What French women choose at the aesthetician

Telegraph

04-05-2025

For years, we've looked across the Channel to the French for their beauty tips and that elusive 'je ne sais quoi'. Who doesn't covet the effortless chic of former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld, who at 70 still makes pencil skirts and 9cm heels look laid back? Or the timeless elegance of Dior's Cordelia de Castellane or Inès de La Fressange who have long taught us how a great haircut, a red lip and an ankle boot can be a winning formula at any age.
But as well as French pharmacy finds and fashion, what is it that French women are doing to age so well? They tend to be more tight-lipped about their cosmetic treatments than the British. 'It's rare to find a Parisienne who will admit to having Botox,' says aesthetic practitioner Dr Antoni Calmon, who divides his time between clinics in Paris and London. 'French women love to put their good looks down to genetics, but the reality is they are, of course, having treatments done in clinic, but they are less adventurous than the English and they all say, 'I don't want anyone to notice I've had anything done.''
London-based aesthetic practitioner Dr Wassim Taktouk – who has the subtlest touch with a Botox needle and is known for his less-is-more approach – has many Parisian patients passing through his Hermes-orange salon door off London's Sloane Street. He agrees about the French women's attitude to toxins when I saw him recently at the Aesthetic and Anti-Ageing Medicine Congress in Monaco (yes, that is a thing).
'Le petit Tox'
'Most of my French patients all love a tiny sprinkling of 'Le petit Tox' even though they don't talk about it with their friends,' he says, 'and they always ask me to leave some lines and wrinkles. In contrast, Brits and Americans are more likely to ask to remove all the lines. The underdone ethos is exactly the same as the French approach to fashion and jewellery, where there really seems to be a cultural distaste for anything overly done'.
Dr Calmon says the majority of his clients asking for Botox just have a drop between the eyebrows to soften the '11' lines, but never around the eyes, as obliterating the smile lines can end up looking overdone and too fake. Calmon will sometimes use a drop of toxin to subtly lift the eyebrow just to make the face look a little less tired.
Micro injections
Another in-clinic treatment that French women love is mesotherapy. Dr Taktouk explains: 'It's been around since the 1950s when it was introduced by a French doctor and is essentially tiny micro-injections of a cocktail of vitamins, amino acids and hyaluronic acid into the skin.' I've tried it and they don't feel like injections at all, more like tiny pin pricks. I liked the subtle glow it added to my complexion, but you need to keep having it done every few months to keep the radiance. It's great for dry midlife skin as it feels hydrating and can stimulate collagen production. I'd say as a one-off treatment, it would be very good before a big event.
Slimmer thighs (and jawline)
Another French favourite is LPG Endermologie, which was originally developed by French doctors in the 1980s for burn victims but has since become a much-booked treatment for slimming thighs, helping reduce cellulite, but also for slimming a puffy-looking face. It's a machine which gives an intense but pleasurable lymphatic drainage massage. EFmedispa have developed a 'French Facial', from £275, which incorporates the LPF lymphatic drainage machine to help de-puff and lift the face.
Dr Calmon says puffy faces are also very much a focus with his jawline tightening procedures. It's rare he'll use filler for this, but instead uses a combination of collagen-stimulating calcium injections (from £600) or Ultherapy (from £1,500), which uses ultrasound to stimulate the SMAS muscle – this is the muscle that surgeons target during a facelift. 'Ultherapy isn't new but is one of the trusted modalities French women love, and the results develop over a few months. They all want to have a tight jawline,' says Calmon.
A fresher face
Olivia Falcon, who runs the Editor's List, one of the UK's leading aesthetic concierge services, agrees that all of her French clients are interested in subtle treatments that work over time rather than instant beautification. 'My Parisian ladies are horrified by the Kardashian look and find big bottoms and overfilled lips tres vulgar! They just want subtle tweaks.'
'Peptide injections are an interesting new secret weapon for freshening the appearance, which is increasingly popular in Paris, and relatively new to the UK,' says Falcon. 'They can soften lines, subtly add volume to hollow cheeks and make you look less tired'. The benefit of peptides is that you're not adding anything like filler into the skin, but the peptides work to stimulate our own collagen production, so skin texture or even volume can be greatly improved.
I've seen very natural results from Dr Aamer Khan at Harley Street Skin Clinic, from £250, whose clinic offers peptide injections from ABGlab. It can help with jawline tightening, under-eye refreshing and also help to manage rosacea and pigmentation.
Boosting your own collagen
Mayfair clinic owner Dr Ahmed El Muntasar, tells me that his English patients are also beginning to adopt this less-is-more approach too. 'They used to come in with photographs of Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek saying they wanted to look like that, but now people are more and more interested in just a sprinkle of Botox and improving skin texture. Treatments that stimulate collagen production, be it injectables or laser, are definitely the way forward'. That said, he also tells me he did have a patient fly in from Bordeaux recently because her French doctor refused to inject any filler into her face.
Les docteurs are on board too, it seems. Emily in Paris actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu summed up the French attitude to tweaks perfectly when she recently told Vogue, 'Little things can be ok but as soon as you try to do too much, it looks kind of …hmm.' Sante to that.
LAB31b Need.L MIcropeptide Power Serum, £90, LAB31b
Combining hyaluronic acid with anti-ageing peptides, this is a powerful serum for adding radiance to dull skin and softening lines.
Vitamin C Serum, £85, Pers Skincare
SVR Sun Secure Blur, SPF50, £21, The French Pharmacy
The SPF of choice for many Parisians due to its lightweight, comfortable texture.