Curse of the cat face: Big cheeks and high brows, the stars trying too hard to stay young

By Leah Hardy


As she skied elegantly down the slopes at her favourite winter resort of Klosters in Switzerland earlier this month, there was no denying Tara Palmer-Tomkinson’s fabulous physique.

However, a closer inspection of pictures reveal the former It-Girl’s face is virtually unrecognisable. At 40, she appears to have developed the soaring eyebrows, triangular visage and slanting eyes so familiar on many famous women.

Stars such as Kylie Minogue, Carla Bruni, Lulu and Madonna are just some of those who’ve begun sporting facial features so feline that they’re now being dubbed the ‘Celebrity Cat Club’. It’s usually the next step on from the ‘pillow face’, where so much filler is pumped into cheeks, they begin to look unnaturally plump.

TARA PALMER-TOMKINSON (left). Adrian Richards, of Aurora Clinics, says: 'Her eyebrows are much higher, usually the result of Botox. KYLIE MINOGUE (right). She denies using Botox but her high brows, plump cheeks and glossy forehead giver her a kittenish look


But what measures do these women have to take to get the distinctive cat-faced look made infamous by the so-called Bride of Wildenstein — former millionaire art dealer’s wife Jocelyn Wildenstein — in the late 1990s?

Dirk Kremer, a Harley Street plastic surgeon, explains: ‘While the “pillow face” is caused by using too much filler, the “cat face” is the result of having too much of everything — all done badly. Those soaring eyebrows occur when too much Botox is given, especially in the centre of the forehead. This makes it very smooth and can cause the centre of the brows to drop.

‘The outer edges of the eyebrows then fly up in a very artificial way. It’s a kind of Fifties diva look that is ridiculous on most women.

‘The second element of the cat face is cheek fillers. If too much is put in, the enlarged cheek presses against the eye, making it look smaller and slanted. This is especially obvious if the woman is smiling.

‘Too much filler also gives the face a triangular look: wide at the cheekbones and comparatively narrow at the jaw. In moderation, this is a youthful shape; but in excess, it just adds to the feline quality. And if Botox has always been used to eliminate any lines, the smooth, artificial, cat-like shape is further emphasised.’


MADONNA (left). The Material Girl is rumoured to have had thread lifts to raise sagging cheeks, plus Botox and copious fillers. CARLA BRUNI (right). According to surgeon Alex Karidis, she's overused Botox and fillers, hence the hamster cheeks and odd eyes

TRUDI STYLER (left). Sting's wife once said people who eat too much stodge get 'carb faces' Is her feline face any better. JOAN RIVERS (right). A fan of cosmetic surgery since 1965, Joan's subsequent facelifts have all been augmented with Botox and filler


But why, when the cat look is so strange, do so many celebrities end up slipping into it?

Plastic surgeon Rajiv Grover, from London’s King Edward VII Hospital, says: ‘Studies show the central facial triangle is a major element of the beauty of the young face. Full cheeks act as a “pedestal” for the eyes, enhancing their appearance.’ The theory is that plumping up our cheeks makes us look more youthful and returns us to our former beauty.

Dr Kremer adds: ‘Fillers in moderation can be amazingly rejuvenating. Celebrities try them and get a lot of compliments. So they think: “Why not put in more and look even better?”

‘But by insisting on the same dose at shorter intervals, they can forget what they used to look like and lose all sense of proportion and reality.’

PRISCILLA PRESLEY (left). A fake cosmetic 'doctor' injected her face with illegal industrial silicone - and went to jail. CAPRICE BOURRET (right). The model purred that 'good genes', not Botox, were the reason for her youthful features


Plastic surgeon Dr Marco Lens says he regularly sees the ‘cat face’ in his Harley Street surgery. ‘Women come to me because they know they don’t look right, but don’t know why,’ he says. ‘By blowing up their faces like a balloon, they don’t look younger, but like old women trying to look younger.’

So it’s not surprising that some celebrities are learning the lessons of those who have gone too far with Botox and fillers.

Instead, actresses Jennifer Aniston and Anna Friel choose treatments like peels, gentle lasers and skin-tightening such as Pelleve that help to improve the texture, elasticity, clarity and firmness of skin. The result is a more elegant, natural look.

The good news about temporary fillers is that they wear off in between four and 18 months, depending on their thickness. Botox also wears off after four to six months.

So, in most cases, an accidental cat face will vanish of its own accord.


source:dailymail