It’s a tired cliché that women in mid-life wake up one day, look in the mirror and think ‘what happened to my face?’ But I did six months ago. While I’d never claim the facial definition of, say, preternaturally sculpted Christy Turlington, it wasn’t something I fretted about until my skin suddenly started to sag, with droopy cheeks that hung low and heavy, like I was storing nuts in there for winter.
My beauty editor job means I’m lucky enough to interview, learn from and occasionally have treatments with the A-list of British aesthetic doctors. In the past I’ve had small amounts of injectable filler in my temples and high on the cheekbones, not to add volume but for the gentle lift it gives to the lower parts of the face, keeping shape and definition in check.
I’ve also tried EmFace, which combines radiofrequency and microcurrent. The latter makes cheek muscles contract like you’re working them out at the gym, strengthening underlying facial structure to help shore up skin. But also like the gym, if you don’t use it, you lose it when treatments stop.
Now in my early 50s, I need more intensive intervention. Enter Endolift, a laser procedure that ramps up collagen production in skin’s deeper layers and tightens the more superficial ones. But unlike other heat-based treatments, this laser works from the inside.
Let me explain without sounding like a science lesson. Rather than sending a beam of energy into skin from the surface, Endolift works by inserting a wire fibre as fine as human hair into the deep tissues where energy converts to heat and creates a controlled amount of damage. This damage tells cells to repair themselves by producing more of the firming, tightening collagen and elastin that naturally deplete as we age.
And while this works over months, Endolift gives instant results too as older collagen fibres contract, making skin a touch tighter by the time you leave. It’s not permanent like a lower face lift, but nor does it come with as hefty a price tag, the downtime or “you’ve had work done” comments.
Caroline Brien before and after Endolift, a laser procedure that ramps up collagen production in skin’s deeper layers and tightens the more superficial ones
While still non-surgical, it’s a serious procedure. So I trust nobody more than Dr Priya Verma, who has performed Endolift more than a thousand times in the past five years and trains other leading aesthetic doctors worldwide.
A few weeks prior, I have a full hour consultation (the most in-depth I’ve ever had) and book to treat my lower face and neck. On the day, my skin is marked up to show where the heaviest parts are, which need more or less heat (it’s completely customisable) and areas to avoid. ‘This is where the artistry comes in,‘ Dr Verma tells me, reassuringly.
Local anaesthetic is injected through a cannula, spreading out where the wire fibre will work its magic. It stings. A lot. Take advantage of the stressball they hand you. But it’s over in five minutes and like a jab before a dental filling, is the worst part.
Having the wire passed through my numbed skin afterwards feels odd, but not painful. Dr Verma starts on my left cheek reusing the anaesthetic’s entry point and I feel a warm sensation as the wire moves around, plus there’s a fizzy noise as the heat reacts to water and fat. It’s vaguely uncomfortable in some spots but Dr Verma’s voice is calming as she explains what she’s doing and offers more aesthetic if needed (I don’t).
After treating that cheek, it’s noticeably less saggy and this lift means there’s more definition to my jawline, says Caroline
Fast-forward six weeks and although full results can take three to six months to show, my skin feels more taut with better ‘bounce’ when I press it
After treating that cheek, it’s noticeably less saggy and this lift means there’s more definition to my jawline. Pinching my cheeks, I can feel the treated one is firmer too. Five areas are tackled – both cheeks, sides of the neck and under my chin – in 45 minutes.
Then comes lymphatic drainage massage to help with swelling, flushing out anaesthetic and excess water. It’s deeply relaxing but I try to take note of the massage movements as I’ll have to repeat them at home for a month to speed recovery.
In two hours, I’m out of the door. My skin isn’t red, bleeding or bruised and there’s swelling that probably only I can see. While I do get a bit flushed and feel numb for the rest of the day, by bedtime there’s definitely less chipmunk cheeks to grab.
The tiny marks where the cannula was inserted disappear next day, quickly followed by faint, angular lines beneath the surface where the heat went to work tightening my skin. I’ve been warned there could be significant swelling for up to a week so I expect to blow up like a pufferfish. Thankfully this doesn’t happen and in three days I’m back at work where nobody notices any puffing up until I point it out.
Fast-forward six weeks and, although full results can take three to six months to show, my skin feels more taut with better ‘bounce’ when I press it.
There’s less chubbiness under my chin and my face seems more symmetrical too as those droopy cheeks firm up. Looking at Dr Verma’s pictures from my follow-up appointment, I can also see my jawline is better defined and face shape more youthful inverted triangle, less heavy square.
Now, four months on, the subtle improvements keep going. Treating the sagging skin so my lower face isn’t as weighed down has the knock-on effect of making my cheekbones more prominent and overall, my face has better structure. That’s what I’ve loved about Endolift – it’s not drastic, I look like myself but with the definition and lift of a decade ago. And if I tend to my skin properly, the results should last three years, when Dr Verma can expect a repeat client.
Endolift at Art Clinic in Knightsbridge costs from £1,500, plus a redeemable consultation fee of £150. Only one treatment is needed with results lasting 2 to 3 years. For Endolift practitioners in the UK, visit endolift.co.uk
