Imagine if someone asked you, "Would you like me to make you look ten years younger?" What would you say? Would you jump at the chance?
In a television series called "Ten Years Younger", this is exactly what happens to one lucky lady each week. The show takes a woman who looks older than her years, according to a poll, and transforms her into a much younger-looking, more attractive version of herself. Another poll confirms that she does indeed look ten years younger than she did before the make-over.
It's fascinating to see the new woman gradually take shape and to witness her growing confidence as, bit by bit, she loses her old, haggard, frumpy looks. "Isn't it fantastic?" we think, wondering what miracles the experts might work on us if only we were lucky enough to be chosen.
But the transformation is achieved through lots of expensive, painful and dangerous surgery. The experts don't just slap on a bit of make-up and give the gal a new frock. They perform cosmetic surgery on the woman's face, skin and body, and radical cosmetic dentistry.
The guinea pig may undergo several of these procedures: a facial peel, face and neck lifts, laser eye surgery, liposuction, a boob job, a nose job, eyebrow and/or eyelid surgery, a chin reduction, expensive dental crowns, veneers, state-of-the-art dentures and tooth whitening. One lady who had lost several stone in weight had an operation to remove the excess skin from her body.
The subject has her hair coloured, cut and styled by a top hairdresser, and in one case a lady suffering from alopecia was sent to a specialist hair thinning consultant who wove real hair in with her own to make it thicker and even brought her hairline forward, with incredible results.
So if it's possible to look so much younger and more attractive, why don't we all get a makeover like this? For most of us, there's the thought of the pain, the fact we'd be risking our lives by having general anaesthetics, and the possibility of contracting a nasty super bug like MRSA when we're in hospital.
But there's one other very important factor which the programme makers keep very quiet about. Money!
What the series doesn't tell you, but the website does, is how much you'd have to spend to get yourself a similar make-over. Let's take a fairly standard overhaul: Face lift £4-8,000, neck lift £3,500 - 4,000, eyelid surgery £3 - 4,500, chemical peel £2,000, liposuction £1- 5,000, nose job £2,000 - 3,500.
So we could easily spend £22,000 just getting our face and skin sorted out, and that's before we move onto hair, teeth, sagging breasts, new wardrobe, and a professional make-up session. If I was going to go the whole hog, I reckon I'd need at least £50,000, and that's only allowing for reasonably priced High Street fashions, not top-notch designer ones.
And the results from the surgery might be wonderful, but they won't last for ever. Nature will eventually take its course and some of the treatments may have to be repeated in a few years, at even more cost. One of the procedures I saw this week, having injections to plump out skin and even out fine lines, only lasts four months!
Even the lady who got a stunning full head of hair will have to get it checked every few weeks, presumably by the same very expensive specialist. Not only will she have to keep on paying - she may have to travel quite far to see the specialist each time as it isn't the sort of thing that your average small town hairdresser will be able to deal with.
So is there any hope for us ladies, who don't have a spare fifty grand to spend on making ourselves look wonderful? What if we don't to undergo the surgeon's knife and a general anaesthetic? How can we look ten years younger without the help of a film crew and a big TV budget?
Here are 10 ways to you can look 10 years younger without resorting to surgery:
Dye Your Grey Hair
It doesn't matter whether you do it by yourself at home or whether you go to a salon, coloured hair will instantly shave years off your age, provided it's well done and the shade you've chosen flatters your skin.
Of course, having your hair coloured will only work if it is cut and styled well and in good condition, so it's probably a good idea to get some professional input, at least to begin with.
Ditch Those Spectacles
Although designer glasses do suit a few people, most women will look younger without glasses. Contact lenses can be an ideal solution and there are lots of different sorts available these days, hard soft, monthly and twice monthly disposable, even daily disposable.
I myself was sick of having to wear glasses for distance and take them off every time I wanted to read. Especially in classes and lectures, I felt really middle-aged putting my glasses on and taking them off every few minutes so I could see the board and see my notes. My optician came up with a cheap and ingenious solution.
As my vision was still very good for close work, he gave me one contact lens on one eye for distance and left my other eye uncorrected for reading. It sounds rather odd to wear one contact lens, but it works. I don't have to shut one eye to read and the other for long distance. The brain adjusts automatically. I've really felt liberated not having to wear glasses and I only have to pay half the usual cost of contact lenses.
The single contact lens trick doesn't work for everybody and the optician won't know till you try it. But if you need glasses for distance but not for reading, it might be worth asking about it the next time you have your eyes tested.Moisturise Your Skin and Use Good Skin-Care Products
They needn't be the most expensive on the market. You can consult the internet and magazines to find out which ones get the best reviews.
Last year a dermatologist from Manchester University caused a national panic when he appeared on a BBC Horizon television programme. He revealed that in a scientific study of anti-aging creams, he'd found that one modestly priced skin cream was better than at repairing the effects of aging on the skin than ones costing £90.
There was soon a national run on the miracle cream, Protect and Perfect from the Boots No 7 range, which retails at around £17.
Eager customers soon cleared the shelves, causing a national shortage of the product. At Boots stores all over the country there were empty shelves and waiting lists. At one point, bottles of the Protect and Perfect were changing hands on e-bay for £50 each, nearly three times the usual price.Protect Your Skin from the Sun
to avoid wrinkles, sun spots and skin cancer, and to maintain the skin's elasticity. Products such as Protect and Perfect will go some way towards repairing skin damage, but it's best to avoid damaging your skin in the first place.
So it's important to make sure you wear a high factor sun-cream whenever you're out and about, and that doesn't just mean when you're sunbathing. You're just as likely to get sun burnt when you're shopping, taking the dog for a walk, gardening, or popping to the deli for a lunchtime sandwich.
It can be a nuisance having to rub on sun cream every couple of hours, especially if you're wearing make-up, but fortunately it's now possible to buy all-day sun protection.
For several years, I've been using a once a day sun protection from an Irish company called Parasol. It's available from the internet or from health stores and is available in different formulations for kids and even sports people - it's used by the Irish Olympic sailing team. But many of the big companies are now also producing once a day sun-creams. Boots Soltan Once is even available in factor 40 and is easy to apply.
Of course, even with sun cream, it's best to avoid the sun at the hottest part of the day, between eleven and three or to cover up if you're going to be in very hot sun. Needless to say, sun beds are an absolute no-no. Frying your skin in a sun bed is one sure-fire way to get lots of wrinkles and a face that looks like an old leather boot.
If you're worried about looking really pale, it's safer to use a fake tan such as the St Tropez products or a moisturiser like Simple Summer Look Body Lotion which makes you skin turn golden very gradually without any tell-tale streaks.Smoking is also Extremely Aging
Because it reduces the supply of blood and vitamin A to the skin, it can cause unattractive bloodshot eyes, stained teeth, gums and hands, and pale wrinkly skin. It destroys the collagen in the skin, making it tough and lacking in elasticity. It can even cause your teeth to fall out prematurely, as happened to one of the ladies featured in the TV series.
Although giving up smoking can be difficult, there are lot of initiatives and products available to help smokers to quit. And in
the long-term, less money spent on fags means more money to splash out on fashionable clothes, make-up, and luxurious pampering sessions.
Get to Know the Latest Fashions and Adapt them to Suit Your Age and Shape
There are lots of programmes on TV which explain what is in fashion and how you can get an up-to-date look without ending up like mutton dressed as lamb.
Many fashions can be worn no matter what your age, like a brightly-coloured tunic top with jeans. Each season, little details like how you wear a belt with it, can make your outfit seem really fresh. For example, this year it's the fashion to wear a belt in an asymmetric way, with the buckle and detail off-centre.
Belts and the cut of a top can emphasize the waist of someone with an hour-glass figure or give the appearance of curves to a woman who's straight up and down.
Bright colours look fashionable and can really enhance an outfit and if you're too nervous to wear a dress or top in a block colour, you can still look stylish by choosing a bag, shoes and belt in one of the latest must-have colours.Wear Clothes that Fit You Properly, Not Ones That Swamp You
Oversized, baggy clothes don't mask lumps and bumps, they just make you look even larger than you are.
It's far better to show off your curves with well-cut, fitted clothes. You will look great in them if you invest in some good underwear - a bra that provides the right support for your shape and some Magic Pants to hold everything in place. The right sort of underwear can instantly make you look a size smaller.
Save trainers for your fitness regime. Heels will add length to your legs if you need it and will make you stand taller and carry yourself better.Live Healthily
Regular exercise, preferably in the fresh air, will help you to look toned and will put a youthful spring in your step. Good, freshly-cooked food, with lots of fruit and vegetables will make your skin glow, your hair shine and your nails grow strong. You'll feel good and this will be reflected in how you look.
If you adopt this method rather than having costly cosmetic surgery, it might take you a little bit longer to turn into a stunner who looks ten years younger than before. But the transformation will be a lasting one and, what's more, you'll feel great as well as looking fantastic.
