Have you had work done? It’s one of those questions you rarely dare to ask – even when you burn to know the answer.
Can that film star genuinely have such glowing skin naturally, decades after her first fresh-faced role?
Is your glamorous colleague’s line-free forehead really just down to good genes? And if not… well, how exactly have they done it?
We live in a world of aesthetic double standards – told to embrace our ‘authentic’ selves while simultaneously expected to be elegantly ageless.
So perhaps it’s no wonder removing wrinkles, enhancing your face shape or replumping with help from a cosmetic doctor or surgeon is now as commonplace as buying a new face cream in some circles. There’s less stigma surrounding such ‘tweakments’ than there once was, and they are ever more accessible and subtle.
But that means it’s harder to know who’s ageing naturally – and who has had a bit of help. So we asked seven beauty experts to do a close-up shoot – and then tell us exactly what they’ve had done.
So, can you tell from their photos who’s never touched tweakments and who’s had more than £20,000 worth of work?
Olivia, 50
Olivia Falcon, 50, is founder of the Editors List (editorslist.co.uk). She lives in Ascot, Berkshire, with her family.
I was Tatler’s beauty director and compiled the Tatler Cosmetic Surgery Guide for 14 years. Now, I give expert advice about cosmetic procedures to individuals.
I first had Botox at 32, and thanks to my job am often able to try new things for free. Last year, I tried Plinest (an injectable that uses polynucleotides extracted from trout DNA to improve skin elasticity) on my neck and decollete. I have another injectable called Sculptra on my jawline and neck.
In 2021, I had upper eyelid surgery (upper blepharoplasty) to lift and open my eyes.
The most painful treatment I’ve had is the Calecim Advanced Hair System, where stem cells are injected into the scalp. It feels like the worst headache for an hour – but it worked wonders on my hair, which has thinned since I started using Ozempic.
I love facials and use a new laser gadget called Nira on crow’s feet and lip lines. Before events, I use a Lyma light device to brighten skin. I take Hifas da Terra Mico Blue supplement to boost concentration and libido.
My husband is clueless about my adventures in aesthetics, and I’ll keep it that way. I have two daughters, now 12 and 13. For a long time I didn’t talk to them about my job. I didn’t want them to think this is something they have to do when they’re older.
Annual treatments worth £9,500: Botox, £900 (soniclinic.com); Sculptra, £550; Calecim Advanced Hair System, £1,657 (drmedispa.com); Plinest, £1,500 (bibi.co.uk); Lyma Laser, from £1,999 (lyma.life); Nira, £569 (niralaser.com); Hifas da Terra Mico Blue supplement, £1,100; Element 8 O2 Niacinamide Serum, £285; Teresa Tarmey facial, £145; Adeela Crown facial, £750.
Biggest spend: Eyelift surgery, around £9,000 (pennantmews@outlook.com).
Ateh, 46
Ateh Jewel, 46, is a presenter and writer and has her own brand, atehjewelbeauty.com. She lives in Oxfordshire with her twin daughters.
I am 46 and divorced after a 26-year relationship. As a voluptuous black woman, I attracted a lot of sexual attention in my youth. I always felt too black, too booby and that my hair was too curly.
Over the years, I gained a lot of weight, partly because the more matronly I made myself, the more seriously I was taken.
Since 2022, weight-loss injections have changed my life. I had reached 22st and was diabetic and dangerously obese. Through a combination of diet, exercise and Ozempic I have lost seven stone, almost reversing my diabetes. I’d like to lose four more stone if I can.
The problem? I realised fat had been acting as a natural filler, and as I lost weight I started to look my age.
So I had Botox in my forehead and around my eyes, and that smoothed out the contours of my face.
I also have my eyebrows micro-bladed and I select skincare products carefully – I use the brands SkinCeuticals, Estee Lauder, Votary and Dermalogica.
I am a member of Bamford [a members’ club and gym], and I see Bebe, a fitness coach there, once a week.
Last week, a man leaned over to me on the train as I was applying make-up and said: ‘You don’t need that. You’re beautiful.’
I replied: ‘I know I don’t need it. But it gives me pleasure.’ That applies to any choices I make about enhancing my looks.
Annual treatments worth £2,215: Ozempic (free on the NHS); Botox at Sabrina Shah-Desai, £1,350 (perfecteyesltd.com); microblading, £700 (suman.london); Skinceuticals CE Ferulic serum, £165 (skinceuticals.co.uk).
Lisa, 51
Lisa Marley, 51, is a plant-based chef and nutrition coach, appearing on reality contest The World Cook on Amazon Prime. She lives in Margate, Kent, with her husband.
Getting older is an adjustment. I sometimes don’t like how my face has changed. The curse of working on TV is every wrinkle is evident – that’s why I started Botox in my 30s. I was so horrified at having wrinkles, I wanted to look as smooth as an egg.
I used to have lip filler, back in the Noughties when you looked like a duck, and I’d come home and hide my face. I also had breast implants at 26, and six years ago my body rejected them – it’s called BII (breast implant illness). I had crippling fatigue and spent days lying on the sofa.
As soon as they’d been removed I felt better. I was left with scars, but I love my breasts now. They look age-appropriate and work with my body. Though I’m honest about it, I don’t like people asking if I’ve had work done, and don’t tell my husband.
My goal now is to look natural, glowing and healthy. I go to Dr Melissa McKay in Mayfair, and trust her implicitly. But if there’s a new treatment, I give it a go – when Profhilo (hyaluronic acid injections that hydrate the skin) came out I was delighted.
How you look makes a difference to how people see you. If I wear make-up, both men and women are more positive and helpful – it’s shocking. I’m friends with Katie Piper, who was scarred in an acid attack, and think to myself: ‘How dare I care about what I look like, when you consider what she’s gone through?’ She says all our experiences are valid.
That’s very generous of her.
Annual treatments worth £6,000: Prescription hydrofacial, £1,000; Morpheus8, £1,300; Profhilo, £1,200; Botox, £760; Belotero Revive skin booster, £1,200; and ZO skincare (drmelissaclinic.com). Skin peels, £240.
Lavina, 46
Personal trainer Lavina Mehta MBE, 46, is author of the best-selling book, The Feel Good Fix.
At 46, my skin has never been so good – and I’ve never had injectables or facial treatments. I’ve not yet felt the need. I do have a genetic advantage – South Asian skin has a thicker epidermis and more melanin, so wrinkles tend to develop more slowly and later.
I had bad acne as a teenager, which resurfaced in my late 30s together with rosacea as I entered perimenopause. Because I have a public-facing job, I went to see a specialist – Dr Amiee – and she suggested medical-grade products that treated the acne and repaired my skin barrier.
I look after my skin through my lifestyle; exercising every day, walking in nature as much as possible, as well as strength and resistance training.
Exercise improves circulation, which brings oxygen to the skin and stimulates collagen production. I aim for eight hours of sleep a night and two litres of water each day for hydration.
I take vitamin D supplements and vegetarian omega three for my skin, but try to get as many vitamins as possible via food.
I’m vegetarian and try to eat the rainbow – different coloured plants to get a varied diet. I believe the microbiome and gut diversity plays a huge part in skin health. I also try to eat minimally processed, home-cooked food with seeds, nuts, avocado and olive oil, which is anti-inflammatory.
To help manage stress I do plenty of breathwork, which I also believe helps my skin – deep breathing reduces cortisol, which means fewer stress breakouts and more radiance.
Annual treatments worth £500: Personalised skincare (doctoramiee.com).
Donia, 46
Producer Donia Youssef, 46, lives in Essex and has two children.
I almost died from a Brazilian butt lift four years ago, in which fat from my body was transferred to my bottom.
Performed by a so-called leading surgeon on Harley Street, two days after the surgery I needed a blood transfusion and was put on a cardiac ward in case I went into cardiac arrest. It was horrendous. I couldn’t walk or sit down for two months.
Yes, the final result of the surgery might have been aesthetically pleasing, but the mental and physical cost was enormous. I needed therapy to get over the trauma.
I’d never have surgery again, but I’d had injectables for years and didn’t see them as risky.
I naturally have very thin lips and have had lip fillers and Botox occasionally.
Then, last year, I saw a new clinician who said my old fillers had ‘migrated’ and needed to be dissolved before she could inject new ones. She injected an enzyme to break down the filler, which was incredibly painful and left my lips blotchy and lumpy. I spent two weeks in agony before being told it hadn’t worked and she needed to reinject the enzyme. This time, it caused my top lip to sag noticeably – but she refused to refund me my money.
Distraught, I sought help from another clinic. Thankfully, they were able to rectify the damage, and then inject fresh filler, and I am now pleased with the result.
However, the experience has left me wary of ever having such treatments again – things can go horribly wrong.
I now believe much stronger regulation is needed, because these treatments are often performed by individuals with insufficient training or oversight. Patients like me can suffer physical harm and emotional distress in the wrong hands.
Annual treatments worth £750: Lip filler, £450; repairing lip filler, £150; Botox, £150.
Leah, 61
Leah Hardy, 61, is a health and beauty author living in London with her husband and two children.
I first had fillers in my cheeks almost 15 years ago. My husband said: ‘Good grief, it’s Joan Rivers!’ I’ve tested many treatments, thanks to my job, that have been worth hundreds of thousands over the years. But I think you need to have less work as time goes on or it looks too obvious.
I was one of the first in the UK to have Botox, aged 27 – back then it made your face set like concrete. I went back to it in my 30s, as I have ferocious frown lines.
I was also one of the first to have a thread lift, where dissolvable threads were sewn into my cheeks with a needle and then pulled upwards, hoicking my face up. It lasted a year or two, not something I’d do again. I wouldn’t have fillers again either.
I had a surgical upper-eye lift, too – a sliver of my sagging eyelid was cut away while I was awake. I had spectacular black eyes but was delighted with the final look.
My biggest beauty challenge has been rejuvenating my complexion after five months of chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2022. I had micro-blading on my eyebrows, as I was likely to lose them (I did). Afterwards I had hair extensions to boost my thin, short hair. People said my hair looked cute, but to me it represented the horror and terror I’d been through. I looked tired and worn. I was also grinding my teeth in my sleep from dealing with the stress.
The changes felt like an attack on my very identity. I went to Dr Mervyn Patterson, at Woodford Medical, whom I’ve seen on and off for 20 years, and he injected Botox into my jaw, which stopped the clenching.
In terms of skincare, I use a range called Vital Assist that boosts cellular turnover but is gentle on post-chemo sensitive skin.
Annual treatments worth £2,860: Skincare, £360 (vitalassist.co.uk); Botox, around £1,800 (woodfordmedical.com); one-off microblading, £700.
David, 40
Doctor David Jack, 40, is a leading aesthetic doctor.
I started to give myself Botox after I finished training to be an aesthetic doctor, 17 years ago. I had no squeamishness about injecting myself – I wanted to see how it worked, although of course I didn’t have any real wrinkles aged 23.
Since then, I’ve tried virtually everything I offer my patients: I inject Profhilo every few weeks, have Botox every two or three months, inject polynucleotides, which plump up fine skin, three times a year, and have occasional filler on my jawline. The filler is the only one I don’t do on myself.
The best thing I ever did was a hair transplant with Dr Christopher D’Souza in London. It cost £10,000, but worth every penny. I was very stressed a few years ago and my hairline receded till it was almost all gone at the front. It preyed on my mind and eventually I decided to do it. It changed my entire appearance and I am thrilled. I can promise you a vast number of male celebrities have had one, though very few will speak about it.
I had body dysmorphia when I was younger; I had an eating disorder in my teens. It gave me an insight into how psychologically distressing it can be to be unhappy with your physical attributes and makes me a better practitioner. I always talk to patients carefully about their reasons for treatment.
There’s far less stigma around men having aesthetic treatments now; I’d say around 30 per cent of my clients are male. They tend to come in for light Botox – treatments to make them look discreetly younger in the boardroom.
Annual treatments worth £13,500: Botox, £1,950; Profhilo, £3,600; filler, £1,300; Morpheus8, £3,300; micro-needling, £1,650; IPL, £900. Dr David skincare, £1,000 (drdavidjack.com)
Biggest spend: Hair transplant, £10,000 (thedsouzaclinic.com).
