An interesting new take on celebrity’s anti-ageing obsession was recently covered in the Hollywood Reporter. Dubbed ‘Resting Rich Face’, it shone a spotlight on the ever more expensive cosmetic procedures that have become so ‘necessary’ to the stars that spending a staggering “$150,000 to $200,000” a year on upkeep has become the new normal for the rich and powerful in LA.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/hollywoods-new-thing-199000-a-905721/item/20-something-tweaks-resting-rich-905725

The article then broke down which treatments a 20-something newcomer is having compared to a screen star in her 60s and it raised an interesting question: which treatments should you be having to look great at any age?

Tweaks for your 20s

A 20-something should not require any invasive or aggressive anti-ageing treatments, as lines should be minimal and faces should still be rounded and youthful. However, more and more men and women are interested in having muscle relaxing injections at this age as a preventative measure. Choosing a skilled and experienced practitioner is a must, though, as a light touch is required to retain natural expression.

Lip augmentations using temporary dermal fillers are also an increasingly popular procedure for younger patients, keen to emulate the new trend for perfect pouts.

Therapies for your 30s

Your 30s should be all about your skin; it is no longer as easy to shrug off long days and late nights and the signs of stress, sun damage and smoking are starting to become more visible in the form of fine lines and dull skin. However, adult acne is becoming an increasingly common problem affecting men and women long after their teenage years.

Investing in a good quality skincare range is essential at this point to promote skin health and stimulate cellular renewal which begins to slow down at this point. Our preferred skincare range is CosMedix which combines the most powerful ingredients found in nature with cutting-edge science to deliver vibrant and radiant skin.

Remedies for your 40s

Although they are often described as the ‘fabulous 40s’, this is often the decade where men and women become dissatisfied with their appearance. Dark circles under the eyes are often a common complaint and they can be very challenging to treat, failing to respond to even the most expensive skin creams, yet too delicate to address with many of the aesthetic treatments available.

At Wimpole Aesthetics we offer two treatments that work in very different ways to produce effective results in the under eye area. Mesotherapy are micro-injections of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and amino acids, that can improve tissue hydration and stimulate collagen production.

Carboxytherapy delivers CO2 gas just under the surface of the skin and the body responds by flooding the treatment area with nutrient-rich blood. In the under eye area it can greatly brighten and firm the skin.

Fixes for your 50s

Sagging skin and loss of definition along the jawline become much more noticeable in your 50s and many patients at our central London aesthetic clinic tell us that they are starting to contemplate a cosmetic surgery procedure.

Many of them do not realise that there are minimally invasive technologies available that are able to tighten the skin, delaying the need for surgery until later on. We offer two different treatments that can provide a non-surgical facelift – Thermage and Pelleve – and our medical director Dr Josh Berkowitz can advise patients as to the most suitable procedure for them and whether it will deliver the results they’re hoping for.

Solutions for your 60s

A woman’s oestrogen levels in later life are a fraction of what they previously had and the importance of this hormone in collagen and oil production means that skin now feels dry and thin, lines have become very deep and pronounced and the structure of the face starts to sag all over.

Thread lifting has been used in aesthetics for many decades, but technological developments have further increased its anti-ageing abilities. The Silhouette Soft works in two very distinct ways to lift and regenerate the face. Firstly, Dr Berkowitz is able to elevate and reshape the tissues when inserting the sutures, providing a beautifully natural lift. Then, the component that is used in the sutures, known as poly L-lactic acid, is gradually absorbed by the body, stimulating the production of collagen. This means that, over time, there is further improvement of results.

Sun damage that may have occurred in your earlier years often now makes its appearance, presenting as dark spots on the cheeks and forehead. Fractional lasers such as the gold-standard SmartXide device can combat these signs of sun damage and greatly improve the general appearance of the skin.

Everyone loves sporting a summer glow, but it’s been proven beyond all doubt that overexposure to the sun’s rays is incredibly destructive to our skin. So, even if you think your tan makes you look younger and healthier, it’s actually storing up damage that can be revealed years later.

Know your rays

The sun produces two different types of rays – UVA and UVB – both of which can damage our skin.

UVB rays are stronger in the summer months and cause superficial damage in the form of sunburn. They are more likely to be the cause of skin cancers.

UVA rays are always present – whether it’s deep winter or a cloudy day – and they can penetrate glass. UVA rays are the direct cause of sun ageing as they penetrate deep into the skin’s cellular structure. Years later, this damage presents as wrinkles, pigmentation changes, enlarged pores and poor tone.

All sunscreens protect against UVB rays, but look out for ones that also protect you against UVA rays, often called broad-spectrum sun defence.

In 2013, Australian researchers http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1691733 published the results of a trial that split 903 adults into four groups; the first applied a broad-spectrum sunscreen to their head, neck, arms and hands each morning and after washing, the second were allowed to use whichever sunscreen they wished, the third received a beta-carotene supplement and the fourth were given a placebo.

Four years later they analysed the back of the subjects’ hands and found that the group that applied daily broad-spectrum sunscreen showed ‘no detectable increase’ in skin ageing. Key skin ageing factors such as wrinkles were found to be 24% less in those that wore the daily broad spectrum sunscreen than those that were allowed to apply products at their discretion.

How to deal with photo-ageing?

Photo-ageing is premature ageing of the skin due to excessive sun damage and the three main signs are lines and wrinkles, dark spots and loss of elasticity. The dermis is the middle layer of the skin and it contains the important proteins collagen and elastin that are responsible for the youthful plumpness and elasticity of the skin. UVB rays can penetrate the dermis, destroying these proteins.

One treatment that can tackle all three signs of premature sun ageing is the SmartXide laser device. Microscopic beams of laser energy are delivered deep into the dermis, triggering the production of collagen and elastin. The laser can also target melanin that is the pigment in areas of dark discolouration and brown spots. The pigment is broken up and cell turnover is stimulated so a clearer, more even complexion is produced.

To arrange a consultation to see if laser skin rejuvenation with the SmartXide laser can tackle your summer skin concerns, call 020 7224 2247.

Dermatologists started to use vitamin A to treat various skin conditions as far back as the 1960s and it was in the 1980s that scientists found that a form of vitamin A called retinol stimulated collagen production to repair damaged skin, whether that was from the ageing process, environmental damage or as a result of acne.

It works by basically telling your skin cells to up their game and start behaving like a younger, healthier cell. By correcting the function of your skin cells there are a number of benefits:

• it stimulates collagen and elastin production which reduces wrinkles
• can increase blood flow
• reduces the symptoms of rosacea and appearance of brown spots or pigmentation
• exfoliates the skin to make it smoother
• optimises the skin’s natural defences to UV radiation
• also functions as a powerful anti-oxidant and is proven to halt and reverse the actions of free radicals
• as well as its many anti-ageing benefits, vitamin A is also clinically proven to improve acne.

3 top vitamin A skincare products

Retinol has now become a leading ingredient in many skincare formulations but which products should you be looking out for? There are two important considerations when choosing retinol-based products. Firstly, retinol in concentrated form can be highly irritating to the skin and the ‘delivery system’ that is employed is important to minimise side effects such as redness and inflammation. Also, Vitamin A is highly unstable, rapidly breaking down if exposed to air or light, so the product packaging is important.

Prices of retinol-containing skincare products can vary widely but it’s not always the case that the most expensive products deliver the best results. Here we give you three options whatever your beauty budget:

On a budget

Retinol Correxion Sensitive Eye Cream; approximately £20-£23 from various online sites
This eye cream is marketed at sensitive skin because it contains only a very small amount of retinol. Although using a product with a very low concentration of retinol will avoid some of the side effects it will also mean sacrificing some of the benefits.

Great results for a great price

CosMedix Serum 16; £86.19 CosMedix Serum 16. This skincare hero product contains 16% LG-Retinex – a combination of retinol and another form of vitamin A called retinaldehyde, this serum is able to deliver prescription strength results without having to see a doctor. A study of users found that 88% reported firmer skin within two weeks, 75% noticed wrinkles were less visible in four weeks and almost all users reported brighter-looking skin over time.

High-end beauty

Youth Corridor by Dr Gerald Imber RetinUltimate Transforming Gel, £320, exclusively available in UK in Harrods
This product contains a specially patented form of retinol called Retextra which claims to be gentle and non-irritating yet can noticeable reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Although, at that price it should really be a time machine in a jar.