Just A Little Prick
A single syringe of dermal filler at Dr Wassim Taktouk’s clinic costs between $700 and $1100. “You might need three or four for a jawline,” says Taktouk, “so it can get expensive.”
A general practitioner-turned-“aesthetic expert”, Taktouk, who is 43 years old and has clear eyes and clearer pores, specialises in non-invasive cosmetic procedures – injections used to reshape facial features. He has a respectable 17,000 Instagram followers and a month-long waiting list. Taktouk can change the way you look, and he can do it without making an incision, or requiring you to take even a single day off work to recuperate.
“Everyone wants a squared-off chin and sharp jawline,” says Taktouk during a Zoom call – that most facially exposing mode of business communication. A hit of Botox can be injected to eradicate “male resting face” – the crease that forms in between your eyebrows as the gravity of middle age exerts its pull. “Eyes are big for us, too,” he says. “A small syringe beneath the socket can make it look like you’ve just had a really good night’s sleep.”
Male clients have started to bring in photographs of celebrity bone structures. Ryan Reynolds’s jaw is a popular choice. “As we age, there is a loss of the so-called ‘superhero’ jawline,” he says. “I replace the lost volume in this area, alongside the chin, back to its former glory.”
Using an artist’s palette of different syringes, Taktouk offers the option of a “power profile”, in which Teoxane – a thick, hyaluronic acid filler – is injected through the skin and onto the bone of the jaw and chin, altering the shape for up to two years. A
