At 61, Caroline Wood took a step back from her career as a marketing director following a period of severe burnout.
Four years later, she felt energised and ready to return to the workplace with a fresh perspective but was met with a less than enthusiastic response.
"When I attempted to get back to work, I felt I was being overlooked due to my age," Caroline says. "In interviews, I had a gut feeling that I wasn't being asked the deep dive questions. I felt I had been written off as soon as I entered the room due to my age. As much as we don’t like to admit to it, people who look fresher get a better reception," Caroline continues.
Dwindling confidence
"My skin was starting to age with my neck sagging and jowls appearing, so my confidence was already declining. I felt that my appearance didn't align with my outgoing personality anymore and it was having an impact on my ability to secure a new job."
Aesthetics expert Dr. Leah Totton, of Dr. Leah Clinics explains that a change in appearance can be confusing, resulting in a drop in confidence.
"Changes in appearance can be relatively sudden, and lead us to feel disconnected with our body," she says.
"In our mind, everything is the same; we feel the same as we always have, but we look in the mirror and we're unfamiliar with what we see. Often when clients consult with me, they do not want to look 30 years younger, they simply want to restore their appearance to how they looked several years before, returning to an appearance that doesn’t look 'sad' or 'saggy.'"
Echoing Dr. Leah's sentiments of wanting to look like herself again, Caroline began considering cosmetic procedures to help restore her confidence, explaining: "I didn’t want to be pumped full of filler, I wanted to look like my natural best self and still have facial movement."
Caroline approached Dr. Leah to find out more about confidence-boosting treatments and found she wasn't alone in her desire to refresh herself post-60.
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Dr. Leah shares that she has noticed a significant surge in patients seeking treatment over 65, explaining that increased confidence in the workplace is often their reason.
"Many of the clients who visit my London clinics state that 'improved confidence in the workplace' is one of their top reasons for undergoing cosmetic procedures," Dr. Leah says. "We have seen a surge in recent months in the number of clients over 60 citing this as their reason to seek cosmetic treatment.
"Many tell me the reason is so they can make an impression in an increasingly competitive workplace," she continues.
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Confidence-boosting treatments
“People generally seek cosmetic interventions to feel better about themselves, with the expectation that cosmetic procedures will lead to enhanced self-esteem, mood, and social confidence," says Dr. Leah.
"Many of us live with insecurities that have a huge impact on our confidence for which we undergo cosmetic intervention such as treatment of acne or acne scarring. For others, the cosmetic intervention is restorative to return them to their previous appearance.
Caroline booked in for Dr. Leah's 'Happy Facelift', a non-invasive technique combining Morpheus8 and a thread lift. The combination of radiofrequency and microneedling (Mopheus8) with a collagen-producing thread lift creates a rejuvenated look without anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers or plastic surgery.
It can address sagging cheeks and jowls, as well as redefining the jawlines.
"I really hadn't been considering a facelift as I felt like that was too major for me, but The Happy Facelift was non-invasive and felt like something I could do," Caroline says.
"The results are subtle and natural - just as I'd hoped. The quality of my skin looks so much better and I look refreshed.
"I look so much younger and feel so much more confident getting back into the working world. I see the money I’ve spent simply as an investment into my career and one that will be paid back twofold."
The Happy Facelift is available exclusively at Dr. Leah Clinics