Report
Sometimes not even the best eye cream works, so more of us are turning to tweakments. But what’s on offer and how do they differ from going under the knife?
Ever considered having cosmetic surgery? No? How about a tweakment instead? A small non-surgical self-improvement that won’t break the bank and that you can fit into a lunch hour? If this sounds more appealing, you’re not alone. The recent Beautified Britain Index Skin Report shows one in four of us would now consider aesthetics, while the UK’s non-surgical market is set to be worth a staggering £3 billion by 2024. Statistics from healthcare provider Transform Hospital Group confirm this trend, showing that the number of appointments booked by women over the age of 50 has risen by 31% compared to 2021.
NEW BEGINNINGS
This movement – called ‘the menopause makeover’ – has been sparked by women keen to live their best lives in their 50s and beyond. Far from seeing the menopause as an ending, for many it provides an impetus for positive action.
Alice Hart-Davis is an expert in the field of non-surgical procedures and founder of independent website thetweakmentsguide.com. She says, ‘Most of my audience are midlife women and for many, lockdown seems to have made them keener to embrace cosmetic procedures. Rather than thinking ‘Shall I? Shan’t I?’ for years, they’re now saying, ‘I’m ready to do it, help me to get it right.’
ON THE FACE OF IT
But while the pandemic certainly fuelled the boom, with the BBI Skin Report noting a 50% increase in searches for the terms ‘tweakments’ and ‘aesthetic treatments’, Alice Hart-Davis thinks that an attitude shift is equally responsible. ‘Cultural norms have a huge amount to do with it. If people around you are talking about having tweakments, you’ll feel more confident in considering stepping into the world of aesthetic procedures. Twenty-five years ago, the key treatments were wrinkle-relaxing toxin, injectable collagen and serious skin peels. Now you could try anything from hi-tech facials to non-invasive fractional laser: a beam that’s divided into thousands of microscopic zones to stimulate new skin cell growth.’
While Botox and fillers remain popular, less is increasingly more. Transform reports that the biggest change in the last year has been the number of women opting for non-surgical procedures, such as chemical facial peels now consider (120%), while the number of women opting for Profhilo, an injectable skincare treatment, also spiked by 47%.
Consultant cosmetic surgeon Dr Angelica Kavouni, who uses Thermage skin-tightening radiofrequency to treat many issues, says, ‘Eyes are a common concern. The skin around them is typically thinner, more delicate and susceptible to structural changes.’ She’s also seen many w
