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Linda's inspired to help others face up to cosmetic surgery
SUN, sea and plastic surgery is becoming an increasingly accepted way to make cosmetic procedures affordable. But how safe is it? One woman, who was once a special constable in March, wants to minimize the risks and works full time advising people where to go for anything from a boob job to a gastric by-pass. Maria Thompson finds out more.
SUN, sea and plastic surgery is becoming an increasingly accepted way to make cosmetic procedures affordable. But how safe is it? One woman, who was once a special constable in March, wants to minimize the risks and works full time advising people where to go for anything from a boob job to a gastric by-pass. Maria Thompson finds out more.COSMETIC surgery is getting more and more popular with everyone from celebrities to the woman or man who works in the same office as you having “work done”.
It was once something only the rich and famous could do, but these days, with cheap loans available on every street corner, the pursuit of the perfect body is anyone’s game.
But how safe is it?
And where do you start looking for the best surgeon or to compare prices?
One woman who claims to have all the answers to these questions and more, is former March special constable Linda Briggs.
Her story began almost 10 years ago, when she completely changed her image, swapping her short orange hair for blonde hair extensions and paying thousands of pounds for a face-lift.
Now she’s one, if not the only, independent plastic surgery advisor in Cambridgeshire.
Her story began in 1999. Linda had a great career as a solicitor, but on reaching her mid-40s felt strangers were treating her differently.
She said: “It was like I was invisible. People just looked at me and thought I was an old person and didn’t have a brain anymore. It felt like I didn’t exist.
“I always liked to make the best of myself, but when you have an old looking face, it doesn’t matter how expensive your designer clothes are, you still look like an old bag.
“I’m a realist at the end of the day, and I thought things had just got to change. I had tried every treatment going, which worked for a while, but in the end I thought, that’s it and took a loan out and had a face-lift.”
Linda contacted a magazine to tell her story afterwards and let her surgeon know what she would be doing.
The 5,000 procedure turned out to be a great success, but when her story appeared in the magazine, more than 40 women got in touch with Linda to say they had not had such good experiences.
It turned out many of these women had been left permanently scarred by the same doctor Linda had used, and they wanted to warn others not to use him.
With the help of a television journalist, Linda launched a campaign against the doctor and he was subsequently investigated and eventually struck off by the General Medical Council.
The doctor can no longer practice medicine.
Linda said: “After that I decided to set up a website to help people. Within six months I had to give up my job and do it full-time.
”I have had everyone contact me from professionals who don’t need to ask the cost because money isn’t an issue, to women like the one who contacted me recently.
“She had inherited some money and wanted to have her eyes done.
“Then there’s young girls who work for a living and take a loan out to have their boobs done.”
Linda has found it almost impossible to find cosmetic surgeons in England with affordable prices and so took her search overseas, where she has found doctors prepared to carry out procedures at a fraction of the price you would pay in this country.
She doesn’t offer people any guarantee that things will go how they want, but hopes to offer people a way into researching it as well as they can before investing any money.
Linda said: “It’s about a quarter of the cost for surgery, even with flights and a hotel, it’s still half the price.
“People know this and are even going abroad for dentistry and saving money. For people who combine it with a holiday, it’s even cheaper, but you can’t do that with everything.
“For some things you need to stay there long enough to assess if the work you have had done is to the right standard you want.”
And she added: “You can never guarantee anything is 100 per cent safe. You’re dealing with a surgeon who is a human being and as capable as anyone of having a bad day.
“The patient is different every time and the doctor will not have the patient’s history if it’s a first time thing. No one can guarantee it. It’s surgery and it’s not an exact science, so you have to try and minimize the risks as much as you can.”
Through Linda’s free advisory website people can contact a surgeon, speak to him or her directly or even make a trip out to talk things over face to face before committing.
She has doctors in Paris, Tunisia, Croatia and even an American surgeon who works with a surgeon from Paris doing reconstructive breast surgery for women who have had mastectomys.
Linda, who lives in Welney, near Ely has even used some of the surgeons herself and continued to have further cosmetic procedures.
Following the face-lift, she spent 400 on blonde hair extensions, has had botox, dermal filler in her face, dermabrasion of her top lip to remove a wrinkle and laser treatment on thread veins.
She has also had permanent eye liner, eyebrows and lip liner applied, lipo suction on her hips, thighs and upper abdomen and plans to have her boobs lifted very soon.
She said: “You have to be aware that as you get older your body changes. I have never been a miserable person and I can accept the way I am, but having experienced both sides, I know how it was and I prefer the way I’m treated now.
“Of course, you have to be sensible as well and allow yourself to grow old gracefully. You make the best of what you have but if you try and look much younger than you are then you will make a real fool of yourself.”
Although cosmetic surgery is something Linda and her family now see as being quite normal, it hasn’t always been that way.
When she first decided to have a face-lift, her husband and her family expressed concern.
Linda said: “My mum didn’t want me to do it and my dad didn’t really say much. My husband is very traditional and said he loved me the way I was but once I had it done he loved it.”
So impressed with the end result was husband Michael, he went as far as having surgery himself on his eyes and teeth and is planning to undergo a face lift soon.
Linda said: “I have quite a few men come to me now for advice. I have one man who is in his 30s and wants a face-lift. I get a lot of 40 and 50-year-old men who are starting to age and want to stay at the top of their game.
“The way I see it is we live in a very shallow world and we are really ageist. People who say we are not haven’t experienced it first-hand like me.
“When I see people at shows and I’m giving out leaflets about my website, some of them say they would rather grow old gracefully, but I don’t think they have experienced how people are when you look old.
“It depends how quickly you age on when you should start to think about it, for some women they can experience the menopause at 30 and that really ages them – it’s an individual thing.”
For Linda and the thousands of people who have undergone cosmetic surgery there is certainly a ring of truth in what she says.
But for others, at least for now, it’s be about being happy on the inside regardless of what they look like on the outside.
Win tickets to brilliant beauty show and pick up some great tips
Thinking about having a bit of nip or tuck? Linda Briggs will be on hand to answer all your cosmetic, medical and hair restoration queries at the Essential Beauty and Body Show at the East of England showground, Peterborough on Saturday and Sunday.
It’s a chance to try out the latest cosmetics and anti-ageing products – those essentials for your make-up bag.
Top names, such as Avon, will be demonstrating their range of cosmetics, including lipsticks so popular that one is sold every three seconds.
Visit the Avon and Superdrug Pamper Zones, where you can unwind while you receive a wonderful free hand massage, luxurious makeover or relaxing facial.
It doesn’t end there, there’s loads of treatments available – you can have your nails done by top local nail bar Pink and White, an Ayurvedic massage and even semi-permanent makeup – all at special show discounted prices.
Need more than a hair-clip to get some hair with flair?
Don’t miss one of Cambridgeshire’s top stylists Antony James and his creative team, who are ready to help out with loads of advice on the latest styles and even cut hair at great show offers.
Antony has hair pieces to make shorter hair longer, or longer hair shorter – learn the hair tricks of the celebs.
If retail therapy is part of your beauty routine, then you won’t be disappointed, with loads to buy including those must-have fashion accessories, including beautiful leather handbags from Hamilton Leather.
There’s loads of fun and exciting competitions at the show that are sure to raise an eyebrow – it all starts when you book your tickets to the show online at www.beautyandbodyshow.co.uk where you will be entered into a prize draw to win a night of pampering in the luxurious Champneys Health Resort.
The Evening Telegraph is also giving away tickets.
To be in with a chance of winning a pair, just send your name and address to Beauty competition, Maria Thompson, The Evening Telegraph, 57 Priestgate, Peterborough, PE1 1JW, by Friday.
Terms and conditions apply.
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