Is it worth spending money on anti-ageing products? We all know how well skincare works when dealing with issues such as acne and eczema but what about something as permanent and inevitable as ageing?

I mean, how many times have you heard of someone bragging about their mother who does ‘absolutely nothing’ to her skin yet still looks a good 15 years younger than she is? Perhaps genes make up the brunt of skin condition and skincare is nothing more than a rather expensive placebo?

Well the answer, as always, is a frustrating ‘yes and no’. Yes, genes play a huge role in the way in which we will age but some skincare can make a massive difference in how well we age.

Sunscreen

Twin studies like these are very interesting as these 52 year old twin sisters have exactly the same genes. However, the twin on the left looks older than her sister thanks to a lack of sun protection and a smoking habit.

Source – This one is a great read!

In this photograph of 69 year old twins, the twin on the left has a history of a lot more sun exposure whereas the one on the right either avoided the sun at peak hours or wore sunscreen. See the difference?

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This photograph is particularly interesting as it is two sides of the same face. This French taxi driver has visibly older looking skin on the side of his face that faces the window as he drives. Years of prolonged sun exposure has damaged one side of his face far more than the other.

Retinoids

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This one’s a photo of a woman who’s using a prescription retinoid to reverse some of the signs of ageing. See how her skin is beginning to plump up and wrinkles are beginning to fade? Long term use garners even better results than this.

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Well this one’s pretty self explanatory thanks to the blurb. Treatment with 15% Vitamin C (in it’s most potent form) here has lead to a more youthful and even-looking skin tone in this man.

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These photographs are from the clinical trials of the 5% Pro-Niacin formula used in the NIA24 line of products. The main effect it has is to even out the complexion, thicken the skin and there’s a subtle plumping of lines too.

So, as you can see, skincare can make a noticeable difference in the ageing process – it just depends on what you use and how you use it. You might recognise these ingredients as the ones that i’m contstantly pushing on you here at SCforM… We’re all going to age and that’s arguably a wonderful thing – just remember that it’s not about the age, it’s the state of preservation that counts!

• Argh, first wrinkles! Or ‘How to treat premature ageing’. – If you only want to read one post, make it this one. I discuss all the above ingredients in detail (sunscreen, retinol, vitamin c, niacinamide..) , offer recommendations for products and tell you how to work them in to your skincare routine.

• How to get a bright and even skin tone. - How to fade away (and prevent) age spots, freckles, melasma and other types of hyperpigmentation.

• Sunscreen - An introduction to sunscreens and what makes for good sun protection.

• Niacinamide – What this amazing ingredients does for the skin and where you can find it.

• Eye Treatments – Discussing eye issues (bags, circles, puffiness and wrinkles) in a two-part series.

• Retinol – an anti-ageing must have. – How Retinol works and why you should use it.