The secrets behind Ulrika Jonsson’s £17k glow-up

Go on, admit it: we all love an eye-popping makeover, and the recent images of Ulrika Jonsson had us marvelling in a way we hadn’t since Judy Murray’s Morpheus 8 ‘reveal’ in 2021.

“I’ve aged badly. It hit really hard,” says the 58-year-old TV presenter. “And I know historically and societally, women have been expected to go into old age quietly, but I refuse to do that.”

She speaks about her new look in an Instagram video from the Define Clinic, where she had eight procedures ranging from laser to filler to the latest biostimulators. A self-confessed sun worshipper, she has previously said in interviews that she spent years sunbathing and using sunbeds, which had damaged her skin visibly.

Stress and alcohol can cause significant changes in the skin as well, so these may also have been a factor for Jonsson, whose private life was constantly in the tabloids in the 1990s and 2000s, and who has spoken about being a recovering alcoholic.

Ulrika, glowing after 6 months of treatments at Define Clinic. Image: Instagram @ulrikajonssonofficial

She realised cosmetic procedures were part of the answer, so around six months ago, she took the plunge. Her choice of doctor was solid. Cosmetic surgeon and aesthetic physician Dr Benji Dhillon is well-respected for his impressive credentials, artist’s eye and crack team of fellow specialists at his Define clinics in London and Beaconsfield  – where Ulrika went for treatment.

“We’re delighted with Ulrika’s results, which feel authentic,” he told the Daily Mirror. “Most importantly, Ulrika still feels like herself, just more refreshed and with even more confidence that she’s showing up like her best self.”

Dr Dhillon put Ulrika on an all-encompassing six-month programme, costing, he tells me, £16-£17,000 (which, let me tell you, is exceedingly reasonable for a top cosmetic physician in the South-East). It included injectables and energy-based devices for firming and skin-resurfacing to restore her skin’s glow and bounce – to spectacular effect. “I didn’t want to look 21 or 31, but I wanted to look the best that I can for my age,” says Ulrika. “Now, I’ve got this new skin, this fresh skin that people comment on – I get a lot of compliments.”

I’ve had many of these treatments myself, sometimes with Dr Dhillon. Some of the procedures are new, such as Julaine, and some are time-tested, such as ultrasound. Looking at Ulrika’s programme, she would have had to be in the clinic every three weeks or so. As you can see, an intense regime like this can get great results  – but only in the most skilled of hands and after the type of very thorough consultation that Dr Dhillon has told me previously that he offers routinely.

The exact treatments that Ulrika Jonsson had with Dr Dhillon and his team

Image: Instagram @defineclinic. Urika Jonsson receives aesthetic treatments from Dr Benji Dhillon.

To lift sagging skin: Ultraformer HIFU

We know Dr Dhillon is a big fan of Ultraformer HIFU (high-intensity focused ultrasound) to tighten loose skin, naming it one of the top 7 skin treatments he recommends. It’s not equivalent to a facelift, but in the right patient, it can correct a good amount of laxity in the lower face and improve skin texture by causing collagen in the deep skin layers to contract and encourage the production of additional collagen.

You can see a significant tautening of Ulrika’s jawline. This is often achieved in just one 90-minute session (with a three-month wait before results start showing), but advanced laxity like Ulrika’s may have required a second session. Either way, it’s worked for her

My experience: Ultrasound is not for everyone, however. I’ve had Sofwave, another skin-tightening ultrasound procedure, to frustratingly little effect. This may, ironically, have been because my laxity wasn’t advanced and deep-seated enough. Doctors admit that ultrasound treatment doesn’t always get good results, and that patient selection is key.

Image: Define Clinic Ulrika Jonsson has HIFU ultrasound skin tightening

To undo sun damage: BBL, Moxi and Erbium resurfacing laser

Laser and intense pulsed light are the gold standard treatments for minimising pigmentation, dilated capillaries and wrinkles caused by UV radiation. Dr Dhillon approached Ulrika’s significant damage with a trio of BBL (a form of IPL that can zap veins and brown spots), Moxi laser (which punctures microscopic holes into skin to unveil a fresher, more radiant surface without downtime) and Erbium fractional laser. Its ablative technology effectively removes a layer of old skin off the face to let plumper, less wrinkly and mottled cells come to the surface – the downtime (significant swelling, a ‘burned face’ look, and snake-like skin shedding) is about a week. But the combined effects are dramatic and have given Ulrika the skin texture of someone ten years younger.

My experience: I’ve had IPL and a variety of collagen-boosting and redness and pigmentation-correcting lasers. The great thing is that they can all be adjusted to your skin type, making them gentle, safe and effective (in a specialist’s hands) even for reactive skin like mine. They can make a big difference to brown spots and capillaries, blasting many into oblivion, but you do need twice-yearly maintenance after the initial course of treatment. As for ablative laser, the concept of aggressive heat-based treatments that ‘wound to smooth’ does not sit well with me. So while it can be transformative for the right patients with sturdy skin that heals fast, it’s not something I’d try.

To improve skin density and quality: Julaine

Move over Profhilo, Julaine is the new ‘It’ injectable. It’s a next-generation type of biostimulating filler whose USP is its subtlety. It acts more like an overall filter, stimulating the collagen and elastin in your skin, rather than injecting a volumising filler substance underneath it. Unlike any other filler, it can even smooth wrinkles. Dr Dhillon injected it all over Ulrika’s face for seamless smoothness and thickening of the skin: you can see it in her plump, youthful cheeks and overall light-reflective glow.

My experience: I had the recommended three sessions of Julaine last autumn with Dr Sarah Tonks. She used the product in quite small amounts all over my face to counteract the fine lines, skin thinning and encroaching ‘looseness’ of skin that come with age. It’s billed as a ‘skin quality’ jab rather than a biostimulating filler like Sculptra, and I’d say that’s correct: five months after my last treatment, my skin looks juicy and radiant and feels dense as opposed to loose. The new surplus of collagen definitely adds a subtle fullness to the face as well, which is important to keep in mind if my plump cheeks (which I share with Ulrika) would be an anathema to you. Results become visible after three months, and last up to two years.

For skin brightness and pores: Jalupro

Jalupro is an injectable skin booster made up of hydrating, liquid hyaluronic acid and amino acids. Injected all over the face or in the undereye area, it was used to give Ulrika’s skin an instant hydrated glow. Over time (three sessions, two weeks apart, are required, with top-ups every six months), the amino acids helped brighten skin and tighten pores.

It’s a very subtle and superficial treatment that mainly adds moisture and prevents further ageing, rather than providing dramatic, transformative results. It has boosted Ulrika’s glow even further, specifically, Dr Dhillon says, in her undereye area, where a series of treatments can help brighten dark circles. He adds that Ulrika also had all-over injections of polynucleotides, which are another cell-calming, skin-brightening and age-preventing type of skin booster.

Image: Define Clinic. Ulrika Jonsson is amazed by her results after an estimated £18,000 aesthetic treatment plan

My experience: I’ve had both polynucleotides and Sunekos (a very similar hydrating amino acid injectable to Jalupro) all over my face and as undereye brighteners (administered via cannula) and really liked the hydration (in the case of Sunekos) and subtle illuminating effects. However, it’s frustrating that these types of jabs don’t really last in the skin much longer than a few months.

To revolumise and lift: dermal fillers and Botox

Ulrika had areas of gauntness in her cheeks, temples, under eyes and mouth corners that could only be addressed with fillers. “I used very small volumes of filler in the lower cheeks and temples, only to restore some of the volume she lost over the years,” says Dr Dhillon. When used to restore, not inflate, this type of hollowing, fillers not only reinstate natural contours, they also function as ‘scaffolding’ for the skin, giving back some youthful lift and tautness. For example, filler in the temples and cheeks area can help lift the jawline while at the same time restoring youthful contours, which has clearly worked for Ulrika.

My experience: On and off over the years, I’ve had ‘strategic’ filler in my temples, near my ears, in my tear troughs and on one occasion as an eight-point lift’ all over my face. Each time, nobody (including my husband) was any the wiser: done well and with restraint, there is little to fear and much to be gained from dermal filler.

As for Botox, according to Dr Dhillon, he merely used it on Ulrika “in the frown, forehead and around the eyes”. Surprisingly, toxin can also be used for a subtle lift and tightening of the lower face, involving injections in the neck bands, chin and jawline. It’s called the ‘Nefertiti lift’ and it’s a speciality of Dr Dhillon’s. I had it done by him and while the results are subtle, I can see significantly less jowling and ‘downward pull’ in my lower face, especially when I talk. My guess, given Ulrika’s significantly improved jawline, was that she received the same treatment, but apparently she didn’t!

The price of confidence

It’s fabulous to see that after so many years of knockbacks, Ulrika has been able to seize back control over the changes in her face, and can look the way she feels – a youthful 58-year-old. There will have to be maintenance to keep up her glow. Fillers, HIFU, Julaine and ablative laser need top-ups every 18 months, and Botox, skin boosters and BBL every four to six months or so, while an ongoing programme of the Obagi, Alumier and Alastin professional skincare that was also deployed over the course of Ulrika’s treatment plan. will have to be kept up as well.

It certainly comes at a cost, but the confidence and the spark it has seemingly brought may be priceless.