Silhouette Soft: Dr Leah's 'on-the-go' anti-ageing option
Silhouette Soft thread lift was named as one of the most popular treatments for those in their 40s and 50s by Dr Leah, the winner of the TV show The Apprentice. Naming her best anti-ageing treatments for every stage of life Dr Leah said the Silhouette Soft thread lift suits busy people as it has less downtime than a surgical facelift. The procedure, which takes around one hour, involves a dissolvable thread being inserted under the skin that stimulates collagen production and produces natural-looking results which last up to 18 months.

S kin is the ultimate time keeper. It keeps a ruthless score and record, revealing our genetic content, our overall health, recording every emotion, every hour of sun exposure, every scratch – from the top layer of epidermis down.

Some of what it records takes time to reveal itself as a line, wrinkle or age spot which is why it is just as important to think about age prevention in your 20’s as it is about treating the signs of ageing in your 60’s.

During our 20s

During our carefree and wrinkle free 20s our facial muscles are plump and bone density is strong. The skin produces adequate collagen and elastin, heals quickly and the outer layer renews itself every 14-28 days leaving smooth healthy glowing skin. The key concerns tend to be slight dehydration and potentially acne scaring.

Ageing doesn’t tend to be an issue, but what many 20 somethings may not realise is that their lifestyle could be having a huge impact on the important structures in the skin that will surface later in life. It is key to avoid trigger factors such as UV, smoking, poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle. In particular, continued unprotected exposure to UV will start to degrade your fibroblasts which are important for keeping the skin firm and plump, meaning as the natural ageing process starts to kick in, and these fibroblasts start to decline after the age of 25, you will age more prematurely than someone who kept out of the sun and led a healthy lifestyle.

My key recommendations for anyone in their 20s would be:

Cleanse, exfoliate, moisturise and protect with SPF 50 regularly. My recommendation would be Dermaquest Essential Cleanser, Algae Polishing Scrub, Essential Moisturiser and Heliocare SPF. These products will help to keep your skin barrier healthy and hydrated while protecting from damaging ever present UV rays.

Regular Microdermabrasion and skin peels are a great way smooth your skin and help prevent breakouts and uneven skin tone.

During our 30s

From our 30s to 40s many of my patients mention they feel they have “lost their glow” they will start to see fine lines on the forehead, between the brow and around the eyes.

Many will start to see darker patches of skin, or hyper-pigmentation as it is known, especially if they have been sun worshipers in their 20’s. They may also see small red veins around their nose and across their cheeks. In the upper layers of your skin, the rate at which it renews itself has started to slow down which may account for that dullness many of my patients talk about.

My key recommendations for anyone in their 30s would be:

Laser treatment such as Clear lift which is a complete non-ablative laser and can used over the whole face including around the eyes to target crow’s feet. Using sound waves the laser will cause controlled wound healing in the dermis leading to a firmer, plumper skin.

We can also use radio frequency skin tightening which is a great non-invasive treatment. The RF waves help tighten and firm the skin and it is possible to have this done in your lunch hour with a visible lifting result directly apparent after treatment.

Treatment with Botulinum Toxin (Botox) is a fast and effective way of smoothing out lines, targeting the three areas you will start to notice ageing first, forehead, frown lines and crow’s feet. I would always recommend visiting a qualified Doctor or Nurse Prescriber when thinking about having this treatment done. So ask about qualifications!

Continue to use skin care and UV protection. I would now also introduce age prevention ingredients such as peptides, vitamin A and brightening ingredients such as phytic and lactic acid to help prevent hyper-pigmentation.

During our 40s-50s

During our 40s-50s fine lines will turn to deeper more permanent wrinkles, lines around the mouth will now begin to show, and you will probably see jowling of the lower face. This is due to more relentless degradation of collagen, elastin and muscle fibres which happens as we age.

You will notice more broken or dilated red veins and the cells responsible for producing the pigment in your skin will begin to reduce and can act erratically as a result of previous damage (see 20s). As a result age spots or pigmentation marks will be prevalent on areas such as hands and chest, as well as the face.

My key recommendations for anyone in their 40s and 50s would be:

To tackle the issue of broken blood vessels and pigment, we offer the latest and most up-to-date AFT technology; this is a fourth generation IPL laser treatment that penetrates deep into the skin, shattering and destroying the broken capillaries. These broken capillaries are then removed by the body’s lymphatic system, leaving a more clear and flawless complexion. This powerful and effective laser treatment takes just 30 minutes, and does not either require anaesthetic or, unlike traditional ablative laser resurfacing, burn the skin's outer layer. As a result, redness and downtime are minimised. We usually recommend 3 treatments at 4 week intervals.

Non–surgical face lift using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound. This treatment is also known as ‘3D SkinMed’, ‘Ultrasound Facelift’ or ‘Ultherapy’. It has become one of the most sought after lifting treatments for face and neck. 3D SkinMed is a one-off treatment which will help you achieve tighter, firmer, lifted skin. There is no pain and no down time and can tackle facial and neck sagging with long lasting results.

Facial fillers (also known as dermal fillers) use a natural gel to smooth out wrinkles, folds or scars to give your face a younger, refreshed more plumped and contoured appearance. In your 40s-50s you may find your face has lost its firmness and fullness, so a facial filler treatment may be the answer. Dermal filler is a naturally-occurring hyaluronic acid gel that is injected into the face to smooth wrinkles and folds (especially around the nose and mouth). It is also used to plump out scars or dents in the face and to define and enhance lips, reshape the nose, or define and plump out cheeks.

Silhouette Soft thread lift. This procedure responds to people's desire for effective anti-ageing treatments that will put off or prevent the need for cosmetic surgery while combating sagging brow, jowls and neck. One of my most popular offerings, the procedure itself takes approximately 1 hour to perform. After numbing the face with local anaesthetic it involves pulling a thread under the skin of the jaw line and lower face and mechanically pulling it upwards, lifting the mid and lower face to improved sagging. The thread itself then stimulates collagen production to add to the effect. Natural looking results last approximately 18 months and there is considerably less downtime than a surgical facelift, it suits busy patients who have on-the-go lifestyles.

During our 60s

As we enter our 60s the cumulative and chronological ageing are both visibly evident.

In addition to previous signs of ageing the skin will become thinner and the bone less dense leading to a hollower, sunken appearance. With deeper set wrinkles and folds and sagging in both the face and neck a combination treatment is going to be key.

My key recommendations for anyone in their 60s would be:

Dr Leah Lift: The Dr Leah Lift combines the latest in cutting edge lifting techniques for a complete non-surgical facelift. This new and exclusive treatment gently lifts and firms the entire face and neck with minimal downtime. Lost volume will also be restored to contour the face and enhance your own natural features. With the Dr Leah Lift you will achieve instant results as well as long term anti-ageing benefits for a complete rejuvenation. Combining Silhouette Soft, Ultrasonic Lifting and a liquid facelift this treatment provides maximum anti-ageing benefits in a natural way.

Liquid Face Lift: A liquid facelift makes it possible to gently contour and lift the entire face. This restores the natural, curved contours of the face in a much more subtle and natural way. It can also be used to lift specific facial features depending on the aesthetic harmony of your face. It is a bespoke treatment as it is designed according to your needs and facial symmetry. It can be used to lift under the eyes area, the jowls and curves of the mouth. The eyes can be opened up and brightened, natural shape can be restored in the cheeks and the temples, the chin and jawline can be softened and bumps on the nose can be smoothed. It is achieved by advanced dermal fillers which are precisely placed to lift and contour specific facial areas resulting in a younger, fresher look. This procedure is usually combined with Botox for an even smoother correction and longer lasting younger look.

Life is for living and we are lucky enough to live in an age when it is possible to eradicate the effects. There are so many ways of tackling the signs of a good life from your twenties onwards, so there is no need for your skin, whether you are male or female, to reflect your biological age.

There are two Dr Leah Cosmetic Skin Clinics in London and Essex. For more information please visit drleah.co.uk