From fringes to facials, our resident beauty expert picks her top anti-ageing treatments
I will be 40 in 18 months. When I was a child, this landmark birthday meant the start of life with a white cauliflower hairdo and sensible shoes ordered from a Sunday supplement; it meant the end of makeup. This seems ludicrous now, when so many 40-year-old women are at the height of their powers professionally, just starting families, going to music festivals and running marathons. Fifty, 60 and 70 bear little resemblance to the mature years of a couple of decades ago.
While I agree with many of the concerns people have about the pressure on women to look younger, I also think it's perfectly natural to want to look as youthful as you feel inside. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to seem knackered when you are, in fact, full of energy. I see no problem with seeking to restore the natural glow of your 20s, even if that means exploiting the artificial light of good skincare, treatments and makeup. It is perfectly reasonable to want your brows to stay where they were, and not gatecrashing your eyelids. This is where advances in beauty can be enormously helpful.
Whether or not you want to keep ageing at bay, and whether or not you choose to go under the knife or needle, is no one else's business. (I haven't had plastic surgery, other than an ear correction 13 years ago, and at the time of writing I have no intention of doing so. But I would never rule it out.) The results of cosmetic procedures can be excellent. Those who say Botox looks weird are talking about bad Botox, the kind you know is there. Administered correctly and in moderation, it can be fantastic and undetectable.
But I do think it's important to know you have anti-ageing options that don't involve cutting your skin or injecting your face with foreign substances. Sometimes, a perfectly satisfactory solution is available via the hairdresser, the dental surgery or the health shop. These 25 treatments are the anti-ageing fixes I have either used or believe in, having seen many successful outcomes. There is nothing on this list that I wouldn't recommend to a loved one.
*1 *Fringe cut, free to very little, all good hairdressers**
Fringes are very youthful: partly because they're fun and cool, but also because they cover any lines, wrinkles and pigmentation on your forehead. They're the cheapest and most effective substitute for Botox. Get yours cut by a professional; a good salon will maintain it for free. If you're worried about it looking harsh, get your stylist to cut into the line to soften it, shaping at the edges to flatter your face shape.
*2 *Cod liver oil capsules**, £3.99 **
I am a nana about cod liver oil: it is extremely beneficial for dry, ageing skin, as well as joints, hair, nails and digestive system. I take eight capsules a day; if I run out, my skin feels drier and looks older within a couple of days. And do buy capsules: the bottled oil is repellent to you and those around you.
*3 *Swell Hair** products, from £19**
As we get older, our hair becomes thinner and more limp. This new three-product range (shampoo, conditioner, root spray) is the best I've come across at creating the illusion of thicker, healthier hair. It contains no silicone to weigh hair down and is 97% naturally derived. It works brilliantly at pumping up my fine hair – and believe me, I've tried hundreds of alternatives.
*4 *Stop smoking, **help available free on the NHS*
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Smokers' skin ages faster. The nicotine causes blood vessels to narrow on the surface of your face and hands, which impairs blood flow. As a result, the skin is deprived of oxygen and other nutrients that help it to stay looking young. The 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes also damage collagen and elastin, the two main fibres that help skin retain elasticity. Even if you can't see the damage now, you will.
* 5 *Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer**, £21* *
I am obsessed with this new concealer. As skin ages, it usually becomes uneven in colour, more lined and rougher in texture. This is the first cover-up I've come across that is sympathetic to all three. It's opaque enough to cover dark circles and sunspots, but light enough not to look thick and cakey over lined skin. The inclusion of hyaluronic acid means it keeps skin hydrated and smooth all day. Genius.
**6* *Vaishaly Signature Facials**, from £100**
The best facialist in London, Vaishaly just understands skin and what makes yours different from anyone else's. First, she (or her less costly staff, all trained and mentored by her) analyses your face. Then she deep-cleanses and exfoliates, removing milia (those white bumps near the surface of your skin), extracting crap from your pores before vacuuming it away (unbelievably satisfying), and finishing with a very thorough facial massage to increase blood flow (she will explain what she's doing, so you can ape the treatment at home for free). She works wonders: I look and feel better for several weeks after.
*7 *Footner Exfoliating Socks**, £19.99, boots.com**
These are brilliant. Wear the socks (basically gel-filled sandwich bags) for an hour, remove and rinse. A few days later, in the most grotesque and satisfying manner, all the dead, coarse, calloused skin will peel off in large pieces, revealing soft, young-looking feet. No need to file, scrub or go under the chiropodist's knife. I use them every month or two, especially in sandals weather.
* 8 *Philips Lumea**, £450 **
In-salon IPL (intense pulsed light) hair removal treatments can be brilliant, but are painful, time-consuming and very expensive. I use the Philips Lumea to do the same thing at home. Simply place or slide the torch-like unit on the areas you want to epilate. After the beep, you move on. It's hygienic and fast: I can comfortably do both legs during an episode of Pointless.
An initial course consists of three to six treatments a few weeks apart, until all the hair has gone. Nowadays, I have to use the Lumea only once every couple of months to keep all hair at bay. It's relatively painless, depending on the user (I feel nothing, but then I have had two homebirths and been tattooed); easy and very effective on legs, underarms, bikini line and facial hair. One thing: it won't work on white hair. The initial outlay is significant, but sharing with sisters or friends can make things more affordable.
*9 *Astalift Intense Re-Plumping Mask**, £10, debenhams.com**
I am a big believer in quick fixes: I'm a single working mother and have neither the time nor the inclination for constant salon appointments (I manage only about two professional facials a year, at best). This does the trick wonderfully. If I have a special occasion or party, on this wet paper mask goes for 15 or so minutes, or until my skin has soaked up its serum. When I remove it, my face looks younger, healthier, pinker, plumper. Follow with moisturiser before applying makeup.
**10 **Obagi Medical Skincare**, price according to prescription**
By no means new, but still in my opinion the most effective prescription skincare for treating discolouration, sallowness and other signs of sun damage. But it really must be prescribed by a dermatologist: this is serious skincare, using higher percentages of active ingredients than over-the-counter products, and needs to follow a proper medical diagnosis. Don't be tempted to buy it over the internet.
Professionally, it's out of the question for me: patients need to steel themselves for a possible six to eight weeks of looking badly sunburned before the new skin is revealed. (Obagi causes the upper, damaged layers to peel before the patient is switched to a milder maintenance programme.) But for those who can afford the down time, the results can be fantastic.
*11 *Laura Mercier Radiance Primer**, £28**
As I get older, I find I'm using primer more and more. It gives a very smooth base for makeup, hiding uneven colour and patches of flakiness. This is the one I use every day: it has added light reflectors that work wonders on older skin, flattering it without naff sparkle and glitter. On weekends, I skip the foundation altogether and just pop some concealer over this.
*12 *Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels**, £25**
An actress got me on to these, and now I am never without them. They do as much for the dehydrated fine lines around my eyes as any facial or salon treatment. Just pop the sticky gels under each eye and relax for as long as you can stand before peeling off. They reduce puffiness, plump up lines and leave a wonderfully moist base for makeup. They're brilliant for travel, and men love using them, too.
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**13 Accent Treatment by Dr Frances Prenna Jones, about £250**
You know the amazing-looking forty- and fiftysomething actresses who don't look like they've been "done"? There's a good chance they're using this. A practitioner uses a thermal wand that gently heats skin cells, stimulating them into producing collagen to plump and firm the skin. The treatment (a course of four is recommended, each lasting about an hour) is extremely comfortable and, in my experience, very effective.
*14 *Philosophy Miracle Worker Anti-Ageing Retinoid Pads**, £62**
Chemical peels administered by a doctor can be hugely effective on sunspots and wrinkles, but the period while you look too awful to go out, discomfort and cost are prohibitive. This at-home alternative uses retinoids: vitamin A derivatives, and one of the ingredients we know for sure works on signs of ageing. Each night, you stroke a soaked pad over the area to be treated: face, décolleté, neck, back of your hands, and follow with moisturiser. (You also need to wear a high-protection sunblock by day throughout the treatment period.) After a month, you should see a reduction in fine lines, discoloration and dullness.
*15 *Threading by Daxita**, from £30**
Expertly threaded brows work better than Botox. A good pair frames your face, lifting the entire eye area, albeit in the illusory sense. I don't let anyone but Daxita near mine, because she's incredibly fast, painless and has an excellent eye for what suits different face shapes (like many Indian women, she's been threading since her mother taught her as a child). But you can find great practitioners all over the country. Price is no guide to quality, so seek a personal recommendation.
*16 *Teeth whitening at Smile Studio**, £395, smile studiolondon.co.uk**
I've always felt that in the fight against the visible signs of ageing, we've picked the wrong enemy. It's not wrinkles and sagging that have the most ageing effect on the face: it's bad hair and teeth. I get my smile whitened by Dr Wyman Chan, who has affiliates nationwide. He uses gel and heat painlessly (really) to remove stains and whiten teeth by several shades. I go every two years.
**17 A good foundation, from about £25**
A must for anyone over 35 who wants to hide uneven tone and bring lost light back to their face. I will generally send anyone looking for a foundation to Bobbi Brown, since she has a great product for every skin colour and condition, as well as generally clued-up counter staff. I also love bases at Armani, Suqqu, RMK and YSL. I apply with a foundation brush or fingertips; sponges just waste the product.
*18 *Slendertone Face**, £250**
There's a reason this has been around for decades: it works. A faintly ridiculous-looking headset stimulates muscles to give a more toned and firm appearance. You should see a result after one treatment, though you'll need to continue use every week to retain it. I have rarely known a disappointed user, and often lend mine to friends in the run-up to a special occasion.
*19 *Clairol Nice 'n Easy Root Touch Up**, £4.28**
Keeping grey hair at bay can be expensive and time-consuming. This simple yet brilliant product lets you increase the interval between salon appointments. Just part your hair in the usual way, then brush the colour along the visible roots, temples and hairline. Ten minutes later, rinse out to find all grey covered. Always do a patch test, because this is not suitable for anyone allergic to PPD, the compound used in most permanent hair colorants.
*20 *Browhaus Brow Resurrection**, £550, browhaus.com**
One of the most impressive treatments I've ever seen, and the one I recommend to women who have permanently lost their brows through overplucking, ageing, alopecia or chemotherapy. Instead of tattooing on whole brows, as others do, Browhaus tattoos every last hair individually, tapering the end for an astonishingly realistic result. I've seen friends get back their brows after years of having to draw them on. Every one of them feels the not-insignificant cost is well worth it.
*21 *Invisalign Braces** at the London Lingual Orthodontic Clinic, price on consultation, londonlingualbraces.com**
My teeth are healthy but crooked, which I wouldn't mind if they stayed where they are. But as I get older, they continue to move and will worsen. I'm tackling the problem with Invisalign. The programme uses almost invisible clear braces that are changed frequently over one to two years. The result is straight (but not creepy, Tom Cruise-like) teeth that stay that way indefinitely with the help of bedtime retainers. As a happy side-effect, they make snacking more trouble than it's worth.
*22 *Caci facial toning treatment**, from £49**
I've always rated these treatments, which use a special machine to deliver microcurrents to the skin, visibly toning and lifting it with immediate effect. Jennifer Lopez, Madonna and the unfeasibly young-looking Gillian Taylforth are all fans. Caci's new Ultra system can be used on hands, face, scarring and stretchmarks, and combines a peel and LED light therapy with the original treatment. Pain-free and available nationwide.
*23 *Eve Lom facial**, price varies by location, evelom.com**
Lots of women like a strokey, relaxing facial where nodding off is encouraged. Personally, I care not a jot for my chakras; I want someone to set to work on my skin, pummelling muscles, removing all debris, extracting lumps and bumps, and leaving my skin refreshed and youthful. That's what Eve and her personally trained therapists do, and the result is a brighter complexion, smaller pores and smoother skin. Eve can arguably be credited with popularising the hot-cloth cleansing method, to which I am devoted. Even if you can't afford the facial, adopting this at-home method will make a huge difference to your skin.
**24 **Ulthera non-surgical lifts**, from £800**
A longtime Hollywood favourite (Courtney Cox swears by it), and with good reason. Ulthera is a more serious anti-ageing treatment that must be administered by an Ulthera-licensed healthcare professional, but it can work very well. It uses ultrasound to stimulate the structural support layers of the skin, without damaging the surface. The visible effect is one of lifting, firming and toning. Early Ulthera treatments were very painful; its latest incarnation is significantly less so, with no loss of effectiveness. You will typically see a more noticeable result than with other non-surgical methods, though results are not permanent (around two years). A much less scary alternative to a full face lift, it can also be used in smaller areas, such as brows, eyes and neck.
*25 *Facial sunblock**, from £4.49**
Still the most important and effective anti-ageing treatment we have. Always make sure yours is a broad spectrum sunscreen: one that protects against UVA (primarily ageing) and UVB (primarily burning and cancer-causing) rays. My favourites can be found here, but the most important thing is not price or product. You just need to use one whenever you'll be spending extended periods outdoors, whatever the weather. UVA doesn't care if it's hot or cold outside.
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