“Your skin looks great,” they said. “You don’t look your age, Aunty.”

“Aunty? And who ever told you my age?” I want to scream, but smile instead and say a polite, “Thank you, dear.” I try not to grit my teeth and banish all violent thoughts like slapping those 30-somethings across the face nice and hard. I’d rather be called Ma’am or Mrs…

This was happening far too often. I did NOT want to grow old gracefully. Instead I wanted to fight it tooth and nail every single day of my life. When I die, I’d much rather be a slim, beautiful corpse with a flawless skin and not a shrivelled prune whose time has come. Morbid thoughts hold my fascination. I go on to think about how I’d like to look in my obituary pictures – obviously lovely and glowing rather than a droopy old lady who has allowed gravity to take its toll. Maybe I should choose a photograph…

“What about some botox and fillers?” the dermatologist suggested after listening to my rant.

“Or a facelift?” Asked an ambitious Plastic Surgeon. “We will cut out all the sagging skin and pull it nice and tight. Your double chin will disappear, your jaw line would be much more defined, and you will look great.”

“What about scarring? And how soon can I see the results?” I wanted to know.

“See, the Indian skin is rich in collagen and this would mean scars. You may have to cover it with your hair,” he says. “It takes time to heal. You will see the exact results of a facelift after six months. So don’t plan any major events immediately after your surgery.”

“This works big time,” he said. “It uses Radio Frequency waves to bring your collagen to the surface and tightens the skin at the same time. Only one hitch. You need to come for multiple sittings – each one lasting about 45 minutes.”

Yes it was more expensive than a regular facial. But the effects would last longer, my brain figured, and I would have to follow up with only one sitting every year.
Unable to hide my excited smile, I fixed my date with Mr. Exilis for the very next day.

EEps! Did he just say surgery? No way. I’d rather become wrinkled and age gracefully. Like the rest of the world, and stop all research right then and there, taking my disappointment home.

Then I heard about the Exilis. Being internet savvy, I quickly googled it on my phone and found one Dr. Karthik in Chennai had imported the machine and was showing great results. Giving him a call to find out if he knew his stuff, I heard him out.

Proceeding to meet him armed with stunning photographs of myself taken some 24 years ago, I look at them, longingly. I could not believe the stunning beauty smiling at the camera was actually me. I showed them to Dr. Karthik. He simply smiled his enigmatic ‘patient’ smile and stroked the side of his nose.

Then he changed the subject.

“This works big time,” he said. “It uses Radio Frequency waves to bring your collagen to the surface and tightens the skin at the same time. Only one hitch. You need to come for multiple sittings – each one lasting about 45 minutes.”
Yes it was more expensive than a regular facial. But the effects would last longer, my brain figured, and I would have to follow up with only one sitting every year.
Unable to hide my excited smile, I fixed my date with Mr. Exilis for the very next day.

Week 1

‘Before’ photographs were clicked. Looking at them I felt the urge to show the girls who would do the job on my face the two photographs I had subjected Dr. Karthik to.
She smiled and said, “You will always be a beauty queen.” Her simplicity made my heart soar with hope.
Lying on the clean pink sheeted procedure table with my head on a black and white cushion, I shut my eyes tight, thinking pleasant thoughts. The clear gooey gel was spread on one side of my face and a heat generating probe was circulated around each area. I felt the mild heat reach within my skin and encourage the collagen to resurface. It was quite nice, actually. Like a hot stone massage, only the hot stone kept moving.
“Your skin is like a baby’s,” she cooed.

My heart smiled happily, while my cynical head said, “She’s been taught to say the right things, dummy. Don’t get carried away. And those two photographs you hold so dear? Those were in another year. Long, long ago. Don’t ever aspire to look like that. You will only be living on a hope and a prayer.”
“Shut up, head,” I said and continued to enjoy that warmth that was circulating around one side of my face. It was done. I got to see the remarkable difference in a mirror before she began work on the other side.
All done, the thrill that coursed through my veins was unbelievable.

“You must drink lots of water before and after the treatment,” she said. After it was all done. “Drink and come next time.” I nodded my head like an obedient child, remembering the bottle of water in the car. At least the ‘after’ was taken care of.

Sipping away in the dark, I felt my skin get tighter. Nothing much else happened – no redness, no tingling, no miraculous 24 year time reversal. Maybe when I’ve gone through all sittings.