Skin is the ultimate time keeper. It keeps a ruthless score and record, revealing our genetic content, our overall health, recording every emotion, every hour of sun exposure, every scratch – from the top layer of epidermis down. Some of what it records takes time to reveal itself as a line, wrinkle or age spot which is why it is just as important to think about age prevention in your 20’s as it is about treating the signs of ageing in your 60’s. During our 20s During our carefree and wrinkle free 20s our facial muscles are plump and bone density is strong. The skin produces adequate collagen and elastin, heals quickly and the outer layer renews itself every 14-28 days leaving smooth healthy glowing skin. The key concerns tend to be slight dehydration and potentially acne scaring. Ageing doesn’t tend to be an issue, but what many 20 somethings may not realise is that their lifestyle could be having a huge impact on the important structures in the skin that will surface later in life. It is key to avoid trigger factors such as UV, smoking, poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle. In particular, continued unprotected exposure to UV will start to degrade your fibroblasts which are important for keeping the skin firm and plump, meaning as the natural ageing process starts to kick in, and these fibroblasts start to decline after the age of 25, you will age more prematurely than someone who kept out of the sun and led a healthy lifestyle. My key recommendations for anyone in their 20s would be: During our 30s From our 30s to 40s many of my patients mention they feel they have “lost their glow” they will start to see fine lines on the forehead, between the brow and around the eyes. Many will start to see darker patches of skin, or hyper-pigmentation as it is known, especially if they have been sun worshipers in their 20’s. They may also see small red veins around their nose and across their cheeks. In the upper layers of your skin, the rate at which it renews itself has started to slow down which may account for that dullness many of my patients talk about. My key recommendations for anyone in their 30s would be: During our 40s-50s During our 40s-50s fine lines will turn to deeper more permanent wrinkles, lines around the mouth will now begin to show, and you will probably see jowling of the lower face. This is due to more relentless degradation of collagen, elastin and muscle fibres which happens as we age. You will notice more broken or dilated red veins and the cells responsible for producing the pigment in your skin will begin to reduce and can act erratically as a result of previous damage (see 20s). As a result age spots or pigmentation marks will be prevalent on areas such as hands and chest, as well as the face. My key recommendations for anyone in their 40s and 50s would be: During our 60s As we enter our 60s the cumulative and chronological ageing are both visibly evident. In addition to previous signs of ageing the skin will become thinner and the bone less dense leading to a hollower, sunken appearance. With deeper set wrinkles and folds and sagging in both the face and neck a combination treatment is going to be key. My key recommendations for anyone in their 60s would be: Life is for living and we are lucky enough to live in an age when it is possible to eradicate the effects. There are so many ways of tackling the signs of a good life from your twenties onwards, so there is no need for your skin, whether you are male or female, to reflect your biological age. There are two Dr Leah Cosmetic Skin Clinics in London and Essex. For more information please visit drleah.co.uk
Silhouette Soft thread lift was named as one of the most popular treatments for those in their 40s and 50s by Dr Leah, the winner of the TV show The Apprentice. Naming her best anti-ageing treatments for every stage of life Dr Leah said the Silhouette Soft thread lift suits busy people as it has less downtime than a surgical facelift. The procedure, which takes around one hour, involves a dissolvable thread being inserted under the skin that stimulates collagen production and produces natural-looking results which last up to 18 months.