Is younger looking skin really achievable?

Let’s start with a question. Which category do you fit into?

a) You use ‘anti-ageing’ skincare products in the belief that they make you look younger?
b) You would use these products if they did make you look younger but you don’t believe that they do?
c) You are totally comfortable in your own skin and don’t feel it is necessary to add anything to your face to make it look younger?

If your answer is ‘c’ then I am jealous and I have nothing but respect for your confidence. However, the evidence suggests that most of us girls over thirty would answer either ‘a’ or ‘b’.

The anti-ageing skincare industry is worth over £100 million and these wealthy companies wield a lot of power. Advertising and public relations budgets are huge. Celebrities are paid handsomely to endorse products and, it seems, the higher the price of a pot of ‘wonder cream’ the more likely we are to believe that it will produce miraculous results.

The jargon surrounding these products is baffling. Hands up if you have a clue what pentapeptides are, or hyaluronic acid, or ceramides (a quick Google of ceramides took me to a sciencey website that said ‘Ceramides are formed as the key intermediates in the biosynthesis of all the complex sphingolipids, in which the terminal primary hydroxyl group is linked to carbohydrate, phosphate, etc’. Everyone clear now?).

And another big question – if natural products are less likely to contains these fancy sounding chemicals, will they be less effective?

Enough questions. Let’s have some answers. We spoke to Dr Maria Gonzalez, Reader in Dermatology at Cardiff University. She told us that, theoretically, it is possible for creams to work in three ways:

Moisturising Anything that moisturises the skin will improve its appearance and softness.
Exfoliating Sloughing off old skin cells will smooth and can ‘reduce the appearance of lines in a limited way.’
Repairing It is possible to repair damage to the skin by applying vitamins in high concentrations provided that the product also contains an ingredient that enables the vitamins to be transported into the skin. The product does have to be used for a long period to have a worthwhile effect.

So, that is good news. Products can work and natural ones can feasibly deliver the above benefits. But Dr Gonzalez advises to read labels carefully.

A lot of products claim to contain vitamins but they are not necessarily in sufficient levels to be effective. And cosmetics are not subject to the same rigorous testing procedures that pharmaceuticals are and so it can be hard to substantiate the claims that are made.

Surprisingly, it is not necessarily the most expensive products that deliver the best benefits. This is borne out by the well publicised cases of certain own-brand Boots and Aldi products that flew off the shelves after coming top in independent tests published in the national press.

So for radiant, younger looking skin we look for products that exfoliate, moisturise and contain plenty of a relevant vitamin laden ingredient. But guess what? No pain, no gain. For the very best results, they are some really effective changes we can make to our lifestyles:

Use a sunscreen Fact: the more your skin is exposed to the sun, the sooner it will show signs of ageing. Use an SPF of at least 15 and reapply regularly.
Give up smoking The evil weed destroys collagen and reduces the body’s ability to carry oxygen to the skin.
Lay off the alcohol Too much booze dries the skin and dilates the blood vessels.
Eat well Enjoy a balanced diet rich in antioxidants (the things that fight the ‘free radicals’ that damage the skin). Eat plenty of foods containing vitamins A, C, E and the mineral iron.
Drink water Stay hydrated.
Exercise Yes that old chestnut. Essential to maintain that healthy glow.

Daisy picks
These are the products we love at DaisyGreenMagazine.co.uk and, while we’re not clever enough to test them in a lab, they do either moisturise, exfoliate or contain a high level of antioxidant vitamins:

Africology Anti Oxidant Serum Apply before moisturising. 100 per cent essential oils. £24.50 for 25ml from www.howonearth.co.uk
Essential Care Organic Superfruit Concentrate Highly concentrated serum, like it says on the ‘tin’. £24.46 for 30ml from www.buyorganics.co.uk
Green People Fruitful Nights Moisturises and lifts off dead skin cells. £12.72 for 50ml from www.greenpeople.co.uk
Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser Use daily – also contains vitamin c. £28.37 for 120ml from www.thenaturalstore.co.uk
Natural Empathy Care and Repair Signature Moisturiser Effective moisturiser containing antioxidants, all in a beautiful bottle. £25 from www.naturalempathy.com

Coming soon to DaisyGreenMagazine.co.uk Tried and tested, the natural ‘snake’s venom’ product that claims ‘botox-like’ results.