For identical twins Christine Martin and Diane Reeve, looking at each other is like looking in a mirror.
So when the ageing process started to catch up with the Norwich sisters, it was staring them in the face all too plainly.
And when the idea of having a facelift was mooted, it was obvious to both that it would only be an ordeal they could face together.
So the 55-year-olds scoured the country in search of a surgeon who would operate on them within hours of each other.
Christine, who is retired, said: “I think we kind of knew there would come a time when we wanted to put the clock back a bit.
“Mostly the reaction was ‘you are mad, you don’t need it doing’, but it was for ourselves really.
“I think the change is subtle. With surgery people expect miracles and for you to suddenly look 10 years younger but it’s not like that: they can’t change your skin, just correct things like a sagging jawline or eyelids.
“The most major transformation has been in the eyelids. It’s not easy getting older and I think the more pride you take in your appearance the harder it is to accept. I also think as an identical twin you are probably more aware of how you are looking to other people because it’s like looking in a mirror each time you look at each other. I think you look at each other in a more critical way because deep down you are thinking ‘this is how I look’.”
The procedure was carried out by Surgeon Mr Sulaimann from the Hospital Group at its Dolan Park Hospital in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
Full story – Norwich Evening News Online.
