Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Alternatives to cosmetic surgery
Roz Sanderson
20th Mar 2020
More and more people are resorting to cosmetic surgery as a ‘quick fix’ to any problems they find with themselves, which can be a risky and expensive business. It is increasingly sensible to search out some alternatives to cosmetic surgery.
We’re not going to preach to you about the health problems with liposuction or a collagen implant, but instead help you to explore cheaper (and less painful!) alternatives to cosmetic surgery.
- Face exercise
- Rosemary Conley
- Carole Maggio
- Body wraps
- Exercise
- Instant facelift
- Make up and moisturisers
- Control wear
- Confidence
Face exercise
Eva Fraser, who invented the facial work out, puts the inevitable signs of ageing down to the sagging and relaxing of the facial muscles that keep the skin in place. As the muscles get older and longer, your cheeks become flatter and your jowls larger. It sounds bad, but all is not lost! Rather than going under the knife, you can save your neckline (and bank balance) by doing regular facial exercises instead. Like any type of muscle, those in the face will benefit from regular exercise.
Pick up some tips from Eva’s website www.evafraser.com, where you can find a few exercises to get you going.
You can order her Facial Workout book for £8.99 from her website. Don’t forget to check her book selection on Amazon where many of her bestselling books can be had for under a fiver.
Although she doesn’t endorse any anti-ageing moisturising creams, she does recommend ‘Frownies Forehead & Eyes’ face patches that help to smooth out wrinkles and lines. You can buy 5 months supply from Eva’s website for £19 or, if you want to save a bit more, head to FeelUnique where you can pick them up for £16.35 with P&P included.
Also available are the ‘Frownies Under Eye Patches’ to reduce puffiness and dark circles, available from FeelUnique for £29.35. There’s also the ‘Frownies Corners of Eyes and Mouth Patches’ to alleviate crows feet and lines around your mouth for £16.35.
OTHER FACE EXERCISE OPTIONS
Rosemary Conley, renowned diet and fitness expert, recommends this Facial Flex Ultra. Don’t let the appearance put you off – it’s actually a device designed to stretch and flex the muscles around your mouth. It helps to reduce sagging jaw lines and double chins by toning the muscles. It needs to be used for only two minutes every day and you should be able to see the results within four to six weeks. You can get it from her website for £46.99.
For more facial exercises check out Carole Maggio’s Facercise website for a ‘natural facelift’. Her online classes are pricey at $250, but if you head to Amazon you can find a whole range of her books in the ‘used’ section. You can order a copy of The Ultimate Facercise for just over £8 with free delivery.
She also offers ways to cut down on your cellulite with No Lipo Lipo, a knuckle massage and loofah treatment to firm and tone your legs as well as improving your circulation. You can either order the full pack (DVD, sisal loofah mitt with strap, and nourishing E oil) for £56.07 or just the DVD for £24.90.
Body wraps
One of the things we’ve found on our search are body wraps. They come in different forms: some merely exfoliate the skin while others, like the Universal Contour Wrap, activates ‘temporary inch loss’ from different areas of the body. The treatment involves being coated in a warm mineral-clay solution and then wrapped in elasticated bandages. You then wait for an hour or so while you sweat out all the toxins in your body.
The treatments are fairly expensive at £60 each, especially as you’re advised to have a course of three. Many of the salons including The New Image and Universal Contour Wrap have a 6 inch guarantee on salon treatments, so if you follow all their instructions and still don’t lose the inches they’ll refund your money.
Alternatively, you could try it yourself at home which is slightly cheaper at £49.95. You’re just not guaranteed your money back if it doesn’t work! Similar wraps are the Shape Changers Detox Wrap which works in the same way and costs slightly less at £39.95. Always remember there is no miracle solution to make you lose weight! The contour wraps may help to redefine your shape, but they are not a route to losing weight or reducing body fat.
Exercise
Instead of having a tummy tuck or heading straight for liposuction, why not start exercising? Even a year’s subscription to join a gym (around £600 – £700) would be a fraction of the price of a tummy tuck. The latter can range anywhere between £2,000 and £6,000. If you want to see if the gym’s for you, then why not take advantage of the free day pass that many offer. By exercising, you can lose weight and at the same time tone your muscles.
Of course, you don’t need a gym to do this. Running for 20 minutes on a treadmill isn’t any different from running for 20 minutes around your local park. But, if you want to swim, sauna and steam after your workout then it may be a slightly more attractive option.
See our suggestions on ways to exercise for free here.
If what you want to do is to lose weight, talk to someone at the gym about the exercises you ought to be doing to burn fat and combine your regular exercise regime with a healthy diet.
Eating healthily doesn’t have to be expensive. Although following fad diets may give you more instant results, if you lose weight too quickly you’re actually more likely to put it all back on as soon as you stop dieting. Stick to smaller, balanced portions instead.
Instant facelift for under a tenner
If you’re after something right now, why not get your eyebrows shaped? Having perfectly pruned eyebrows can take years off your face, as precisely defining the arches of your brows helps define the rest of your face. You can choose between waxing, threading and plucking. With prices in London from as low as £8, you can take years off for the price of a cinema ticket!
Make up and moisturisers
One of the most common reasons for bad skin is the constant exposure to sunlight without protection. We all know that Britain is cold, but unless you’re blessed with natural olive or brown skin, over-exposure to the sun can seriously damage your skin. It can also put years on your appearance.
To benefit your health, use a moisturising cream combined with an SPF of at least 15 everyday. Just remember that a miracle cream doesn’t exist! Paying over the odds isn’t going to make it any more effective.
However we suggest you have a look on the Boots website to find some moisturising lotions like the Botanics Pore-Perfecting SPF 15 Lotion for only £4.59, or the Neutrogena Daily SPF 25 Moisturiser for £7.65. You can combine foundation with a little sun protection – check this Maybelline New York Anti-Age Foundation SPF 18 for £9.99.
These are not substitutes for sun lotion. If you’re planning on spending a lot of time in the sun make sure you’ve got a bottle of the real stuff with you.
If you’re still set on being bronze, then make sure that you avoid sun beds, as many give out more harmful UV rays than the midday Mediterranean sun. We suggest you take a look at the Garnier Ambre Solaire Bronzer 50ml for £9.55. If you want to build up a more gradual looking glow then try Garnier’s Summerbody Moisturiser 250ml for £5.10 both from FeelUnique.
Control wear
Dressing to suit your body shape makes a huge amount of difference to the way you look. Following fashion’s latest craze isn’t always such a good idea. It is a good idea to find out which shapes suit your body and which colours suit your skin tone. Why not take advantage of a free personal shopper service at Debenhams, House of Fraser, Topshop or Selfridges?
Also, a huge 80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. As well as looking bad, this can also lead to back pain and poor posture. So, while you’re in Debenhams, check out their free bra fitting service to make sure you’re wearing the right size.
If you’re after a streamlined look in a tight outfit then take a look at the range of control underwear that’s available from Ultimate, Body Solutions and Spanx. They all offer a variety of underwear, tights and body panels to help smooth out your shape.
If you’ve been considering a boob job (around £3,000) you could try out a push-up bra at the much cheaper price of £12 from M&S. If you’re considering a breast reduction then have a look at the underwired minimiser bra – 2 for £16 from M&S.
Confidence
Sometimes, the way somebody looks is influenced by how confident they are and the way they hold themselves. There are a few things you can do to help improve your posture and the way other people see you.
The Alexander Technique is a program that teaches people how to improve their posture and movement, as well as being an effective treatment to back and neck pain. Good posture also lengthens the body and makes a person look taller and more elegant. Lessons should be taken in a block of 20 – 40 as results are not instantaneous. Prices range between about £25 – £70 a session. If you’d rather just teach yourself at home then have a look at The Introduction To The Alexander Technique, available from Amazon for under a tenner.
Emma Baxter-Wright’s book, 1001 Little Ways To Look Younger has a few more tips and techniques on how to keep your skin looking fresh. Check in the new and used section where you can find copies for under a pound!
Still want to go under the knife…?
If after reading all this you’re still set on getting surgery, then don’t cut corners. One of the best ways to find a qualified, ethical surgeon is to go through your GP. They will be able to recommend you to a registered plastic surgeon. Or, if you’d rather search for one yourself then you can have a look at the BAAPS website or the General Medical Council website.
Remember, cosmetic surgery is expensive. If someone is offering liposuction for a price that sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
Cosmetic surgery isn`t even healthy .. facial exercises are the most recomended for having a nice face and facial tone.
I just began dieting and losing weight. I see some really good informaiton on here that I am going to consider following.