Why I sold my home for a facelift

Like a lot of women, I've always taken a great deal of care over my appearance. I don't smoke, I look after my skin and I try to get to the gym as often as possible. Then four years ago at the age of 49, I suddenly began to age rapidly and before long I barely recognised myself. No matter how much sleep I got, I looked constantly exhausted and my neck and cheeks were visibly starting to sag.

I'd always been proud of my apperance but before long I started to avoid looking in the mirror. I felt old before my time and soon stopped making an effort to look good as I couldn't see the point of even.trying. Nothing I did seemed to make me look better. I'd splash out on a new outfit but no amount of glamour could bring back my sparkle. I'd always enjoyed wearing make-up but eyeshadow started to rest in the creases on my eyelids and they were so baggy I had to hold them back in order to put on mascara.

Until then, I'd always been a very sociable person but I started making excuses not to go out. I'd bought my two-bedroom Victorian townhouse in Earlsdon, Coventry, four years earlier and although it was my dream home, it needed a lot of work doing to it. So instead of going to the gym or socialising with friends I made DIY and decorating my main pastime . It wasn't glamorous but doing up my house meant I could slouch around in baggy clothes and didn't need to bother with make-up any more. By focusing on my home improvements I stopped worrying so much about the way I looked.

However, after 10 months, I'd finished all the jobs that needed doing around the house. In that time I'd completely let myself go and put on more than a stone. With nothing to distract me, I could no longer deny how depressed I was about the way ;I looked.

I was already having Botox injections in an attempt to stave off the signs of ageing but they were expensive as I needed a top up every six months. Each treatment cost £600 which was quite a lot for me to afford on my salary as a hotel accounts manager. I began to think it might make more sense to find a more permanent solution and that's when I started to consider surgery.

The only problem was I didn't know anyone who'd had surgery and I wasn't sure where to go for the right advice. In desperation I started searching the internet and after doing a lot of research I realised I'd need a complete makeover, which would include a full facelift, neck lift and upper and lower eye bag removal, coupled with fat grafts to help plump out my cheeks plus a chemical peel.

It sounded extreme but I felt there was no point opting for half measures. I wanted to look like the old me again and was prepared to do whatever it took. However there was one major drawback, the kind of makeover I wanted would cost about £15,000. I simply didn't have that sort of money as I'd spent my savings on home improvements and I didn't want to get into debt to pay for surgery.

Reluctantly I began to give up on the idea when my hairdresser mentioned that I could have my makeover for almost a third of the cost if I went abroad. I'd have probably dismissed the idea if he hadn't recommended an independent consultant called Linda Briggs who offered free and impartial advice to people travelling abroad for surgery.

I got in touch with Linda straight away and although I was delighted when I discovered I could have everything done abroad for about £6,000,I still wasn't sure where I was going to get the money. It was then I had a dramatic idea: I'd sell my dream house and move to somewhere smaller to pay for my surgery. After all the work I'd done on the house, some of my friends and relatives thought it was a terrible idea and tried to talk me out of it. They told me I looked fine and didn't need surgery but I only had to look in the mirror to know the truth.

Ultimately, without a partner or a family to worry about, I knew I could afford to be selfish and after a lot of soul searching I decided to go ahead with my plan.

In July 2007 I put my house up for sale, downgrading to a new-build, one-bedroom house which left me with £15,000. Once I'd settled into my new home, I started looking into hospitals abroad and, with Linda's advice, I decided to travel to Cyprus for the surgery.

For me it was a real bonus being able to combine the operation with a holiday in the sun and on the September 30 last year I flew out to Larnaca to begin my transformation.

Although I'd been so sure of my decision to have surgery, the nerves set in as soon as I arrived in Cyprus and at the last minute I almost changed my mind. Fortunately my surgeon was very kind and reassuring and in spite of my fears, I knew that I was in safe hands. I decided to go ahead with the operation.

I was in theatre for 6 hours and when I came round from the anaesthetic, my face felt very tender and swollen but the pain wasn't nearly as bad as I'd been expecting. The bandages came off the next day and at first I was too afraid to look at my new face in case I was disappointed.

It was a couple of days before I dared look in the mirror and although I was bruised, the results were amazing. For the first time in years, I could see my eyelashes and my skin looked so fresh and smooth that I looked and felt at least 10 years younger.

Over the next week I relaxed by the hotel pool and made the most of my time in the sun. When I flew home 7 days after the operation, everyone kept telling me how fantastic I looked and after feeling so low for so long, I lapped up all their compliments.

It's now 5 months since I went to Cyprus and I don't regret my decision. I've regained all the confidence I'd lost over the past few years and I'm having a great time socialising again. I don't just look better, my whole attitude to life has changed. Before I had the operation, I'd resigned myself to getting older. Now I'm happier than I have been in years and am embracing the future.

Of course I know some people will think I am crazy, self centred and vain but I don't really care. Not everyone would agree with my decision to sell my home to finance my make-over but for me it was the right thing to do. After all, what's the point of having a wonderful home if you can't face looking in the mirror?