The big birthdays are meant to be the scariest, but new research shows that we take the year before them the hardest – having affairs or running marathons. Oliver Burkeman, 39, and others come clean about being on the cusp
Beards may be having a moment, but for those men still preferring the clean-shaven look, these lotions and potions will give you much satisfaction, says Ed Cumming
Sali Hughes: A new book supporting the 'no-poo' movement suggests that chemical detergents ruin your hair, but you'll need to pass through a smelly stage to achieve luscious results
Hadley Freeman: Waxing, shaving, plucking and threading – most women go through the torture. But there's only one way to find out whether you genuinely want to – give up the razors for a week or two
It's only 12 years since Botox was approved for smoothing out our faces, but questions about why we'd want to do that have disappeared. It's time to unfreeze that debate, says Eva Wiseman
Cosmetic surgery is more popular than ever, with take-up rising sharply with the end of the recession. We asked six Londoners whether they still see any taboo to going under the knife