Why we age: top five theories in simple terms

aging theories graphic Aging is not a simple business.

After all – if it were that simple – humankind would have already worked things out and average life expectancy would be around 200 years and rising.

Understanding why we age is a question that keeps some of the best scientific brains in the world fully occupied – and there is still no definitive answer. [Read more…]

Ten tips for neck wrinkles

get-rid-of-neck-wrinkles If you’re interested in looking good as you get older it’s not a good idea to ignore your neck.

Neck wrinkles are often one of the first giveaway signs of skin aging after eyes. Even if you have a flawless wrinkle free face – saggy skin and a wrinkly neck make you look much older than you are .

The strange thing is that many of us spend time and money cleansing, toning and moisturizing our faces and stop at the jaw line leaving our neck and decollete to look after itself.
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Tanning worse than smoking for skin damage

tanning-skin-damage Sun damage is worse than smoking as far as your skin is concerned – and for some people tanning can be just as addictive as smoking.

The thing is it seems so healthy being out and about in the glorious sunshine.  Those with fair skins feel we look better with a golden tan rather than our pasty pale winter white.

But make no mistake about it – if you want younger looking skin you have to avoid a deep tan at all costs. A light golden glow is your limit and even better if you get it out of a bottle.
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Banish puffy eyes: top tips for morning and night

banish-puffy-eyes Puffy eyes can make you look terrible – especially in the morning when you ought to look younger and fresher than when you went to bed.  Even if your eyes don’t look as puffed up as Rocky’s – it’s really not a look you want.

There can be a range of causes for puffy eyes – the most common is toxic build up from poor lymphatic drainage and sluggish circulation.

Whatever the cause – you want those swollen eyes gone.  Not only do you look terrible but puffiness stretches the delicate under eye skin and cause wrinkles. Here’s our tips for a morning and night time routine to get rid of your puffy eye problem for good.
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Collagen marshmallows may add to your wrinkles

You must have noticed recently how skin care companies are increasingly looking at what we eat as much as what we put on our faces in the drive to eliminate wrinkles.

That doesn’t mean we are seeing lots of ads exhorting us to eat more fruit and veggies on the back of skin care packs – far from it. What’s happening is that anti aging skin care is turning to nutraceuticals – food products loaded with added anti aging ingredients like collagen and omega 3.

This trend seems to have been taken to extremes recently with products like collagen marshmallows, anti wrinkle jams and anti aging yoghurts on the supermarket shelves in Japan, Europe and now available in the US.

In Italy you can buy a yoghurt containing coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E whereas in Spain they like their yoghurts with aloe vera for shiny hair.

But did you know that consuming high levels of sugar in these products could actually accelerate skin aging?
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Prevent eye wrinkles: 10 tips

preventing-wrinkles-around-the-eyes Wrinkles around the eyes are the first sign for many of us that we are getting older – and not in a good way.

You may spend a fortune on the most expensive anti aging skin care but unless you give the delicate skin under your eyes some love and attention it will all go to waste.

The under eye area needs much more careful treatment than any other part of your face since it is so vulnerable to pulling and stretching. Unfortunately it’s probably the part of your face that gets the harshest treatment. [Read more…]

Reclaim your eyebrows

I used to have thick dark eyebrows in my teens and twenties – just at a time when thin arched elegance was all the rage.

As a result they were the bane of my life and I spent a lot of time eyebrow plucking. The downside of all that time in front of the magnifying mirror is with me now and getting worse with every year – or so it seems.

Thinning brows are definitely a problem of the over 40’s age group – however thick and glossy they used to be – brows will get thinner as you get older.
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Research shows aging effects of sugar

A recent UK study is the first to officially link accelerated aging with raised blood sugar levels.

Sugar damage – or glycation – and its connection to wrinkles and other signs of skin aging is something I have written about elsewhere on this site so the results of the study came as no surprise. [Read more…]

Review of The Water Secret Dr Murad

the-water-secret Generally speaking I’m not that fond of beauty guru books – they always seem like one long infomercial for the author’s own products with little new to offer.

The Water Secret changed my view.

I bought the book at the back end of last year soon after it came out – mainly because I am an unashamed fan of Murad Skin Care and I was intrigued by the title. [Read more…]

Best eye makeup for older faces

eye-makeup-for-older-women The option of wearing eye makeup is one of the blessings of being female. The older you get the more you appreciate it too.

How many times have you looked in the mirror first thing in the morning and thought – thank goodness for makeup.

Eyes are a dead giveaway in more ways than one. How much or how little sleep you had, how happy or sad, how much alcohol you drank last night or exercise you didn’t get time to take – it all shows up in our eyes.
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