La Réserve Magazine Rethinking Luxury

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SENIOR POWER

The truth always catches up with us! Longer life expectancy and an aging population in Europe have made the “aged” very visible. The baby-boomer generation has won it all – power and wealth – so there is no question of losing face. This good-looking older generation consisted of young conquerors, including the women, who for the first time in history were dubbed wonder women. In 2015, this generation of spoilt kids has understood that it has its whole life ahead of it, even after the age of 50. Catherine Deneuve, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Stone, Lauren Hutton and Linda Rodin still arouse admiration at 50, 60 and 70 years old. Even better, rocker Joni Mitchell (71) was selected for the Saint-Laurent ad, writer Joan Didion (80) for Céline, Raquel Welch (70) for MAC and Jane Fonda (77) plays the L’Oréal muse. Meanwhile, on the masculine front, 55 year-old Nick Wooster is the star of Instagram and the fashion press; both he and Aiden Shaw (50) are regularly featured as representatives of the ideal male figure.

SILVER STREAKED HAPPINESS

Famous or not, the 50-something brigade and the “sexygenarians” are showing us a path of harmonious, accepted aging that is a source of fulfillment and equilibrium. “We are as old as our projects,” says Ruth Flowers, a 70 year-old apprentice DJ during Chanel evenings at the Cannes International Film Festival… A belief strongly shared by Professor Jacques Proust, who founded the Center for the Prevention of Aging at Clinique Genolier more than 15 years ago. This pioneer in the realm of the biology of aging, preventive medicine and anti-aging created the Nescens brand, whose philosophy perfectly expresses the same idea of “adding life to life”. The Nescens preventive medicine centers, Better-Aging spas and clinics combine their approaches to help individuals live better, as long as possible, and with full use of all their faculties. With this in mind, continuing to make plans remains the best prescription for continued youth… But aging elegantly and honestly does not in any way prevent one from turning to the latest progress in science and medicine – on the contrary, providing the techniques are gentle and the result as natural as possible. Requirements that the Nescens teams have brilliantly taken on board.

REMAINING YOUNG YET TRUE TO ONESELF

The entire Nescens approach is founded on a perfect understanding of the biological and molecular mechanisms involved in aging and particularly the aging of the skin. In order to adjust these processes, doctors and surgeons combine current invasive and non-invasive techniques while continuously perfecting them, including plastic surgery, injections and specific biomechanical modeling techniques. In addition, the exclusive range of Nescens cosmeceuticals acts in synergy to further optimize the effectiveness of the different treatments.

AGING GRACEFULLY AND GENTLY?

The viewpoint of Dr Eric Auclair, plastic surgeon at the Clinique Nescens Spontini in Paris

An established reference figure in the realm of aesthetic surgery, this practitioner is seeing a change in his patients’ relationship to age. Remaining young at any cost appears outdated. Intent on appearing natural, patients want to intervene in a controlled, discreet fashion, without ever transforming themselves.

What is the approach to aging in 2015?

Today, the philosophy behind “French-style” facial rejuvenation draws heavily on prevention: it’s about slowing down the signs of aging by taking early action before it becomes too advanced. The idea is to correct gently over time to maintain one’s facial appearance for longer. Every patient wants a natural result and this is true for women and even more so for men. As far as the latter are concerned, they tend to take things in hand much later, rarely before the age of 45, because signs of aging are generally both more accepted and better regarded. This being said, attitudes towards women are also evolving and a woman is considered to be attractive even after the age of 50 these days – just look at Sharon Stone!

What method do you use in order to intervene gently?

I developed the Step-Lift process that involves the use of targeted interventions for a more natural result. One proceeds step by step, from the top of the face to the bottom by following the natural aging process: the eyelids around 35-40 years old, then the cheeks and the oval of the face and finally the neck around 50-55. Thanks to this personalized accompaniment over time, there is no radical change to the appeareance, but instead the preservation of the 35-40 year old face for around 20 years. Interventions are less extreme with faster recovery times, fewer scars and a more natural result. It is better to go from 45 to 35 years old rather than from 70 to 60 years old…

What are your preferred techniques?

For a number of years, we have combined techniques involving micro-injections of fat, lipofilling, with all these interventions. After that, facelifts remain the favorite technique for treating sagging skin. But one needs to understand that surgery is only one element in a whole range. Interventions have a better result when they are part of a preventive approach that combines good quality care and a truly healthy lifestyle. Healthy, balanced nutrition, without any extreme diets, moderate alcohol consumption, systematic sun protection, regular physical activity without excessive exercise… All these elements are part of age prevention and work in synergy with medical treatments. I think one needs to learn
to avoid aging rather than aging followed by radical rejuvenation...

By Anne-Marie Clerc