Filler was my gateway drug to Botox – I’m now addicted to it; what my doctor has done to my face is a miracle

AUGUST is ending and, as most people are prepping for back to school, I’m also getting ready – for my new-season Botox appointment. I go to a great guy in Fitzrovia in London called Dr Glyn. Lorna Luxe opens up about having tweakments and why her go-to doctor is a ‘blessing in disguise’ Credit: Mark Hayman Since John’s death, Lorna says she misses having someone telling her she’s beautiful Credit: lornaluxe/ Instagram What he’s done to my face these past two years is nothing short of a miracle – I’ve got the before and after pics to prove it. And it got me thinking about how far I would actually go to look younger. Do I even want to look younger? Not really. But I don’t want to look older than my 44 years, that’s for sure. Just last week, I travelled to Crete with skincare brand Revive Collagen, learning all about the age-reversing properties of taking a sachet of collagen a day. Hosting the retreat was Amanda Holden who, it’s fair to say, does not look her age. In fact, all the women there looked flipping great. I won’t pretend it was a wellness retreat – I guzzled far too much rosé to call it that! But I’m now a fully paid-up member of the collagen brigade. And if I make it to 55 looking half as good as Amanda, then happy days. When John and I got married, I was a very baby-faced 25-year-old. He had 21 years on me and was ageing like a fine wine. There was an obvious age gap, and folk loved to point it out to us, too. Was I bothered? Absolutely not. I loved people telling me how “young” I looked. So, when I began looking a bit “more my age” in my 30s, I started dipping my nib into injectables. I fondly remember rocking up to the annexe of a bungalow in Brighton, where a retired lady gave me lip filler and waxed lyrical about her love of Caribbean cruises. Lorna admits having filler in her 30s was her gateway drug to Botox Credit: Getty Lorna worries that when she discusses tweakments, she’s unintentionally adding pressure on women to look a certain way Credit: Getty – Contributor Filler was my gateway drug to Botox, which I first had at 39, and which I’ll happily admit I’m now addicted to. It’s probably a blessing in disguise that I met Dr Glyn when I did. He’s a less-is-more kind of guy. He regularly tells me: “No, Lorna, you don’t need it”. And whatever Dr Glyn says, I will do. Just recently, he had me in for a skin-booster treatment called Skinvive, a hydrating hyaluronic acid filler that gets skin glowing. I’d rate it 10 out of 10 – even my mum noticed the difference in my skin texture, and she’s blind as a bat! Naturally, I was straight on my socials talking about my glow-up and sharing all the details with my community. THIS WEEK I'M... Flying. . . EasyJet Travelling with them really is very easy. It’s a budget but reliable airline, and I’m a big fan of speedy boarding. Using. . . Diptyque Hand Cream What a treat for the paws – it makes my skin feel like velvet and the Eau des Sens fragrance is heavenly. Wearing. . . Cigarette jeans Straight and narrow is the classic YSL-inspired style – but River Island’s are so much more affordable. But it’s made me wonder whether by talking about my tweakments, I’m adding even more pressure on women to look a certain way. If it is, that’s not my intention. Mariella Frostrup recently wrote about how she misses men wolf-whistling at her. I call it the “petrol station effect”, because there’s no better thrill than when I’m filling up my Porsche 911 and I get an admiring glance. Even after 16 years together, John never let a day go by without telling me how hot or beautiful I looked. When I lost him in February, I lost those compliments, too, and it’s something I really miss, if I’m completely honest. I’m not ashamed to admit I just want someone to tell me that I look beautiful now and then. So, yep, I’ll be keeping up with the tweakments until further notice. Follow Lorna on Instagram @Lorna.