‘I’m 26 and I want to embrace ageing and my laughter and frown lines – not fear them’

We shouldn't be hiding how much we’ve lived and laughed, we should be embracing our facial wrinkles

Saoirse Hanley says ageing is a privilege

Saoirse Hanley

There is a line in my forehead practically permanently etched between my eyebrows. It tells the story of my childhood squint, and how it reappears each morning when I wake up and stumble to the kitchen for a cup of ambition. Some mornings, it’s deeper than others, and I start to wonder if I should have somebody inject a botulism toxin into it, stat.

At the end of a long day, the make-up I diligently applied after said morning cup of coffee is now settling between faint lines across my face. I stare into the bathroom mirror in the office and question whether it’s the lighting or if it has really looked this bad all day. I think about how a few millilitres of dermal filler might make the surface of my face a little smoother, or help the foundation stay on a little longer.