Holding the hands of time: How aesthetics is your ally against ageing

The journey of ageing is unique to each of us. In a world that can feel preoccupied with looking young, finding ways to age at one's own pace is helping people to redefine beauty on their terms. Life is not a race, after all. Dr. Rozina Ali is one of London’s leading aesthetic surgeons and in this blog she outlines the ways in which aesthetics is empowering individuals to rejuvenate and enhance their appearance and to take control of the natural ageing process.

Chronological age and the appearance of our skin are not inevitably aligned. Somebody relatively young who's had a lot of exposure to sunlight may appear older than someone much older who has shielded themselves from the sun for the whole of their life. Whilst we can’t halt the passing of time, we have ever had greater control on how it makes its presence known on our bodies.

I am going to let you into a secret. If you are serious about minimising those tell-tail signs of growing older, there are several simple things you should routinely be doing before even thinking about aesthetic interventions and professional support.

80 to 85% of ageing is caused by sun damage so the most basic thing we should all be doing everyday is protecting ourselves from its harmful impact. Hats, glasses, suncream, staying covered, avoiding the midday sun all makes a significant difference.

I am also a big advocate of a good cleansing routine with water, or with oil if you can, to ensure the pollutants from the environment are removed from the skin. Finding the right cleanser and skin care products can make a real difference. Many of us look better into our 40s and 50s than we ever did in our 20s, because we have worked out what skin care suits us and can perhaps possibly start to invest in higher quality products.

I have additionally seen impressive results from face yoga, face gym or routine exercises that can stimulate the facial muscles. The reason I like all these things is they put you in control and can all be done without the involvement of an aesthetic specialist.

However, when used in combination with the above, aesthetic treatments can have a transformative impact. The power of aesthetics lies in its flexibility, allowing individuals to address specific concerns and enhance features that matter most to them. Whether it's a facelift to address the tell-tail signs of ageing or non-invasive treatments like microneedling, aesthetic surgery provides a range of tailored solutions to help you age gracefully on your own terms.

Whilst the face is an area of the body that can reveal the signs of ageing, it is also the place where it can best be disguised, whether that’s using makeup contouring, how you do your hair or skin care products. The giveaway areas that people often notice, but are harder to disguise, are the neck, the décolleté, the backs of the hands and even the tops of your feet. These are all areas that are quite easy to treat with aesthetics. In fact, any treatments or technologies you might consider using on your face, be it microneedling or peels, you can also apply to these areas and see great results.

People say you are only as old as you feel and therefore feeling positive about how you look can enhance your sense of self. Aesthetic surgery can help restore and enhance confidence by targeting areas that may be causing discomfort or dissatisfaction.

I work closely with my patients to determine what might be the best course of treatment for them and several different factors are considered. In my facial rejuvenation consultations, I don’t just listen closely to what my patients are telling me they want to achieve, I watch closely how they say it; observing those recurrent facial movements that will cause creases or wrinkles in certain places overtime. However, whilst something might be obvious to me, if it it’s not a concern of the patient then it doesn't need to be necessarily addressed. All I'm looking to do is help someone feel better about themselves, to lean into their unique aesthetic and their own strengths.

Together we assess the pros and cons of all options and consider what best can achieve the desired results and sometimes the best option might be surgical. Broadly speaking, surgery will move the clock back on the ageing process, but then left untreated you will start ageing again at the same rate everywhere if your lifestyle stays the same. Non-surgical treatments and technologies however, are all about slowing the clock down as it goes forward; little and often, the right skincare, the right sun protection, occasional peels, microneedling, maybe augmenting your tissues with polynucleotides or with exosomes.

These can all work together to empower my patients to take an active role in shaping their ageing journey in a way completely unique to them, instead of feeling helpless in the face of the natural ageing process.