Forget cosmetic surgery and try ‘face bra’ instead
Written on Saturday, October 14, 2006 by Gemini
With soaring numbers of women resorting to cosmetic surgery to restore looks, it is the perfect option for those who can’t face the knife. But be warned, as its name suggests, it is not quite the invisible lift-me-up that most women are looking for. 
This is the face bra, the latest ingenious device that promises to lift that troublesome sagging jaw line and tighten those tired jowls. It follows in the footsteps of underwear that mimics the effect of buttock implants and tights that promise to create a whole new figure. The face bra claims to offer permanent benefits, unlike knickers that give a short term booty boost. Not since Elaine, the dizzy secretary on Ally McBeal created her own face bra, has there been such a bizarre beauty product. But creator Vicki Southard claims her own creation owes nothing to the screen device. For some women the face bra, which costs £43, does have one rather obvious drawback—its Egyptian mummy style appearance. Bandages stretch around the forehead, under the chin and round the neck. The secret of the ‘bra’ is said to be the minerals the user must soak the soft elastic cotton fabric in before application. It is then held in place with Velcro straps and worn for 30 to 40 minutes at a time. The user is advised to ‘baste’ herself with minerals every 10 minutes for maximum effect. There have been an increasing number of treatments and tools to help women tighten up or improve their curves without resorting to the surgeon’s knife. Earlier this year, the underwear maker which gave women the Wonderbra introduced Curves Up knickers, with spongy removable pads to clinch, lift and squeeze the bottom into a more rounded shape. Meanwhile there is microdermabrasion, peels, fillers and Botox — all designed to maintain a youthful look. As for cosmetic surgery, it too has enjoyed a boom, driven in large part by television shows such as Extreme Makeover and Ten Years Younger.
