For women, ageing has long been a double bind. Rhetoric tells us that it's our duty to stay young and beautiful, yet we are ridiculed the moment our efforts to do so become visible.
Age gracefully, but not too deliberately; it's a no-win narrative, and one that women are increasingly rejecting. Aesthetic treatments may once have been considered off-limits by women in their seventies, but they are now undergoing a noticeable rise in popularity.
This growing cohort of women is redefining what ageing looks like: from subtle injectables (and not-so-subtle facelifts, in the case of Kris Jenner) to skin-renewing treatments, they are embracing technology not to chase youth, but to feel confident, visible, and in control of how they present themselves in later life.
"For many women in their seventies, the decades before were dedicated to raising children, running households, supporting partners and navigating demanding careers," says the psychotherapist, author and speaker Anna Mathur. "By the time they reach their seventies, many finally have the time, autonomy and financial freedom to focus on themselves in a way they never could before. That shift often sparks a desire to reconnect with parts of their identity that were sidelined earlier on.
"Aesthetic treatments are often less about wanting to look young and more about wanting to feel like themselves again," she says. "Treatments can help to restore congruence between inner self and outer appearance."
There's also something deeply powerful, she adds, about reclaiming agency at a point when women are often made to feel invisible. "Making a conscious choice about your appearance can feel like a reclamation of identity rather than vanity."
The ageless revolution
"Older generations lived through a time when women were expected to age quietly," Anna says. "Beauty norms were strict and strongly policed: you were either youthful or you were not, and once you crossed that threshold, you were expected to shrink from the public gaze."
Today's 70-something, however, have lived through enormous cultural change and are less willing to accept rules that dictate how they should look or behave. "In my clinical work, I rarely meet a woman who has simply stopped caring about her appearance because of her age," Anna says. "What I see instead is a lifelong desire to feel like oneself."
The assumption that caring about appearance is merely superficial misses the point. "In reality, it often reflects self-respect, identity and the desire to participate fully in the world," she says. Pushing back against the idea that value diminishes over time is, in itself, a radical act. It's a sentiment echoed by the actress Glynis Barber, 70, a member of HELLO!'s Beauty Collective. "I believe it's healthy to care about how you look," she says. "It's not about wanting to look decades younger or completely changing yourself. It's about wanting to look like the best version of yourself – and that has a huge impact on how you feel."
Like many septuagenarians, she favours subtle, cumulative treatments. "It's easy to waste money on things that don't make a real difference," Glynis says. "For me, mild radio frequency and microneedling have been effective; they improve skin quality without altering who you are."
Confidence has no age
Experts in clinics are witnessing the trend first-hand. "It reflects a wider cultural shift," says Paris Acharya, the founder of the Ardour Clinic. "Women are living longer, healthier lives and no longer feel that there is an expiry date on self-care.
"Many of my patients in their seventies are still working, travelling and leading active lives. They want their outer appearance to reflect how energetic and engaged they feel inside."
Stefanie Williams, a dermatologist and the medical director of Eudelo specialist skin clinic, agrees. "The seventies surge has been fascinating to us. What's particularly interesting about this demographic is the psychological benefit we often see," she says. "Enhanced confidence, improved self-esteem and a better quality of life are common outcomes."
Importantly, expectations are realistic. "These women aren’t trying to look 40 again," Stefanie says. "They simply want to look like the healthiest, most refreshed version of themselves. Age should never be a barrier to feeling confident in your own skin, and these women are redefining what it means to age gracefully on their own terms."
Refresh, not rewind
At the heart of this surprising age peak is the availability of more natural-looking treatments, which has also helped to reduce stigma. "This generation didn't grow up with today's medical tech," says the aesthetic doctor Wassim Taktouk. "There was more of a taboo around aesthetic procedures and fewer subtle options."
So, what are they asking for? According to Georgina Williams, a consultant plastic surgeon and the co-founder of Montrose London, demand is increasing for both surgical and non-surgical interventions.
"We’ve seen a 15% increase in upper blepharoplasty among the over-seventies," she says. "But, more strikingly, fully ablative resurfacing lasers have increased by 50%, and while Botox remains popular, there has been a significant increase in polynucleotides and Profhilo," she adds. Subtlety and a fresh complexion, it seems, are key.
"Aesthetic work is less forgiving in one's seventies," Stefanie says. "It's bad enough if it’s obvious that a patient has had work done when they’re in their forties, but it's unforgivable when it's someone in their seventies.” Doctors agree that the approach is generally far more nuanced, because ageing skin behaves very differently to the skin of someone in their forties or fifties, with more laxity as well as bone and fat loss.
"I focus far less on volumisation and far more on skin quality, tissue support and regeneration," Paris says. "Treatments are gentler and more staged, and always prioritise safety, natural movement and comfort."
The goal, she stresses, is to optimise the health and integrity of the skin. 70-year-olds already look different from how they did 50 years ago, Wassim says. With longer lifespans, better health and advancing technology on their side, the next generation of women entering their seventies is set to redefine later life yet again.