When it comes to having imperceptible 'tweakments', Sarah Vine is picky. If you're nervous about injectables, here's where to start
I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of face doctors I would trust with a needle. In no particular order, Dr Tapan Patel at the Phi Clinic in Devonshire Place, London W1; Dr Vicky Dondos at Medicetics in Marylebone. And that’s, er, it.
That is not to say that there aren’t other out there; it’s just that I am extremely picky. I want results that are visible but not noticeable; I want impeccable credentials; I want someone who uses very thin, very expensive needles and only the very best products. And above all else, I want to like the person.
he is one of the few people in the country who will use fillers to replace lost volume underneath the eyes - and not cock it up
Dr Tapan makes the list because he is quite simply an artist. He combines intuition with precision and respects the fundamental principle that every action has a consequence - in other words, he never does anything without factoring in the overall outcome. And he is brave: for example, he is one of the few people in the country who will use fillers to replace lost volume underneath the eyes - and not cock it up.
Vicky is rather more instinctive and conservative in her approach, but no less effective. If you are at all nervous or feeling guilty about wanting just a little bit of help with your frown lines her friendly, informal manner and maternal nature are very reassuring, and she is modest almost to a fault. She’s a woman’s woman, and understands as much about the psychology of what brings people to her clinic as she does about the practical aspects of her work.
Both are great, and I would happily trust either. But now there is a third to add to my very short list, and that is Dr Olivia Chokron , who has just joined the Lazeo Clinic in Notting Hill.
Dr Olivia is very young, almost alarmingly so. But once in her company you quickly discover that, tender in years as she is, she is not lacking in experience. She is a graduate in medicine at Paris Diderot and has a Masters in Human Reproduction, which until recently was her chosen field. But then she decided to follow her husband to London - and branch out into aesthetics.
She is fabulously French and wonderfully professional in a calm, matter-of-fact way. She works by layering different treatments over a period of time - in my case Botox, fillers and peels - assessing progress at each stage and adjusting her treatment plan where necessary. She is especially skilled at tackling those nasty vertical lines at the corner of the mouth - known in French as ‘les marionettes’, and one of the most obvious signs of ageing. And she has a charming, gentle way about her.
If you are in the market for a gentle ‘refresh’, as she so elegantly puts it, do go and see her. You won’t be disappointed.
MORE GLOSS: Christa D'Souza on losing her 'filler virginity'.
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As someone who spends rather a lot of time in their car, ferrying various children, dogs and bags of shopping to and fro, I like it to smell nice.
But with two pubescents and a small menagerie in tow, the atmosphere within is not always as fragrant as it might be. And Magi Trees make me feel sick. Hence my new everyday luxury, the Diptyque Car Scent Diffuser, £35. You simply attach it to an air vent, slip in one of their electric diffuser cartridges and voila, your car too can smell like Karl Lagerfeld’s sock drawer.