A businesswoman in her sixties who says she faced age discrimination when she returned to work after a four-year hiatus says a non-surgical facelift helped boost her career.
Caroline Wood, 65, a Sussex marketing manager, says she lost out on offers to younger applicants and began to struggle with her confidence.
Feeling that her face looked “sad” and “depressed” and didn’t reflect how she was feeling, she decided to undergo the new “Happy Face Lift,” created by 2013 Apprentice winner Dr. Leah Totton.
Dr Leah, 35, originally from Londonderry, has become one of The Apprentice’s success stories after winning Sir Alan Sugar’s £250,000 investment in 2013, and says her clinics continue to go from strength to strength.
The procedure combines her signature thread lift with radiofrequency microneedling sessions, and left Caroline, who had suffered burnout before taking a break from her career, feeling transformed.
Caroline Wood, 65, from Sussex, underwent a £4,700 non-surgical ‘Happy Face Lift’ with Dr Leah Clinics after suffering low confidence when she returned from a career break.
The marketing manager before the procedure (pictured left) and how she took care of him, right.
Sharing her results with FEMAIL, Caroline revealed that she is more confident than ever and no longer feels left out.
Describing how he felt when he returned to work for the first time, he said: ‘The aging process took hold of me during a four-year period when I was out of work as a result of burnout.
‘It was preventing me from getting the roles I was interviewing for; They were writing me off as soon as I walked into the room because of my appearance.
‘My face looked “sad”, my jowls and neck drooped and I looked older than I felt. My appearance did not reflect my personality or my energy level. My personality was not reflected in my appearance and I was judged on my appearance, not my personality or ability.
Dr Leah, 35, originally from Londonderry, has become one of Apprentice’s success stories after winning Sir Alan Sugar’s £250,000 investment in 2013.
“I knew I needed to refresh my appearance to be able to compete in today’s job market, where I was faced with much ‘younger’ looking applicants.”
Determined to take destiny into her own hands, Caroline decided to consider cosmetic procedures.
She continued: ‘I didn’t want to look like I was in my twenties or be drastically different. I just wanted my face to reflect how I feel: someone who has a lot of energy and a lot to offer in a workplace.
‘A surgical facelift seemed too extreme and I needed to get back to work quickly with no recovery time. I did not want to receive general anesthesia or risk surgical complications.
“I also didn’t want to get fillers like some celebrities; I wanted to look naturally better and still have facial movement.”
Caroline decided to visit Dr. Leah, who specializes in subtle, non-surgical treatments. The former Apprentice winner, who counts Lord Alan Sugar as her business partner, recommended the ‘Happy Face Lift’, which cost £4,700.
I just wanted my face to reflect how I feel: someone who has a lot of energy and a lot to offer in a workplace…
The personalized procedure begins with three thirty-minute sessions of radiofrequency microneedling, in which the skin is pierced with small needles that carry heat to stimulate collagen and elastin, and culminates with a final thread lifting session.
There, soluble collagen-stimulating threads are strategically placed beneath the surface of the skin under local anesthesia, which reposition the facial tissues to mechanically lift the face up and back in an L-shaped direction.
“Dr. Leah was very honest and put together a personal treatment plan for me,” Caroline said. “I felt like this treatment was something I could do since microneedling has no recovery time and you recover from thread lifting in a couple of days.”
Speaking of the results, which last up to two years, she continued: ‘The lift is very good and my jowls and neck look much firmer and more defined.
‘The results are subtle and natural, just as I expected. The quality of the skin looks much better: I look renewed and I am no longer “sad.”
And Caroline feels the procedure has given her the confidence she was missing to reignite her career.
Dr Leah said: “Age-based discrimination in the workplace is still an issue and I believe it affects both men and women.”
“I look a lot fresher and felt a lot more confident returning to the work world,” she said.
‘I see the financial investment simply as an investment in my career and one that will pay off tenfold in how I feel and my employability.
“I don’t think women should have cosmetic treatments to keep their jobs or stay employed after age 65, but I’m glad I can do it without surgery and this is the best investment I could have made.” and my career.’
In 2019, Dr. Leah admitted that an increasing number of women were coming to her in similar situations.
She said: ‘Unfortunately this is not uncommon. Age discrimination in the workplace is still a problem and I believe it affects both men and women.
‘The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that people aged 55 and over were now preparing to continue working into their 70s.
“I see an increasing number of clients over the age of 55 seeking cosmetic treatments to feel like they can compete in the workplace.”
Dr Leah studied Medicine at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, achieving the title of Top of her Year with Distinction in Medicine.
As well as earning £2.7million a year from her London and Essex clinics, Dr Leah raises her one-year-old daughter Lilah with fellow golfer Justin Harding.