The iVillage anti-ageing guide

With all the recent advancements in skin creams, lately it seems as if the skincare industry has gone the way of rocket science (in fact, one creator of the pricey ‘cult’ cream Crème de la Mer used to work for NASA). Where once women made do with a dab of Pond’s Cold Cream, they now want anti-ageing products and lifestyle advice to help defy lines and wrinkles from a very young age. According to Nuala Briggs, skincare expert and founder of Harley Street’s Skin Therapy Clinic in London this is the right course of action – ‘you’re never too young to start taking care of your skin and protecting against sun damage with SPF creams’, she says. How, we wish we had listened to our mums and worn sunblock during all those summers as a kid.

What can you can do to minimise wrinkles?

Pure and simple: stay out of the sun. ‘Ninety per cent of problems associated with ageing are the result of too much sun exposure,’ says skin expert Dr. Peter Pugliese. When sunlight hits the skin, its rays trigger the production of ‘free radicals’ (molecules which break down the collagen and elastin) that give skin its firmness and tone. It also turbo-charges the production of skin pigment, known as melanin, which results in the appearance of ‘sun spots’ or ‘age spots’. Taking preventive steps against the harmful effects of the sun is, in the long run, better than trying to cure damaged skin. Shielding skin from burning rays UVB (remember ‘B’ for burning) and damaging UVA rays (remember ‘A’ for ageing) is crucial in the months between April and October. Skin creams delivering this optimum protection are easy to find, and good choices include: Clarins Hydra-Balance Lotion SPF15 (£26), Olay Total Effects Time Resist Moisturiser SPF15 (£18.50), Body Shop Vitamin C SPF15 Daily Moisturiser (£8), Origins Have A Nice Day Super-Charged Moisture Cream SPF15, £22.50 (call 0800 731 4039 for mail order), and L’oréal Plénitude Age Perfect (£9.49).