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I’m lying in a chair while a South African woman injects acid under my skin. Doesn’t sound like much fun does it? But let me tell you this, I would happily do it all again.
The acid is hyaluronic acid, a substance that occurs naturally in our bodies. As we get older, it gradually diminishes, which is a shame because this acid holds water and for want of a better word, “plumps” up your skin. It makes us look younger. You see, the procedure I’m going through is what you call a “non-surgical” facelift. Now when I hear the word, "non-surgical," my mind automatically turns to thoughts of crystals and seaweed wraps. In other words, stuff that doesn’t actually work.
Well, I’ll tell you this much for free, this facelift works. I’m booked into Clinic 42 here in Auckland and here’s the lengths I go to for you, dear reader I’m going to have hyaluronic acid injected into my face.
Sounds scary, right? However, it’s actually a very simple and fairly painless procedure. Now we’re blokes here, right? We don’t put in for all this facelift malarky, do we? Hold on, let me stop you right there.
What’s wrong with looking good? I’m not going all metrosexual on you here, I’m simply stating a fact.
Dr Romanowska, who is treating me, makes some good points when I ask her what the benefits are of having “work” like this done on my face. The first two points I must admit appeal to me as a man - 1. It only takes 15 to 20 minutes and 2. The results are instant. As men, when we go shopping we pick the shirt we want, we try it on and we buy it. You won’t find us spending all day trying on every shirt in Newmarket. So it’s quick and you can see an improvement not in a week's time but straight away. All important things for us guys, right?
Dr Romanowska gives me a mirror and asks me to have a look at myself - not something I feel completely comfortable with at the best of times.
I decided to target the hollows under my eyes. Too many late nights and hitting 40 has made the old bags look a lot baggier. To be honest, I’m not really sure that I need anything done but then I remember that I’m doing this for you, faithful M2 reader. Secretly, I suspect that the results are going to be striking. Maybe I’ll look a bit fresher or whatever.
Nothing prepares me for the results. The whole thing starts with Dr Romanowska asking me to go away and think about it over night. Hang on a minute, shouldn’t she be pressuring me into this? Making the sale? No, it’s all part of the way they do things here at Clinic 42. No pressure and no surgery. So I return the next day, more determined than ever to go through with this.
It’s starts pleasantly enough with an attractive woman applying a cool anesthetic gel to my face. There’s no way of sugar-coating this they are going to be needles under my skin so it’s important it doesn’t hurt too much. Without being too macho about it, the injections aren’t really that bad. The way it works is that the hyaluronic acid fills in my skin from underneath. It lifts the skin, filling out the wrinkles and hollows.
So here’s what crafty Dr Romanowska does - she does one side of my face first and then hands me the mirror. In that instant, I’m a convert. I hadn’t realised how tired and “hang dog” my face had become. Now one side of it still looks deputy dog while the other side well, it looks fresher, younger all of that stuff. It looks healthier, happier and it only took about eight minutes. For something I thought wouldn’t make a huge change, I’m really impressed. The difference between the two sides of my face is really noticeable. But let me make this clear - it’s not too noticeable. I don’t look all LA plastic I still look like me, just better. In fact, over the next few days my friends don’t really see the difference. But they do begin to say the odd thing like have I lost weight or have I been away?
But before all that goes down I have to ask the good doctor to do the other side of my face.
The effects of the treatment can last up to 12 months but typically last from six to nine months. So if I get hooked, I’ll need about two treatments every year. The hyaluronic acid breaks down into simple sugars and your body uses it as energy so the effects (unlike a surgical facelift) aren’t permanent. So if I’m not happy with my new healthy look, all I have to do is wait for it to wear off.
But do you know what? I don’t want it to wear off just yet. In fact, it has made me think about something else Dr Romanowska said. When I asked her my rather nebulous question about the benefits of non-surgical facelifts, she told me a story about one of her clients. A woman who won a treatment at Clinic 42 had a small amount of non-surgical work done on the lines around her lips. From that simple treatment, the client found herself making changes in her life that had her grinning from ear to ear when she returned six months later. It wasn’t so much about how the world perceived her but how she perceived herself. I guess if you look better on the outside then sooner rather than later you’re going to start feeling better on the inside too.
So all you blokes out there who have been thinking you don’t look as sharp as you once did, why not consider a little lift? You have nothing to lose except a few years.
Nick Ward
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