thing, if we keep the expectations reasonable, realistic
and age-appropriate. There are tools at our disposal that
allow us to age gracefully, without trying to look like
teenagers and without radically overhauling our parts
beyond recognition. We don’t have to leave everything
In the right hands, sound waves and
radiofrequency can enhance looks without
ruining the canvas, writes
Ingrid Keneally
.
freshe
up
in the hands of gravity and nature, but can instead let a
touch of maturity and elegance come to the fore. Relatively
straightforward, non-surgical procedures simply freshen
up our looks and skin tone, without losing the intrigue and
character that comes from experience. It’s about finding a
balance between youth, desire and reality.
A subtler approach
In the late nineties, injectables such as Botox and dermal
fillers came on to the scene, making facial wrinkles more
of a choice than an inevitability. The Cosmetic Physicians
Society of Australasia – which represents doctors from
Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore – says
that Australians spent more than HK$4 billion on these
types of “non-surgical” cosmetic treatments between April
2011 and April 2012, almost 15 per cent higher than the
previous year. This was a huge jump from five years ago,
when those consumers were spending HK$2 billion.
When you’re battling mild to moderate signs of ageing –
which often include skin laxity – these and other less invasive
ways can help freshen your look while avoiding the six- to
eight-week downtime a surgical procedure would require.
Thermage (radiofrequency skin-tightening treatment)
and Ultherapy (ultrasound energy treatment) are fast and
relatively pain-free options. Thermage uses radiofrequency
technology to heat up the skin, penetrating specific areas
with a focused energy to help kick-start the body’s own
natural renewal process. It has been on the market for
about 12 years, and seems to have been improved over
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