There's no right age, but there is a right moment

I get asked this all the time. When should I start? Am I too young, am I too late, is now the right time? Usually asked with a lot of nervousness underneath, and often because someone has planted the idea that they should already be doing something.

The honest answer is there isn't a universal age, and I think people would be relieved if more of us in this industry said so.

Genetics do a lot of the work

Genetics play a massive part in how we age. Two people the same age can look very different not because of what they've done or haven't done, but because of what they were born with. Some people won't feel the need to think about cosmetic treatments until they're in their forties. Some never will. Others might notice things earlier. All of it is normal, and none of it says anything about how well you're looking after yourself.

If you've been told you should be starting something in your twenties or early thirties, I'd gently ask who's benefiting from that advice.

Lifestyle makes the biggest difference

Here's the part I really wish more people knew. The single biggest factor in how your skin ages isn't genetics, and it isn't what treatments you have. It's your day-to-day lifestyle.

Sun exposure, sleep, hydration, alcohol, stress, whether you smoke, how consistent you are with basic skincare. These things do more heavy lifting than anything I could offer in a clinic. If the basics aren't in place, no treatment is going to give you what you're hoping for. If the basics are in place, you might find you need a lot less than you thought.

That's not the story the industry tells, but it's the truth.

So when's the right time?

The right time isn't a number. It's when you've had a proper think about it, without pressure, and you've got a clear reason of your own for wanting to explore something. Not because a friend did it, not because Instagram made you feel a certain way, not because you walked past a clinic offering a special.

The right time is when the basics are in place, your expectations are realistic, and you're working with someone prepared to tell you if it's not the right thing for you.

I'd rather someone come in at forty-five having genuinely thought about it than at twenty-five because they were talked into it. And I'll tell people honestly if I don't think they need what they're asking about, or if the answer is "not yet."

If you're wondering

A consultation is the place to have this conversation. Not to book anything, not to commit to anything, just to sit down and talk it through honestly with someone who'll be straight with you. That's what they're for.

Megan x

All Aesthetics By Megan

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