Strictly's Shirley Ballas 'looks better than 10 years ago' after non-surgical facelift
Strictly Come Dancing's Shirley Ballas has had £4,500 worth of high-tech aesthetic treatments, which she says have turned the clock back on her skin over a decade.
Shirley Ballas "looks better now than [she] did 10 years ago" following a non-surgical facelift which has made her "the most confident" she has ever felt going into a new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The 66-year-old ballroom judge has had £4,500 worth of NeoGen nitrogen plasma sessions, which she says have turned the clock back on her skin over a decade and provided a huge self-esteem boost as she prepares for her 10th series of the BBC One show.
Shirley, 66, said: "I recently saw some photographs of me taken in 2017, and if I’m really honest with myself, I was quite embarrassed.
"I remember that back then I really wasn't happy with my skin; I had sagging jowls, multiple lines and wrinkles plus lots of little age spots. I often had to rely on tinted makeup and heavy foundation to cover all those problem areas."
She added: "I never thought back then that my skin would look as beautiful and as radiant as it does now.
"I'm going into this next series looking better than when I started, and I can honestly say this is the most confident I've ever felt going into a new series."
The entertainer's "glowing" skin has made her feel "more confident" in front of cameras.
Shirley has received a lot of criticism about her appearance in the past.
The Queen of Latin said: "I’ve had my fair share of awful comments on social media. Things like, 'Oh, you’ve got bingo wings. Oh, you need to see to your face, you have sagging skin,' or, 'Your hair looks thin.'"
Shirley says the transformation of her face has changed the tone of comments she receives online.
The former World Champion dancer added: "Now it’s shifted and they say, 'Yes, she’s definitely had a facelift. No one looks that good at 66.'
"Well, I can assure all of you that write on social media, no facelift here, only my NeoGen."
Although Shirley has hit retirement age, she has no plans to stop working any time soon.
The Celebrity Bear Hunt alum said: "My mum keeps telling me, 'Shirley, you’re of retirement age now,' but you know what? I don’t think I’m ever going to retire, but I am going to keep taking care of myself and taking care of my skin.
"I certainly don’t think I look 66."
This year, Shirley underwent six NeoGen nitrogen plasma sessions.
She has used the treatments before, but this year decided that more powerful treatments were necessary to rejuvenate her skin.
Shirley explained: "I turned 66 a few weeks ago, and the ageing process is not slowing down. I need more support now than ever before, so I decided to up the ante on my treatments."
Shirley visited the Ouronyx aesthetic clinic in central London and took advice from Dr Maude Calveley and was prescribed a series of six NeoGen nitrogen plasma facials over the year and a set of topical treatments.
This followed on from some lower energy treatments performed by Dr Johanna Ward earlier in the year.
She said: "This year I’ve had some really strong treatments from NeoGen, probably the strongest treatments I’ve had up to date.
"My skin was shedding, and I thought my downtime would be about five days, and it was closer to 10 days. But the results by going that little bit higher on the NeoGen machine are outstanding, and I have to say I’m happier than ever with my skin.
"I had 1.2 joules energy on the machine. I was a little bit nervous about going higher. But it wasn't painful after they applied a lot of numbing cream.
"I just didn’t know what was going to happen to my skin, and it did shed. I looked a little strange for a minute or two there, but the end result is absolutely remarkable."
The NeoGen treatment releases superheated nitrogen gas into the skin to stimulate more collagen and elastin, the protein building blocks which give your skin its youthful look and feel.
Shirley also had some low-energy treatments with Dr Johanna Ward earlier in the year.
She said: "I couldn't risk having this amount of downtime when I'm filming, but I can during the holidays, so I thought I'd give it a go, and it has really paid off. I can safely say my skin hasn't looked this good for over 10 years."
Shirley's 40-year-old son, dancer-and-choreographer Mark Ballas, noticed her youthful appearance when they worked together on ABC's Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, which aired in July.
She said: "While working with Mark, he kept looking at me and said, 'I don't know what you're doing to your face, Mum, but you look remarkable.'
"He will probably never understand how good he made me feel saying that."
Thinking back to 2017, Shirley recalls that she was never fully happy with her skin and often relied on tinted makeup and heavy foundation to cover the areas that concerned her.
The star started to research aesthetic treatments back in 2022 when she was really down about her appearance, and that's when she first discovered NeoGen.
Shirley now has six treatments a year as part of her skin-maintenance routine and says the results have continued to build year on year.
She said: "This year particularly, I find my skin lifting, looking brighter, looking just beautiful. Lifting up the chin, all around on my jowls. All the places that women tend to look at in the mirror and think, 'Mm.' And I have to say, I am thrilled with my results."
The NeoGen treatments with Dr Maude Calveley at the Ouronyx clinic "aren't cheap", costing £750 each, but Shirley says they "are worth it as they really get results".
She praised Dr Calveley's "dedicated care and attention", clear explanations and the reassuring results of her treatment.
Dr Calveley used a regimen designed to regenerate Shirley's skin from within and avoid using injectables and fillers, which can leave an unnatural-looking result.
Dr Calveley said: "NeoGen delivers controlled thermal energy into the skin, which triggers its own repair response.
"The surface layer is left intact and acts as a natural biological dressing while fresh skin forms underneath, and with the medium-energy protocol we used with Shirley, it means that her recovery is measured in days rather than weeks.
"For Shirley specifically, I wanted three things: to firm the jawline and neck without surgery, even out skin tone and clear the sun damage, and to do it in a way that was invisible in progress, so she could carry on filming throughout.
"We have achieved all of that including around the delicate areas around the eyes, leaving her looking just like herself, only fresher."
Shirley has had a course of NeoGen treatments at the Ouronyx clinic. NeoGen treatments are available at clinics across the UK.
To find a local clinic, visit neogenplasma.co.uk/neogen-clinics/
