Looking Good in laterlife
                              December 2006

Looking Good in laterlife is a regular column reporting on the latest tips on beauty products and processes for the more mature face and body.   

Anyone who has looked after her (or his) appearance over the years has the edge in later life compared to ravers who burned all their candles at both ends.     

A vast industry is out there to help with all and every beauty concern. In this column every month laterlife.com will report on ideas and products, old and new. All with the focus on maturity of course. 

Click here to view previous editions of Looking Good in laterlife

LOOKING GOOD IN LATERLIFE 

Can anti-ageing creams help the aged?

Sarah Frankel investigates and offers some practical advice

Realistically, despite efforts to prove otherwise, one can’t stop the ageing process. But can we stop our skin aging?

‘Scientific breakthroughs’ occur with regularity in the cosmetic industry and the marketing hype promises us miracles – that’s till I read the small print and see they were tested on about 25 people. Whether they work or not is probably up to the individual to decide.

Cosmetic firm L’Oreal claim, probably correctly, that women’s main beauty concern is not ageing, but ageing well. Hopefully the current choice of new products will help us achieve just that.

Here are some products I investigated

Est? Lauder Advanced Night Repair Protective Recovery Complex (ANR) has been around since 1982, but still today is considered by Est? Lauder as being ahead of its time. They claim that: “continued and consistent use will help to reduce the visible signs of ageing, without a doubt”. ANR, a serum, is formulated with ingredients that both boost moisturisation and provide antioxidant protection. Applied at night after cleansing and followed by night cream, ANR retails at ?30 for 30 ml and ?45 for 50ml.
Score: 7 out of 10

Est? Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme claims to deliver more lift, more life, more moisture helping mid-life skin look firmer, plumper and more lifted. The Ultra Firming Cream (Normal/Combination) is used under make-up. More dry than greasy, this seemed like a paste rather than a cream. I’m tempted to call it polyfiller! Retails at ?34 for 30 ml and ?47 for 50ml.
Score: 6 out of 10

New on the market for the over 50’s, is Lanc?e’s Absolue Premium BX at ?81 for 75ml of the fluid. This gives a shine or a glow under make-up, which you may love but may not. The product contains Pro-Xylane, discovered after seven years of scientific research to restore the skin’s extra-cellular matrix. Translated into English it means it improves the skin’s texture and tone.
Score: 6 out of 10

For the over 60’s, Lanc?e has produced Platin?m Complete Restructuring Cream. The skin’s calcium depletes, as does calcium in the bones, and after 10 years of research this new cream retails at ?91 for 50ml. Calcium, say Lanc?e, helps rebuild the tissue, making the skin denser and stronger with renewed lift. It also, apparently, nourishes the skin and its perfume is said to have a positive effect on our well-being.
Score: 6 out of 10

Elemis has a new Tri Enzyme Resurfacing Programme with a 3-step Homecare Regime. This is designed to target fine lines, wrinkles, acne, superficial scarring and uneven pigmentation. The enzymes promote cell function and breakdown the dead cells, stimulating cell renewal. Very luxurious with smooth results. Depending of how much of their claim of “up to” 91% improvement in skin smoothness after 28 days you achieve, it could be worth the hefty ?200 price tag. Bought individually, Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash 200 ml costs ?25, Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Serum 30 ml ?95 and Tri Enzyme Resurfacing Night Cream 50 ml ?80, so you can pick and mix.
Score: 8 out of 10

L’Oreal’s range for the 50 – 60 age group, Age Re-Perfect, advertised by the ageless Jane Fonda, like Lanc?e’s new range mentioned above, is pro-calcium. This, they claim, has anti-slackening and anti-fragility actions, firming and moisturising the skin. At ?14.99 it’s worth trying, as is L’Oreal’s Revitalift Day Cream at ?11.99. L’Oreal and Lanc?e are part of the same group and one could assume they share research and information.
Score: 6 out of 10

Dr Hauschka, a holistic range, is becoming popular - made with herbs and plants “wherever possible and grown bio-dynamically, organically or gathered from the environmentally secure wild”. Their recommend prices are: ?16 for 30 ml Rose Day Cream, ?25 for 30ml Rejuvenating Mask and ?21 for 12.5ml Daily Revitalising Eye Cream. They claim that their products work by “treating specific skin conditions rather than skin types, because skin has the ability to change, to balance and normalise itself”.
Score: 7 out of 10

Why don’t we leave our skin to its own devices? Why use a product at all? I’m not 100% sure these products actually keep their promises, but I’m not willing to take the risk and see what I’d look like if I didn’t use them. Hope springs eternal!

Practical pointers…

• It’s important to check what age group the product you are considering are meant for. Products are only clinically tested on the age group the cosmetic companies are targeting. If they’re targeted for the thirty somethings, they may work on them, but not on the over 50’s or vice versa.

• Nearly all day creams today include SPF 15 to help protect against sun damage, but check before you buy.

• Don’t use on the oily parts of the skin, ie on the nose, especially if you have open pores.

With all these scientific breakthroughs, plastic surgeons must be quaking in their boots!



If in any doubt about any of the information covered in health related articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.

View previous editions of Looking Good in laterlife 

laterlife interest

The above article is part of the features section of laterlife.com called laterlife interest. laterlife interest contains a variety of articles of interest for visitors to laterlife.com written by a number of experienced and new journalists.

It includes both one off articles and also associated regular columns of a more specialist nature such as Healthwise, Talkback, Gardener's Diary, and a beauty section called Looking good in later life.

There's also 'It could be you' by Maggi Stamp laterlife's counsellor on human relationships. 

Also don't forget to take a look at our regular IT question and answer section called YoucandoIT by IT trainer and author Jackie Sherman.

To view the latest articles click on laterlife interest or to view indexes to previous articles click on laterlife interest index. To search for articles about a certain topic, use the site search feature at the top of the navigation.