This is our local castle looking good in the sunshine. To use the cliche of an old ruin, weeks in bed have taken their toll on my skin. I couldn't follow my usual skincare routine and being in bed with no fresh air and the heating on is no good for skin, never mind the constant gasping for breath and all the drugs sapping the life out of my face. Make up put on over bad skin never looks good; I always think it makes you look even worse, just ill with make up.
I often read articles that criticise skincare products such as moisturiser claiming that they are ineffective and a waste of money. Really annoying are the ones that say that things like olive oil are just as good. I am sure there are some creams that are no good -I’ve used a fair few- but there are plenty of products that will transform your skin. I swear by Zo Skin Health which also has a Zo Medical Range with prescription strength items for specific problems such as acne and rosacea. Retinol is an effective anti wrinkle treatment.
I managed an outing (through determination and my lovely husband Martin who drove me) to see Dr Anita Kapoor at The Face Clinic for a much needed boost. Being able to think about a bit of pampering is good after spending all my energy just breathing. Anita runs the clinic and is also a practising GP; she has a lovely manner and cares about her clients health and well-being. Anita is warm and professional and is careful never to suggest that you 'need' to have anything.
We talked about how having ‘beauty’ treatments can contribute to your overall sense of well-being and mental health. There is evidence to support the idea that some treatments can even have a positive impact on depression. For example if you have Botox that stops you frowning it can also suppress the underlying emotion
There are as many opinions on whether women should have such treatments as there are treatments. I don’t hold with the disapprovers. It’s easy to mock women who have had obvious ‘work’ done but women get criticised for their appearance either way. Nothing wrong with trying to push back the wrinkle tide. It can be a never ending quest and tempting to move from one area to the next particularly with new treatments available that promise - and deliver- subtle but very effective results but it’s just about being sensible I think.
Given that we’re constantly told eat and sleep better and exercise more to live longer and healthier lives then why would we not also want to look younger at the same time? Always helps when I feel dreadful to know that isn’t reflected too much in my appearance; we all put on a face for the outside world. I will want to look good in my coffin. No one will ever know what treatments I have though unless I tell them so no trout pout for me but if that’s your thing then no judgement from me.
My next albeit competing priority was a hair cut with another lovely person, Erminio Fiocca. Erminio has been cutting my hair since around 2006. My sister Lucy suggested I go somewhere local but I explained that I couldn’t even contemplate that however difficult a trip to Fitzrovia might be. As with all excursions I have to plan with military precision. There is such a dearth of disabled parking places but I know where they all are and if I can get the one right outside it always feels like a bonus. There is always demand for disabled bays and never enough spaces, made worse by the fact that there are large numbers of stolen badges in circulation. If I can't get a space I have to park further away and get an Uber. All that means that I have to leave extra time. Any pressure or rushing and I can’t breathe.
I always grapple with conscience about spending money on these things but I always manage to win myself over. And I feel better so why I have to go through it every time I don’t know. Next week I'll post an update on the transplant assessment process.