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No Regrets

You’re probably not worrying about wrinkles just yet, but do you want to wake up in ten years’ time wishing you’d moisturised more and scrimped on sun cream a little less? Get skin care right now and you’ll save a fortune on Botox (and the rest) later. Jessica Matlin explains how.

Think Holistically

Those national ads pushing you to gorge on fruit and veg, take the stairs and slash your alcohol intake can seem irritatingly pedantic. They would have been smarter if they’d just appealed to our collective vanity.
'No cream on earth does as much for your skin as eating antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables,' says Gupta.
Of course, not everyone’s diet is squeaky clean. Eating too much processed food – or not eating enough – can actually leave our skin cells depleted of vital nutrients.

'If your diet is lacking in fruits and vegetables and high in processed foods, your skin can become dull, dehydrated and blotchy, and its elasticity can wane. Or if you’re extreme dieting, your skin can actually thin,' says Dakar, who sees it all of the time in her Beverly Hills clinic.
Most people can benefit from taking a supplement to help compensate for what’s missing (if not all of the time, then some of it). G. Baldwin & Co. Hair Skin And Nails Multi (£10.75 for 60 tablets) includes vitamins A, C & E, essential for collagen production or try Glisodin (£24.46 for 60 capsules) – it’s billed as an anti-ageing catalyst and we hear it makes a visible difference to skin.

But always adhere strictly to the supplements’ accompanying directions, warns Dakar. When one of her clients was so overzealous with her daily (skin-smoothing) vitamin D supplements leading up to a red carpet appearance, she found she couldn’t fit into her skintight dress. Unbeknownst to her, overdosing on vitamin D causes bloating, says Dakar. Too much of any supplement can have unpleasant side effects.

Getting your exercise is also part of the equation, says Gupta. Indeed, when ELLE met Andie MacDowell (now 50) a few weeks ago, she swore her regular workouts were the key to her looks. Even up close, her skin looks amazing.

Exercise gets your circulation going, which brings more nutrients to your skin and improves its appearance, says Gupta. It also prevents you gaining weight, which as you get older can lead to the kind of hormone changes that bring on adult acne and hyper-pigmentation.

But whilst breaking a sweat is good, again, don’t become obsessive. Dakar is regularly doling out injectables to her gym-bound clients who’ve unwittingly sacrificed collagen in the name of burning fat.
But perhaps the derm’s most chilling announcement: Nothing bloats and lines your face like alcohol. So be warned – this party won’t last forever.

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