Health Spa

Synopsis

Professor Regan investigates the world of beauty, where a scientific sales pitch can make you millions. From anti-ageing injections to detox products, she discovers if there really are scientifically proven ways to make you look younger, keep your skin silky smooth and hair-free, and give you the perfect body.

In the world of beauty, the stakes have been raised. The picture-perfect celebrity image is no longer just for the red carpet, it is what we all aspire to. So it is no surprise companies want to sell us the scientific shortcut to this perfect image.

Based on scientific advice, Professor Regan devises the ultimate exercise regime, involving no gyms, weights, running or classes. It is a regime she has used herself to keep her slim figure. She tests it out on a willing guinea pig, with surprising results.

Next, Professor Regan takes on anti-ageing, and discovers that wrinkles may not be the most important thing when it comes to looking younger. We use a huge range of cues to judge age and most of us are remarkably accurate, guessing the age of faces to within three years, even with wrinkles removed. It turns out our face shape, features, and even hairstyles can be just as much of a give-away. A unique test takes four sets of mothers and daughters and swaps their hairstyles to prove the point.

Finally, Professor Regan finds out if there is as much science behind the humble razor as the multimillion pound advertising campaigns suggest. She also discovers the truth about detox when she attempts to create an experiment to test the claims on the packaging.

Credits

Presenter

Lesley Regan

Director

Rob Liddell

Producer

Nicola Cook

Producer

Rob Liddell

Executive Producer

Andrew Cohen

Broadcasts

1. Thu 7 May 2009
   20:00
   BBC Two
2. Thu 11 Jun 2009
   01:40
   BBC One