For me, beauty is harmony and confusion of the senses. For example, you can see a beautiful woman and be amazed by her, until she talks to you and you don't like her voice. Suddenly, she's not so beautiful any more. And then you see another beautiful woman, but you get closer and realise that you do not like her scent, and there's no way now that you could ever describe this woman as beautiful. We are driven by pheremones in our attractions to people - if the smell doesn't work, you can't be in love.
Beauty is in all five senses, not just one. You can be attracted to someone with a hook nose, who doesn't possess the perfect features of a model, and still find them beautiful.
There isn't just one look we consider beautiful, such as the traditional Western look of blonde hair and blue eyes. We appreciate the beauty of a host of different looks Caucasian, Asian, and African.
My job involves 'ageing maintenance'. I take care of beautiful women who want to stay beautiful for as long as possible. I only take people on for treatment who already feel good about themselves. I can help to slow the ageing process down, but I can't stop it.
Ageing maintenance is not supposed to change the face, but to substitute what you lose. If you are losing a bit of volume in the cheeks or in the temples, it can be replaced. And unlike plastic surgery, everything is reversible.
I have a lot of time for people who want to age gracefully, but we have the science to improve the process. With this technology, I can engineer emotional beauty. I can keep the emotions on your face. I work subtly, so the face maintains its mobility, it's a very difficult thing to do. It's like architecture: I have an eye for proportion and shapes. I can see light and shade in a face.
Anyone can do Botox, but can they do a good job with it and stop you looking like a clown? A facelift can take away volume and flatten the face, but volume is what gives a face vitality, so that is what I would replace. Skincare will give you the glow.
Meaningful beauty is taking care of yourself. Your skin ages like everything else, but that ageing process can speed up, depending on your lifestyle. The collagen fibres break down and we don't know how to replace them. But with radio-frequency treatment, vitamin injections, skin peels and skin care we can improve the skin's appearance.
I once read in a book that beauty is when you are able to go through the face, when nothing in the face stops you. That is what I try to achieve. And if I see a smile on the face of a woman, then I am happy.
From Harpers and Queen, July 2005
Written by Eloise Napier