AGELESS FACE - KEEPING YOUR SKIN GLOWING

Skin Through The Ages

What follows may make for depressing reading, but modern science means you can now make a significant difference to the way your skin ages - if you just know what to do with it.

20s
This is as good as it gets. You may have spots in your 20s, but your skin will be in good condition unless you've exposed yourself to some serious sun damage. Cell turnover occurs every 14-25 days. This is when plump new cells work their way up through the layers of your skin, and as they near the surface they flatten out to form lovely fresh skin. Sebum function is also at its peak, meaning your skin may be slightly oily but it feels moist with a healthy glow. Fat under the surface also plumps you up, and fine lines are a distant threat.

What you can do now: When skin is behaving so well on its own it's tempting to skip skincare, but a good regime now will definitely reap future rewards. This is the age of prevention: don't sunbathe to excess, wear a sunscreen every day, eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water, and it is possible for your skin to stay this way for much longer.

30s
This is when a none-too-shady past can catch up with you. Sun damage is cumulative, so if you have been a worshipper this decade is when pigmentation problems and fine lines will start to show. Your face ages from the top down, so it is your forehead and eyes that see the first signs of wrinkling. Expect a frown line between your eyebrows to appear too. Your skin may become drier now as sebum production slow, and any dehydration will begin to show up in fine lines. From 30 you start to lose around 1% of collagen and elastin a year, and cell turnover slows to 30 days. You also might notice an increase in skin sensitivity due to stress, working and living in a polluted environment, or drinking alcohol and/or smoking.

What can you do now: You are still on the prevention trail, so swap sunbathing for a fake tan (the only healthy tan there is), eat for good skin and exfoliate daily to enhance the benefits of your moisturizer and make fine lines look less obvious. Wear a sunscreen every day to prevent sun damage from appearing prematurely.

Modern Science means you can make a significant difference to the way your skin ages - if you just know what to do with it.



40s
Many people see a significant change in their skin as they hit 40. Cell turnover slows down to 40 days and so does sebum production, good news for any with greasy skin but not so great for already dry faces. Dehydration will be far more noticeable in your 40s, emphasizing lines and wrinkles. Expect to see a little sagging around your jaw, and the lines on your forehead, around your eyes and on your upper lip will either appear or become more noticeable (depending on how well you have escaped them so far). Your skin will also become thinner, making any age spots (caused by melanin clumping together) much more obvious, and blood capillaries can begin to dilate and leak (rosacea often starts in your 40s).

What can you do now: Think increased exfoliation and stimulation to kick-start your skin's renewal, plus use skincare with many nutrients as possible to generate your skin. Fillers made of hyaluronic acid will also make a difference now, as they plump up your skin by adding volume to the amount already there.

50s onwards
This is the decade when wrinkles come out in force, due to a decrease in oil and hormone production levels. This means more prominent under-eye bags (lower eyelid skin thins now too) and nose to mouth lines. Dehydration increases and cell turnover is now only 45-50 days. If you have been a sunbather, the pigmentation of your skin can now be quite mottled, with many age spots and thread veins. You will also lose the layer of fat under your skin, making your face look thinner.

What can you do now: Encourage slow sebaceous glands and skin renewal by stimulating capillaries with massage, which increases blood flow to feed the cells. Use products with vitamins to nourish skin, and silicone-based protectors that seal in moisture. Hydroxy acid in skincare can help refine skin that looks leathery, and fillers will plump out deeper lines.

And the good news: It is not all doom and gloom. Once you are past the menopause, your skin will settle down and you can start to enjoy a clear, glowing complexion again.