When it comes to maintaining good skin, you get to spend a lot of both time and money. And the sad fact is that the older you get the less effective treatments will be.
Are skin treatments worth the money?
This is an important question, I feel, as none of them come cheap. I find that none of the treatments give a huge result but rather a more subtle one ( keeping in mind that I’m not going for hugely invasive ones ).
And what about things like Botox and fillers? Do these still work when you’re on the more “mature” side?
Do you reach a point where the only thing that’ll work is surgery?
Now I’m not anti-surgery by any means, it definitely has it’s place if done in the right way. However for me personally, it’s something I’d prefer to avoid. I’d be nervous of the result being different to how I’d imagined and also of something going wrong. But you never know…
I decided to talk this through with Dr Aamer Khan at The Harley Street Skin Clinic. I wanted to know what, if anything, will actually work when you’re 50 or 60+. Why do treatments work less well and is there anything worth doing?
As ever he was a mine of useful and sometimes surprising information. I hope you find this as interesting and helpful as I did.
Comments 4
Hi Glynis,
It was very interesting for me though I’m thirty-five and I don’t use any beauty produces. However Dr Aamer Kahn explains that with simple words in such a way that everybody can understand.
With regard to me, the thing that stands out in my mind is that the importance to have a good nutrition. That’s really strong that a specialist as Dr Kahn speaks about a such simple thing that’s alimentation; simple… but a key to a well aspect. Even if we don’t know much about this topic, it’s pretty easy to adopt good habits with food. Furthermore good food play a huge part in health.
In chinese medicine, beauty and health of the skin depend on the quality of the lung’s energy. Taoists practice a special walk to nourish and consolidate the lungs. I do it myself; here is the recipe:
– When I put my LEFT foot on the ground, I do TWO little INSPIRATIONS by the NOSE;
then I put my RIGHT foot on the ground and I do ONE EXPIRATION by the nose or the mouth, and again …
Actually it’s just a walk but we add it a special breathing:
Breathe in two times on the left foot; Breathe out only one time on the right foot and so on.
Practice time: about 30 minutes per day ( ideally ).
– In the details: Begin with the heel when you put your foot on the ground.
Regarding the arms and the top of the body: natural without strain.
The exercise begin with inspirations and the left foot and we finish the
walk on the right foot with one expiration.
All the end , join both feet, close your eyes, and breath normally about
five minutes.
Ps: Glynis, you should be happy to have clouds and rain, rain and clouds…… definitely no summer. Thank London’s sky for protecting your skin against naughty U.V rays.
( I’m kiding ).
Have a good Indian summer;
Cyril
Author
I love this walking exercise Cyril! Thank you for sharing.
Hi, Glynis
I am in my 50s. Just turned 50 last October. Would derma rolling work and those other treatments that resurface my skin work after 49?
I use a face cream everyday and a cleanser and toner. Also I try to eat healthy and drink plenty of water. How do get rid of my frown lines? Does face creams make them less pronounced?
Author
I think a derma roller is pretty good. It’s my belief that consistently doing some of the less invasive treatments will slow down the ageing process. I also like radio frequency treatments like Fractura Firm and LED red light. There is no big change but rather gentle firming and boosting of collagen. I’ve written about both on the site. And yes a healthy diet with good quality protein, good fats and lots of phytonutrients from vegetables and fruits will definitely stand you in good stead. Too much processed food and sugar will be bad for the skin. Cleaning your skin well is important but perhaps look at serums rather than creams as they penetrate much better.