Caroline has a mane of shiny, dirty blonde hair, great skin, firm cheeks, a gleaming smile, a leather jacket and lean limbs. At first glance, it’s very difficult to place her age. And that’s just how she likes it. Caroline, who works in finance at a senior level, recently celebrated her 50th birthday. Not that anyone in her office knows that. ‘Yes, I lie about my age at work,’ she says. ‘People think I’m in my early 40s.’ Why does she do it? ‘Because it’s a brutally ageist world out there, and it’s hardest of all for women. So what if I cheat a little? I’m just doing what I have to do to carry on in a career I love and am bloody good at.’ For Caroline, ‘doing what she has to do’ involves regular appointments at a discreet London clinic for the kind of super-stealth procedures – ‘tweakments’ – that ensure her face matches her very slightly edited CV. From the babiest doses of Botox to non-surgical facelifts, these no-downtime, no-knife, subtly rejuvenating procedures have been dubbed by London cosmetic surgeon Angelica Kavouni ‘the Career Lift’. For some women, it’s just another weapon in the battle to prove they aren’t, as a slew of recent reports suggest, ‘finished at 50’.
Increasing numbers of high-flying, corporate women are turning to non-surgical procedures to have what is being dubbed a “career-lift” to stay ahead when it comes to senior roles. Time-poor working women are able to achieve the “no-age zone” thanks to “youthful” procedures such as Angelica Kavouni, tiny threads which lift sagging skin, collagen stimulation using ultra-fine needles or Botox micro-droplets, many of which are offered by specialist clinics. London cosmetic surgeon Silhouette Soft said her clients have said that the procedures “help buy them 20 more years in their career.”