Holding Back The Years
There’s no such thing as eternal youth. We age, and that’s fine. We can make the most of our older skin and hair by taking good care of it. Diet and lifestyle play a key part. And here are a few products that will also help.
1> SKIN SHIELD from Skingredients €57 for primary pack, €52 for refills, visit skingredients.com. If you do nothing else for your skin, you will still escape the worst ravages of ageing if you wear a good quality SPF every day, even in winter. Skinshield from Irish brand Skingredients already has something of a cult following in that it not only protects the skin from harmful rays but also primes it with a peach tinted finish. It’s now gone green, with a ‘pack for life’ that can be refilled as needed.
2> COLLAGEN KEY from Monat €72, visit monatglobal.com Collagen accounts for about 80 per cent of our skin and, starting in our 20s, we lose about 1 percent of it a year, more if we’re exposed to sunlight, cigarette smoke and pollution. This is what causes skin to sag. Collagen supplements can help according to studies and improve the skin’s elasticity. But, as with most supplements, you need to be in it for the long haul, several months at the very least.
3> SKINCEUTICALS CE FERULIC SERUM €147 reduced from €167, visit dpharmacy.ie It ain’t cheap but CE Ferulic is one of the best for brightening dull skin and reducing fine lines and wrinkles. As the name implies, it’s a mix of vitamins C and E with a plant-based anti-oxidant that neutralises free radicals (unstable atoms that cause ageing). The main downside is a slightly iffy smell as it goes on but that dissipates quickly.
Just a few drops, once or twice a day, is enough to see results.
4> RETINOL B3 from La Roche-Posay €38, visit boots.ie Vitamin A, or retinol, is an excellent anti-ageing ingredient but can irritate the skin. La Roche-Posay’s offering is geared towards sensitive skin and no less effective for it. It’s also one of the more cost-effective on the market.
Alongside the retinol actives, this product gives a soothing dose of vitamin B3 which strengthens the skin’s natural barrier and reduces the change of irritation.
5> KEVIN MURPHY YOUNG AGAIN RINSE €28, visit millies.ie Our hair becomes thinner and, sometimes, frizzy as we get older. But more than any other ageing process, this one is definitely fixable with a wide variety of nutrient rich, smoothing products on the market. Australian hair care guru Kevin Murphy is renowned for producing highly effective products for damaged hair. Try the Young Again Rinse to boost shine and lustre.
6> NEEDLES NO MORE NECK SCULPTING CREAM from Dr Brandt €68 down from €80, visit beautyfeatures.ie The neck is one area that can really show your age and it’s also the trickiest to treat. Dr Brandt is a US brand that’s recently become available in Ireland. The Needles No More line promises botox like results without the injections. The Neck Sculpting Cream comes with its own Gua Sha tool (a tool used in the ‑ ai tradition of skin scraping). Applied morning and night, and smoothed in with the Gua Sha, does improve the neckline, smoothing wrinkles and giving it a firmer look.
7> DERMALOGICA MULTIVITAMIN POWER RECOVERY MASQUE €55, visit dermalogica.ie Mature skin needs a bit of TLC from time to time and Dermalogica’s Multivitamin power recovery mask delivers it in spades. It contains vitamins A, C, E and F, the humectant panthenol along with anti-inflammatory oat kernel. The result is moist, plump, glowing skin.