Why does the skin start to collect around the neck at the age of 40? Why does the skin above the eyes look as if it's trying to grow over them? It was while casting around for answers to questions like these that I began to think about the possibility of a face-lift.

At 45 it seemed the ideal time to explore the possibilities. When I asked friends and acquaintances for advice, I was met with comments like "You vain thing ", "grow old gracefully" and "Let nature take its course". But they could say what they liked. I just didn't want to "grow old gracefully" - in fact I want to grow old as disgracefully as I can!

Do your homework
The advertisements in the women's glossies seemed a good place to start and I began collecting information packs and price lists. I learned a lot from these - most importantly that it's not easy to tell the difference between a good clinic and a bad one. So what next? Out came good old Yellow Pages. I rang several clinics that were local to me just to see how professionally they answered the telephone and if I got good vibes from them.

This method narrowed it down to one. I was invited for a consultation with the surgery adviser  who spent an hour explaining everything I needed to know. I asked what she thought I would benefit from and she suggested upper and lower eyelid reduction. I hadn't thought..........