My brain surgery has affected my face – and my self-esteem

Got a beauty dilemma? Our expert is here to offer advice. This week a reader has lost her confidence following major surgery

My first tip is to fill your time with self-care, rest and joy to feel yourself again after such a huge surgery. That could include anything from joining a mindfulness group, seeing friends more often and booking massages – whatever makes you feel good.

My second tip would be to give yourself some grace; changes to our physicality can be hard to cope with on a personal and societal level. It doesn’t help that society’s beauty standards dictate that women should be as near to perfection as possible, but we can keep all of that at arm’s length. One of the best things about social media is that all forms of beauty are celebrated, so use it to find people who have been through what you have and explore how they’re dealing with it. Seeing others who look similar to us shows our brains that this is normal and can improve how we feel about our own appearance.