WEIGHT LOSS IS ALL IN THE MIND
SAYS THE PSYCHOLOGIST WHO BROKE CYCLE OF YO-YO DIETING
EVER since I was a teenager in the early 1990s, I’ve been obsessed with skincare.
I was desperate to find a cure for my dreadful acne — my terrible skin was a source of deep embarrassment, and for years held me back.
In the end, it wasn’t apple cider vinegar, home-made sugar scrubs, toothpaste, TCP or peel-off masks that eventually improved it; it was seeing a dermatologist.
These days, I’m no longer a spotty teenager, I’m a qualified dermatologist myself, specialising in both beauty and medical skin problems with a particular fascination with anti-ageing.
The process of getting older outwardly can be seen in the skin before any other organ of the body. Growing old cannot be hidden, unlike many other medical issues. We are living longer than ever before and the antiageing market grows ever bigger, bombarding us with celebrity endorsed potential ‘cures’,
The easiest way to convince my kids that they don’t really need something is to get it for them. JOAN COLLINS
some of which are utter rubbish.
It drives me mad, the amount of bad information out there. Over the past ten years, I’ve seen hundreds of patients, many of whom, faced with a barrage of anti-ageing advice, are crying out for clarity.
So here, based on science rather than hearsay, is what I believe every woman needs to know about combatting the signs of time . . .
CRASH COURSE IN AGEING SKIN
AS SKIN ages, the number and size of skin cells reduces, which means it functions less effectively as a protective barrier, temperature regulation is less efficient and there is a decline in the production of sweat, sebum (oil) and vitamin D.
The skin itself becomes increasingly thin over time owing to a steady reduction in collagen and elastin (the proteins that make skin bouncy and stretchy) and hyaluronic acid (which keeps skin plump and moist). The slow turnover of cells also means your skin heals less effectively.
The result? Dry skin, fine lines, deep furrows and wrinkles. Skin starts to sag as it loses its support and textural changes appear. Broken blood vessels, thread veins and uneven skin pigmentation become more prominent. Frighteningly, some of these changes can set in as early as your late 20s or early 30s.
This sort of ageing happens for a variety of reasons — some of which we cannot really control, such as DNA and cellular damage, and hormonal changes — and external factors, such as exposure to UV, pollutants, smoking and diet, which we can control.
BEWARE MIRACLE CREAMS
APART from eating a healthy, balanced diet, not smoking and doing everything you can to protect your skin from UV and pollution, what can you do when it comes to skincare?
The elixir of youth has yet to be bottled and sold. Despite impressive marketing and celebrity endorsements, very few creams, gels and serums have robust data behind them for anti-ageing.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but creams will not help skin sagging or laxity. These changes occur due to loss of volume of fat and bone under the skin, which happens to all of us as time passes. No topically applied cream can replace that.
That said, certain agents can be used to reduce pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, and slow down the signs associated with skin ageing. These include retinoids, antioxidants, botanicals and sunscreen.
Current anti-ageing strategies are focused on limiting long-term damage from sunlight, which is the most significant factor in skin ageing.
... BUT RELY ON RETINOIDS
THE retinoid family consists of a group of compounds that are derived from vitamin A. These have been available in skincare since the 1970s and are the only topical agents that repeatedly demonstrate antiageing effects in scientific studies.
Retinoids are able to minimise the appearance of wrinkles, slow the breakdown of collagen and fade pigmentation or age spots. They work by improving skin cell renewal and stimulating collagen production.
There are prescription versions available (tretinoin or isotretinoin) but over-thecounter versions (such as retinol and retinaldehyde) are also effective and often don’t come with the same side-effects as tretinoin and isotretinoin (burning, stinging, redness and scaling).
When buying a retinoid, look for a minimum concentration of 0.1% retinol — and remember that it can take three to six months of regular use before any improvement can be seen in the skin.
USE PREVENTION TACTICS
ANTIOXIDANTS block oxidation, the damage caused by unstable compounds known as free radicals. Free radicals are generated by exposure to the sun (the leading cause of external skin ageing) and by certain biological processes in the body that generate energy.
There are a number of antioxidants available in skincare products, and their role is largely to prevent oxidative damage
to the skin, rather than treat the signs of ageing once they have developed.
These are some of the key antioxidants you should be looking for:
Vitamin C — also great for brightening skin, helping with inflammation and helping build collagen which gives skin its support structure.
Vitamin E — shown in studies to help limit the damage associated with UVB radiation from sunlight and can also help reduce fine lines.
Resveratrol — can limit damage caused by UVB radiation, and has also been shown to improve skin firmness and elasticity.
Other antioxidants worth keeping an eye out for include: Grape seed Green tea Silymarin from milk thistle Coffeeberry
PLASTER ON PEPTIDES
PEPTIDES are types of protein and are hugely important in the human body, often acting as ‘messengers’, conveying information between cells and tissues. Some types can repair the skin’s support structure, thereby improving visible wrinkles.
One of the most widely studied peptides in skincare is PalKTTKS, or Matrixyl. You’ll find it in Olay Regenerist 3 Point Treatment Cream (€26.66, boots.ie), Sarah Chapman Eye Recovery (€50, sarahchapman.net) and in the No7 range Protect and Perfect Intense Advanced Serum (€44, from boots.ie).
In some trials, Pal-KTTKS was proven to thicken the skin and reduce fine lines and wrinkles, increasing levels of both collagen and elastin.
BE SUNSCREEN SAVVY
THIS will always be the cornerstone of anti-ageing prevention as the sun remains the biggest cause of premature and accelerated skin ageing, responsible for fine lines, wrinkling, uneven skin tone, pigmentation and textural changes.
Sunlight contains a mixture of several types of light, UVA and UVB, responsible for the majority of skin ageing, but also visible light and infrared radiation, thought to generate free radicals in skin cells which also accelerate the ageing process.
From an anti-ageing point of view, sunscreen should be worn daily. In the winter months, particularly in the northern hemisphere, using a moisturiser or make-up with SPF is satisfactory if you are going to be indoors during the day (although a separate sunscreen is even better).
In the spring and summer months, however, aim for a broadspectrum sunscreen (i.e. one that offers protection against UVA and UVB) with an SPF 15–30 as a minimum.
Using an antioxidant serum, which can neutralise the free radical damage caused by visible light and infrared, in conjunction with a standard sunscreen, is a sensible precaution, although there are some products which blend antioxidants and UV protection, such as Heliocare 360 Oil-Free (€35,
skinshop.ie)_and EltaMD BroadSpectrum SPF 30 (€19, ie.strawberrynet.com).
DO THE BARE MINIMUM
I KNOW not everyone has the time or money to spend on their anti-ageing routine, which is why I’ve developed a guide to antiageing skincare even the laziest woman can do. It incorporates the most effective products mentioned above into the simplest regime possible.
Every morning make sure you . . . Cleanse Moisturise Apply antioxidant serum Apply sunscreen Every evening make sure you . . . Cleanse Apply retinoid
YOU CAN USE A CHEAP CLEANSER . . .
THE choice is huge and the best product for you depends on your skin type, personal preference and budget. There is a common misconception that expensive products work better than their cheaper counterparts. More often than not, the extra cents are going into pretty packaging and clever marketing.
One thing I will say is that wipes are a no-no unless you’re using them as a last resort at the gym or on the go. This is because they can cause skin irritation, and smear dirt, make-up and oils across the skin’s surface.
AND DITCH EYE CREAM
NO AMOUNT of eye cream will improve age-related sagging or puffy eyes, regardless of what the product promises. The skin around the eyes is vulnerable to damage from the sun’s radiation, and while an eye cream will temporarily improve fine lines, wearing SPF around the eyes is vital to prevent premature ageing.
If a product is suitable for the face, it should be fine for around the eyes.
ADAPTED by Claire Coleman from The Skincare Bible by Dr Anjali Mahto (Penguin Life), €11.65, amazon.co.uk