A mum has told of her newfound confidence after splashing £2,000 on cosmetic fillers and Botox.
Chez Timms-Lewis, 51, a mum-of-two, says her split from her partner of 32 years aged her face, leading her to opt for the procedures.
She credits the cosmetic work with transforming her love life, giving her the courage to join Tinder and meet younger guys.
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Chez, from Swindon, was conscious of the deepening lines around her mouth after her break-up during the pandemic.
“I felt drab at 50," she said.
“The break-up had really aged me, so having the fillers took a decade off my face.
“Some people may think that sounds a bit shallow, but if I’m not happy with myself then I’m not going to attract positive things around me.”
She added: “Now the men I date think I’m 10 years younger than I am!”
Chez was left at an all-time low after parting from the father of her two children in February 2020, just before the country went into lockdown.
“We were never married but had been together 32 years. We met when I was 18 and had two kids together," she continued.
“But it wasn’t working anymore and we split up.
“Straight after, though, we went into lockdown and I wasn’t able to leave the property. It was a really hard time.”
A year later in February 2021, Chez moved into her own home, and focused on building her confidence.
But despite throwing herself into her new single life, she was hampered by low self-esteem about her appearance.
“Despite moving into my own home, I was in a low place,” she said.
“When I looked at myself, I just kept thinking, ‘Oh my god, I’m never going to find anyone that would want me.’”
She added: “I looked so old. The worst thing for me was the marionette lines, from the mouth down to the chin.
“During the break up, I’m sure they became much deeper and I developed a lot of lines around my eyes that I didn’t have before.
“When I looked in the mirror, I just didn’t like the person looking back at me.
“I didn’t feel like that old person I saw. It really knocked my confidence.”
Determined to boost her self-esteem, Chez contacted Anna Medical Aesthetics in Swindon in October, and ended up splashing out £2,000 on MaiLi dermal fillers and Botox to erase the sorrow of her split from her face.
“I first considered fillers when my relationship ended,” she said.
“But I was a little bit apprehensive and nervous, because you see people on TV who’ve had them and it definitely looks like overkill.
“When I met Anna, though, I felt comfortable with her straight away. She advised me to have fillers, but also Botox to lift my face, so it looked more natural.”
“It was a bit pricy, but I wanted to do this for myself,” Chez added.
“The Botox lifted my marionette lines and the MaiLi filler created a natural fullness in my face, erasing my wrinkles.
“When I looked in the mirror, I just burst into tears of happiness. It was an instant change, I felt so happy.”
After her transformation, Chez’s friends and family could not put their finger on what was different.
“I didn’t tell people I’d had any fillers,” she said.
“I could see my friends looking at me and wondering what was different. Loads of my pals said, ‘You look amazing, but I don’t know what’s changed.’”
Feeling more youthful also made Chez more flirtatious, so she joined Tinder and was soon attracting men in their forties wanting to date her.
“I haven’t actually put my age on my dating profile,” she laughed.
“I’m intrigued to see what people say. When I tell dates my age they are shocked, they always think I’m closer to 40 than 50!
“I started a Tinder profile just before I had my fillers done, but I hadn’t really started dating. After my treatment, I instantly swapped my photos.
“I had some really complimentary messages and have been on some lovely dates. One man I went out with couldn’t believe I was 50.
“He even asked how I was still single as I looked so good. That was really nice to hear.”
Chez added: “I do tend to date men aged around 40 now and I’m seeing a guy, but we’re not in a full on relationship.
“It’s more of a friends with benefits situation. Neither of us is ready for a relationship, but we spend time together and he’s 43.”
While her dating success has been wonderful, she says the biggest benefit of her treatment has been enabling her to love herself again.
“After I split with my ex, it was like a whole new life for me,” she said.
“I didn’t want to sit in my house, looking at myself and not really liking the person looking back at me. Instead I decided to do something about it.
“I have so much more confidence now. I was very much a fuddy duddy before and my fillers have changed everything.”
She added: “I make more of an effort with putting my make-up on every day and wear nice clothes. I feel fantastic.”
