The Interview: Dr Elizabeth Hawkes on specialising in eyes and becoming an M&S ambassador
Dr Elizabeth Hawkes is a consultant oculoplastic surgeon and aesthetic doctor. She's best known among the aesthetic community for her mastery of the increasingly popular upper and lower blepharoplasty procedure (or 'bleph' as it's commonly called), which is the removal of excess skin from the eyelid or bags from the under-eye.
Her profile has recently gone mainstream following her appointment as the first ever Beauty Ambassador to high giant Marks & Spencer, where she brings a medical perspective to its expanding skincare offer.
Through this partnership, Hawkes will provide guidance to M&S on ingredients and formulations, and will advise consumers on areas such as skin-barrier support and choosing products that promote long-term skin health. Beauty is a significant strategic focus for M&S and its beauty division now carries more than 70 third-party brands alongside its own SkinKind, Formula and Fresh Elements ranges.
Dr Hawkes' appointment comes as beauty shoppers are seeking clearer evidence of product performance. A 2025 YouGov survey found that effectiveness or proven results was the leading consideration for 47% of British skincare buyers, ahead of price at 22%. With Dr Hawkes on board, M&S is showing the market that it's serious about delivering expertise in the field.
Dr Hawkes practises at Cadogan Clinic in Chelsea and The London Lauriston Clinic, and, as well as upper and lower blepharoplasty, she also specialises in ptosis repair (correcting drooping eyes) and non-surgical eye rejuvenation. Just as skincare shoppers are increasingly discerning, those seeking out aesthetic treatments are also looking for specialist knowledges and experience.
TheIndustry.beauty headed to the Cadogan Clinic to meet her and discuss how ophthalmology became her focus, the growth in demand for eyelid surgery and the safety responsibilities that accompany public-facing beauty advice.
A career focused on the eye area
“I always wanted to be a surgeon, but I wasn’t entirely sure what type of surgery I wanted to go into. I was always drawn to eyes, mainly because my mum is an eye surgeon. Eyes have always been in the blood and always came up at the dinner table,” Dr Hawkes says when discussing how she landed on her specialism.
As well as having "eyes in the blood", she was always fascinated by cosmetics so blending that area of interest with her surgical skills led her to expand into aesthetics. At medical school, she was known as the student who intended to work with eyes, but she was equally known for being the person to turn to if you wanted your make-up done before a party.
“I’ve always been into the aesthetic eye, but when you’re growing up, you want to do the opposite of what your parents think. I did all the jobs and kept coming back to eyes. It is very delicate, precise surgery, and I found it very satisfying," she explains.
Dr Hawkes studied medicine and surgery at Imperial College London, where she also completed a BSc in Neuroscience. Her subsequent training included time at St Mary’s Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital, along with an ophthalmic rotation in Oxford.
The first oculoplastic operation she observed was a ptosis repair for an NHS patient whose drooping eyelid was affecting her vision. The procedure opened the eye, but Dr Hawkes was also struck by its effect on the patient’s wider appearance.
“She went from looking tired and asymmetric to looking brighter. I thought, ‘This is amazing, I want to do that.’ Once you know exactly what you want to do, you can focus on it,” she says.
She was appointed an NHS consultant ophthalmologist and oculoplastic surgeon in 2018, having become a consultant at just 32. After more than a decade of mentorship, she later assumed responsibility for Professor Richard Collin's patients. Collin pioneered ophthalmic plastic surgery as a specialist field and was a mentor for Dr Hawkes.
“He asked me at about nine o’clock one evening after we had finished operating. I had been assisting him on Monday nights because oculoplastics is hard to learn. I wanted the experience, and then he asked whether I would like to take over his practice. I wasn’t expecting it," she says.
Dr Elizabeth Hawkes
Combining surgery with aesthetic medicine
Oculoplastic surgery is a subspecialty of ophthalmology, meaning practitioners first train in conditions and surgery involving the eye before undertaking further work around the eyelids, orbit and tear system.
Hawkes said that background distinguishes the field from general plastic surgery, where training covers the body more broadly. Public understanding of that distinction has improved during her eight years in private practice, and clients are increasingly turning to specialists.
“People are more aware of what an oculoplastic surgeon is. Eight years ago, patients didn’t always understand how you become one. Now they are more likely to think, ‘It’s my eyes, so I want to see an eye specialist.’ The first aim is always to preserve sight,” she says.
Her practice combines surgery with treatments such as Botox, skin boosters and carefully selected tear-trough filler. That combination allows her to treat patients who are not ready or suitable for an operation, as well as those seeking support before or after surgery.
“Surgery gives a powerful result, but not everyone is suitable for surgery. A modern oculoplastic surgeon has to be able to offer a non-surgical alternative, even if it will not produce the same result as an operation,” she explains.
Her patients range from people in their 20s to those in their 80s. Some begin with non-surgical treatments and view blepharoplasty as a later option, while post-operative patients may return for treatments intended to support skin quality.
Dr Hawkes describes her preferred result as “natural, natural, natural”. Incisions are placed within existing eyelid creases where possible, while non-surgical plans usually begin conservatively.
“It isn’t about looking young. It is about looking fresh. No patient says to me that they want their 20-year-old eyes back. People want to retain some lines because it would look strange if they had none,” she says of her approach.
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Why blepharoplasty demand has grown
Interest among consumers in eyelid surgery accelerated after the Covid-19 lockdowns, according to Dr Hawkes. Masks directed attention towards the upper face, while video calls and more time looking at screens changed how people viewed their appearance. The procedure has since become more openly discussed. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons shows that blepharoplasty procedures increased by 74% in 2022, followed by a further 4% rise between 2023 and 2024.
Hawkes herself performs up to six operations a week, divided across two half-day theatre lists. This schedule reflects the concentration required for work on thin eyelid skin and small anatomical structures. Taking on more would be too taxing.
“I don’t like doing a full-day list because it is such delicate, precise surgery. You have to focus. You cannot get away with being even slightly imprecise with an eyelid,” she says.
Demand is also broadening among men. Dr Hawkes says female patients often raise concerns about upper-lid hooding, including changes that make eye make-up harder to apply. Male patients. however, more commonly ask about lower-eye bags and looking tired at work.
“Men tend to want natural treatments, Botox and eyelid surgery. They often do not mind a hooded look, but they want to address eye bags. They feel fresh, but perhaps they do not think they look it, so they want to address it," she says.
Evidence and safety in aesthetic treatment
When it comes to which new procedures and products she introduces to her clinic, she is, as is to be expected, incredibly rigorous in her research examining their regulation, published clinical studies and funding. Her neuroscience degree included research training that has helped her evaluate whether reported results are statistically meaningful.
“I love being part of the aesthetic industry because it is moving fast, but I go on the evidence base. Is it properly regulated? What are the clinical studies? Are they published independently or funded by the company? If I am convinced, I will start using it with patients,” she says.
Polynucleotides have become a frequent treatment in her practice for improving the quality of under-eye skin. Hawkes is careful to distinguish them from dermal filler and to set expectations around what skin-quality treatments can achieve.
Tear-trough filler requires stricter patient selection. Puffiness, previous overfilling and repeated dissolving can make treatment harder, while some patients who have been treated by inexperienced practitioners can suffer from loss of vision if the filler is accidentally injected into certain facial blood vessels.
Hawkes contributed to UK consensus guidance on managing filler-related visual loss and is part of the founding faculty for Aesthetic Ocular Safety, a training programme that helps practitioners identify and manage ocular complications. She also sits on the Specialist Advisory Board for the Complications in Medical Aesthetics Collaborative.
“There are areas where I do not inject filler because I do not think the risk is justified. If somebody is having treatment around the eye or nose, they need a practitioner who understands the anatomy, can recognise a vascular occlusion [a blocked blood vessel] and knows what to do next," she says.
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Bringing clinical guidance to M&S Beauty
Hawkes’s M&S role brings that evidence-led approach to a mass-market retail setting. The retailer’s skincare assortment spans cleansers and moisturisers through to eye care and active-led serums, creating a need for guidance on product order, frequency and suitability. "Consumers are completely overwhelmed [by choice]. You go into a store and there are all these products with essentially the same ingredients, so it's about advising with my medical expertise on specific concerns and skincare solutions," she explains.
She's the first Beauty Ambassador for M&S and it speaks volumes that the retailer approached a respected doctor for the role. "I think our values are very much aligned. M&S is the UK's most trusted retailer, the most loved brand and they are focused on customer care and on quality. It was just a huge honour to be asked," she says. It's an honour, no doubt, that works both ways.
