Mid face lifts no longer have to involve surgery. Kerry Inglis, 46, had a jaw, jowl and cheek lift using only the filler Radiesse – specifically made for defining the face – at Clinetix Cosmetic Clinic
I was 42 when I gave birth to my triplets. My husband and I had started trying for a baby in our early thirties, but we ran into a few snags along the way. Ten years and seven rounds of IVF fertility treatment later, it finally happened for us. With interest.
Having three young babies in the house was wonderful, my husband and I were so happy, but it also aged me by a good ten years overnight.
designed to define the jawline, chin and jowl area, it’s like a facelift, but without any cutting and much less downtime.
You don’t get any sleep; I don’t know how anyone could. You get an hour maybe, a couple if you’re lucky. I don’t think the triplets settled down until they were around aged three. I suppose you could say I had a three-year sleep debt to catch up on. I can confidently say that I’m never coming back from that one.
Kerry with her triplets
Looking ten years older after triplets
The lack of sleep was really aging, especially for my face. One day I looked in the mirror and I didn’t feel like myself anymore.
My skin had gotten much looser, my jawline wasn’t defined anymore. I didn’t look youthful at all. The shape of my face had totally changed and lost all definition. Whenever I saw a picture of myself, I’d zero in on my neck and jawline. I hated it. I would always try to hold my head up so that it wouldn’t show and I wouldn’t look so old or wrinkly.
Before I had my kids, I worked as an air hostess, for over 20 years, at Virgin Atlantic and British Midlands. Amongst the airline staff, I had friends who were getting treatments like Botox, fillers and other skin treatments at Clinetix, an aesthetics clinic in Glasgow, and they all looked incredible.
It didn’t look like they had had anything done at all, they just looked really fresh. That’s exactly what I wanted, to look fresh without looking done.
I started out by trying Botox and had my lips plumped with some filler, just little top ups here and there to keep my face fresh, but I didn’t think about doing anything else until very recently.
After the triplets were born, it was clear to me that I’d have to make a change in my career. As it so happened, Clinetix had an opening for a receptionist. So, I ended up working at my favourite clinic, which definitely has its benefits.
The jawline filler consultation
My kids turned four this year, so I’ve had a bit more time to focus on myself and what I want. And what I wanted was to get my face back.
I booked myself a consultation on one of my days off, because obviously you can’t just do one while you’re on the job.
I was already very familiar with my surgeon, Dr Emma Ravichandran, aesthetic dentist and co-founder of Clinetix, so I knew that I was in safe hands. She did a facial analysis for me, which basically means that she looked at my face, the structure and what she could improve. I’d decided that I wanted to try a dermal filler treatment, designed to define the jawline, chin and jowl area. It’s like a facelift, but without any cutting and with much less downtime.
Dr Ravichandran marked this all out for me on my face, using a white pencil. It really helped me to visualise what my face would look like if I went ahead with the procedure and to understand which areas she’d be targeting. Dr Ravichandran said she would be using a filler called Radiesse which is designed for contouring, but can also improve the quality of the skin.
She said it would last up to 18 months. And that the whole thing would cost me about £1200
I didn’t decide right there and then – I went away and thought about it for a while. And then I thought, ‘Yeah okay that’s fine’. I felt it would be well worth it.
I went back about two weeks later to get it done.
The jawline lift
To help manage any pain or discomfort, Dr used a cannula – which is essentially a tool that minimises pain, bruising and swelling. She inserted the cannula through the skin on the jawline, so I could only feel the pressure, but no pain.
She did one side first and then I sat up and had a look in the mirror. I could just see the difference immediately. On the treated side my jawline was much more defined. And then Emma carried on to do the other side, and again I could see instant results.
It only took 45 minutes to do the treatment and the results were immediate, though Dr Ravichandran explained that I would see further improvements over time. When I saw the ‘after’ pictures, that we took I could really see the difference, the shape of my lower face was so much better. I’m so pleased with it. I felt beautiful for the first time in a long time.
After the treatment, I felt totally fine. There was a small bruise along the side of my jaw and a little bit of redness, but no swelling or anything that would draw much attention. Apart from that there was no downtime at all and the redness was completely gone after a few hours.
The next day I could just carry on as usual.
My new face
When I came home my husband actually couldn’t believe the difference. He knew I was getting it done, but he’s the type of man who will say, ‘You don’t need anything, you look great as you are’.
But then I had the procedure and he said, ‘that’s fantastic, it looks really good’. He said it was the best thing I’d had done and that’s from a man’s point of view, so that’s really something.
My mum noticed too. I didn’t tell her I’d done anything, I don’t tell her those things. She just looked at me and said ‘you look fresh, your face has a lovely wee shape’. My friends have all been admiring my new look, saying that I look great for 46 and that they want to try it.
The treatment has given me more confidence in my face. Amazingly, I look a lot softer now, even though my jaw is sharper it just really softened everything up.
Now, I don’t stare at that area every time I look in the mirror. I look so much fresher, and I’ve stopped tilting my head up to disguise my chin. I only had it done six weeks ago, so I’ve got a long while before I need to start thinking about a top up, but I’m 100 percent sure I’ll be doing it again, it’s made a world of difference.
The cost of dermal fillers in Glasgow’s Clinetix will vary depending on the complexity of the treatment and the type of dermal filler used. Simple treatments like plumping nose to mouth lines can cost from as little as £280. More complex facial rejuvenation treatments are costed on consultation. Kerry’s treatment cost £1200 in total.
This video was paid for by Merz, the makers of RADIESSE, the filler used in Kerry’s ‘jawlift’.
BDS.MFDS, a multi-award winning aesthetic medicine specialist, and co-founder of the Clinetix Medispa, Association of Aesthetic Practitioners (ASAP) and the Aesthetic Training Academy (ATA). She has a background in paediatric dentistry and 12 years of excellence in Aesthetic Medicine. She has won Best Aesthetic Dentist (Aesthetic Awards) in 2013, and Best Medical Practitioner (My Face My Body Awards) in 2018.
Clinetix has won a number of awards for excellence including the Best Clinic UK and Best Clinic Scotland in 2017 and 2018. Their highly-renowned medical practitioners perform aesthetic medical treatments including thread lifts, liquid facelifts, advanced medical peels, wrinkle relaxing injections, dermal fillers and much more. Clinetix runs two clinics, one in the West End of Glasgow and one in the Lanarkshire village of Bothwell.
For more information, check out clinetix.co.uk/ or contact Clinetix by phone on 01412210229.
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