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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
Estée Lauder
Advanced Night Repair Protective Recovery Complex (ANR) has
been around since 1982, but still today is considered by Estée
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
Estée 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 Lancôme’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, Lancôme has produced Platinéum 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 Lancôme, 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 Lancôme’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 Lancôme
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…
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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.
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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.
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