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Lips, jaws and noses: New facial contouring techniques can give you a new look in minutes
19 August 2019, 09:57 | Updated: 19 August 2019, 10:33
With new advances in the world of aesthetic medicine, it's possible to pick up a whole new look - and bags of confidence - during your lunch hour.
For years I’ve been obsessed with extreme before and after surgery photos.
Long forgotten - and rightfully controversial - reality show The Swan, took “ugly duckling” women and after three months of enforced dieting, extreme dental and facial surgery, a new wardrobe and updated hair and make-up, would return them weeping in to a room of their stunned and still dowdy mates and partners.
I was hooked, and often wondered how it felt to reappear looking like a stranger to to your nearest and dearest; if it’s possible to stay looking that glam even when you return to your mundane life; and if that much hairspray (it was a US show) made you a living fire hazard.
Read more: Affordable 'liquid nose jobs' that take just 15 minutes are the latest beauty craze
The Swan - Amy Williams [Makeover Reveal]
But that is so 2004 - these days you can undergo a similarly “wow!” transformation in your lunch break... and it’s often so subtle that you’re colleagues will barely notice you popped out for more than a Pret.
Leading London aesthetic doctor Dr. Hala of Fulham-based Dr. Hala Medical Aesthetics told me that it’s all about balance, and new hyaluronic acid products, like Vivacy, give practitioners more options to make small but impactful changes to people's profiles and overall look.
She said: “Filler can be used to change the shape of the face. Anybody can benefit, even if they aren’t looking for drastic differences.
“They might just be looking for a generalised enhancement, keeping the shape of the face, lips or nose as they are, but making it more augmented.
“If there is asymmetry, if one side is more droopy than the other, filler can be used to balance the face.
"It doesn't have to result in an extreme new look."
Dr. Hala is one of the many UK experts now using Vivacy products, France’s top selling filler brand, to sculpt and shape people’s faces in a matter of minutes.
She told me: "A lot of reality stars like to look more 'angular', but you don't need to make drastic changes.
“Even lip filler can change the profile of the face, and it’s subtle changes like these that can make a big difference.”
Carefully injected filler in the chin can improve a weak jaw line, and celebrities are no stranger to a “liquid nose job” that removes bumps and lifts the tip to create a whole new profile.
Read more: Mum treats daughter to lip fillers for her 21st... and gets a matching pout for herself
With minimum recovery time, pain and inpatient visit - plus the lower price - it's not hard to see why these procedures are growing in popularity.
According to Vivacy’s Instagram page, the next “trend” heading to the UK from the US will be a square jaw line, which adds “character and charm”.
Read more: Cosmetic doctors see surge in enquiries as Brits freak out over FaceApp ageing pics
Ultimately the only reason anyone undergoes any sort of cosmetic procedure, invasive or otherwise, is to increase their confidence levels.
And if there’s one thing I learnt from bingeing the two series of The Swan, it doesn’t matter how you look on the outside - if you don’t love yourself and accept your flaws, nothing can convince you you’re beautiful.
Even a new nose, Tippex teeth and a tiny lipo’d waist.
For more information on VIVACY please visit www.vivacylab.com/
