Vanity or sanity and does it really matter anyway?
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Our Clinical Director Elizabeth Rimmer shares her thoughts on the pressures of maintaining our looks as we age:
'Achieving and maintaining the face you are happy with is not easy. Some might say it's impossible. We live in an era where physical perfection is seen as an achievable goal and the pressure to conform/remain youthful is evident in all spheres of life.
As I have mentioned in previous posts it seems that the bombardment of images of youth and beauty are inescapable.
If like me, you live in the city it is very hard to completely disregard these pressures and focus on the more spiritual aspects of being. There is no let-up: society demands that we present our best selves in every situation whether for professional/educational reasons or even for social and leisure activities.
We are constantly being judged on our appearance in a matter of seconds by people we have never met before & may never meet again.
Fortunately, we do not have to totally succumb to signs of aging in our faces. There are options to enhance and even change facial aspects with which we are uncomfortable.
We are all ageing every day: it’s a simple fact that we all understand. However, many of us simply want to age well – we are not aiming to look like our twenty-year selves.
I often hear clients use the word ‘vanity' with a sense of embarrassment when discussing their desire for one aesthetic treatment or another. We feel the pressure to be physically flawless and additionally, we are meant to achieve this goal effortlessly and without intervention. Many (although not all) of us fear the scorn and judgment of our friends and family if they knew about the treatments we undergo.
LPA is an award-winning nurse-led clinic. Our philosophy is to help you age in a way that you feel confident and comfortable in yourself. We’re on a mission to win your trust from the off, by making your visit relaxed and easy and ultimately sending you on your way with a natural revitalised and more attractive version of you, so that you’re ready to conquer your world!
We are based in EC1 in the bustle of the city. We are registered with Save Face, the UK aesthetics regulatory body.
We are all too familiar with the the famous faces and bodies who persistently deny that they have received any help to achieve their looks - as if nature has handed them supreme access to genetic perfection that eludes the rest of society.
Personally, I have struggled for some time with the desire to achieve body beauty whilst also managing the practicalities of everyday life. When people ask why I train I usually tell them ‘it’s for vanity and sanity’. Now in addition to that, I am at an age where I am trying to slow down the hands of time which are reaching out to my face.
The truth is that I too care enormously about my looks. I care about the age that I am perceived to be and I care about whether my bottom looks good in a pair of jeans.
These feelings are not the most important aspect of my life and therefore I see them as ‘in perspective’. The treatments that I wish to have are available, tried and tested and affordable. I live in a city where looking good matters and I am comfortable with seeking treatments and following lifestyle measures that I feel will enhance my appearance.
I am vain! There, I have said it now and there is no taking it back. I do not wish to look twenty years younger but I do wish to age as well as I can. My vanity is connected with my sanity to a point.
Whether it be for vanity or sanity or just because we can, we should be confident enough to select the treatments/procedures we want without embarrassment or the need to seek approval from those around us.
If you have been thinking about ways to improve the way you look, please get in touch so that we can discuss.
Established in 2010, London Professional Aesthetics is an award-winning medical skin clinic. We are regulated by the CQC Care Quality Commission and Save Face
