Aniston and Dr. Tracy’s point of view

Aniston: “I think, what I have been witness to, is seeing women trying to stay ageless with what they are doing to themselves. I am grateful to learn from their mistakes, because I am not injecting s— into my face,” the 45-year-old actress says bluntly. “I see them and my heart breaks. I think, ‘Oh god if you only know how much older you look.’ They are trying to stop the clock and all you can see is an insecure person who won’t let themselves just age.”

According to Dr. Tracy there is a difference between someone trying to “stop the clock” and those just trying to look the best for their age. “The former are expecting to radically reverse their appearance which never yields a natural result. My approach is to help my patients look great at any age. There is nothing wrong with taking 8-10 years off your face. Do we know of any models or actresses that pose on magazine covers without complete airbrush, carefully applied makeup by an artist and perfect hair color and highlights? Facial enhancement whether invasive or non-invasive is absolutely no different.”

To Aniston’s point, there are plenty examples of cosmetic enhancement gone terribly wrong. Who is at fault? The provider, the patient, the media or a combination? Dr. Tracy’s answer? “It’s a combination. Some providers don’t understand proportion, others accede to patient wishes and sometimes patients think if a little is good, more is better.” Telltale signs someone has had something “done” include loss of natural proportion and contours, a “doughy” appearance, a face that looks different from the neck, the classic frozen facial expression, an unnatural distance between the eyebrows and eyes and a distorted hairline.

How can you explain a celebrity’s poor result when we assume they have access to the very best providers? How do any of us mortals stand a chance? Dr. Tracy sees celebrities sending mixed messages that perpetuate inaccurate information to the public. “There are dozens of “rich and famous” who are victims of obvious mistakes in altering their appearance striking fear in the hearts of average women who might want to just get rid of a few lines. On the other side of the spectrum are those in the limelight who claim they never touch their face. In most cases they are either lying or they are 20.”

Dr. Tracy makes the point that celebrities are no different from the non-celebrity patient. Both groups can fall prey to physicians with poor judgment, inadequate skills or little artistic sense. And there are plenty of physicians who will acquiesce to a star’s demand for an unnatural look. “Some celebrities deliberately mislead the public when they deny having treatments while insiders know that is not the case. They want us to believe their seemingly ageless faces are totally natural, when they are not. This can make the average woman wonder what is wrong with her. It is not helpful, truthful or accurate.”

Bottom line…is there anything wrong with aging gracefully with some help? Dr. Tracy draws an interesting analogy. “Injectable treatments are similar to makeup in the sense that skillfully applied makeup makes one look fresh, well-rested and pretty. Poorly done makeup can make one look clownish. Injections done properly and artistically make us look like the best version of ourselves. Miss the mark with too much filler, Botox or surgery and you will be looking at a caricature of yourself in the mirror. Any skilled makeup artist knows to complement and create highlights and contours that enhance our features while maintaining a natural look. The same is true of a plastic surgeon using injectables.” But that is where the similarities end. Injectables are not cosmetics and while they are not permanent, no one wants to look odd–even temporarily. “Don’t be hesitant if you want a little help, but do be careful when shopping for a provider. Unfortunately it is buyer beware.”