Glass meets leading anti-ageing expert, Dr Frances Prenna Jones

If I EVER wanted to have some work done on my face, it is Dr Frances Prenna Jones and her alone I would entrust to do this. The Welsh-born daughter of two doctors, Prenna Jones studied medicine in Cardiff. A former cardiologist turned fashion school graduate, Prenna Jones is now an anti-ageing expert who works half the time from her very discreet and calming Mayfair mews clinic and the rest of the time in Dorset where the factory that makes her remarkable skin care products is based. She is the best advertisement for her practice. She looks simply great – not unnaturally frozen or just slightly too plumped, shiny and puffed, which gives that somewhat spooky and unreal appearance – the best version of herself, elegant and rested, with great skin, lively bright eyes and a very expressive face.

Her clinic offers a range of treatments. However, Prenna Jones favours mesotherapy, a technique which employs multiple injections of pharmaceutical and homoeopathic medications, plant extracts, vitamins, and other ingredients into the subcutaneous fat. Needless to say, she has a stellar and very packed client list. In person, the super stylish Prenna Jones is friendly, personable and happy to answer any question (however basic) from me.

Can you tell me something about your career?
When I finished my medical degree in Cardiff, I moved to Australia where I did my postgraduate training. I trained as an internalist and worked as a cardiologist. Then I moved back to London and worked at The Royal Infirmary, where I practised cardiology for nearly 10 years. While I was there, I decided that I wanted to do another degree, as before I went to university, I had thought long and hard about whether to study medicine or to go to art school. I went back and did a BA in womenswear and print at Central Saint Martins.

It was untenable for me to have a full-time job while I was studying. But I had to work part time to fund my degree. Luckily I met Freddie Nichol, a plastic surgeon, and he advised me, “With your general medicine and your aesthetic eye, you would be amazing at this new speciality that was coming out.” I am eternally grateful to him. I travelled, learning about the different treatments you can do, which involved a lot of watching, mentoring and learning. I suddenly realised that I had found something that I absolutely loved. If you are super, super lucky, you will find something where it all comes together.

Studying at Central Saint Martins gave me so much, another dimension, but let me tell you – while medicine was tough, that was tougher. I cried more there than I ever did at medical school. But equally, they were the people who gave me confidence in myself, as you were accepted for whoever you were. It was incredibly inspiring, just to be pushed a little bit further all the time creatively.

After this, I was head-hunted by Boots, who wanted to do something at the time that was really avant-garde for them, called Pure Beauty, which was bringing aesthetic treatments and products to the high street. They asked me to help them set up the clinic and to do other kinds of treatment. When this venture ended, I had all this cohort of patients. What was I going to do with them? And that is how my practice started. I was in Harley Street before this building where I have been for around ten years now.

Dr Frances Prenna Jones

And how is your practice going?
Very well actually, even if I do say so myself. It is a slow and steady growth of the business, which makes me happy. We are a bespoke range. But I am really lucky that I have found a speciality, or I found something whereby it appeals to all of the different sides of me: the narcissist in me, the artistic, the geeky, and creative, all of these aspects.

I am my target audience, and that is how I got interested in it – reading about ingredients, and how things would work – and being able to put them into a cream for me. But my patients would say, “Frances can’t we just use one thing?” and I thought, “Well, why can’t you?”

So that is how my hero product, Formula 2006, came about. It arose from the idea that if you are going to do nothing else, you do just this. Formula 2006 sits at the core of all the products. If you are not going to do anything else, then use my Formula 2006.

Formula 2006 by Dr Frances Prenna Jones

Can you tell me about Formula 2006?
It’s a cleaner, a treater, a preventer and a moisturiser all-in-one – just sweep it on. It includes glycolic and salicylic as well as a whole host of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories too, each one doing a slightly different thing. It contains feverfew, an ancient herbal remedy for migraines and a powerful anti-inflammatory. We have actually discovered that feverfew is very potent at preventing sun damage.

That is my baby, and I am quite proud of it. I am quite protective of my products. There will not be any more products to the core range, but they will evolve. We will be constantly redeveloping them, the concept being is that we’ve done all the work for you.

Dr Frances Prenna Jones Express Clean

by Caroline Simpson

www.drfrancesprennajones.com