My grandmother and mother both have fantastic skin for their age, so will I too?

Possibly, but not necessarily. Their fantastic skin is more than likely to be due to the fact that they spent more time out of the sun than in it. The rate at which your skin ages depends less on your genes and more on your daily sun protection. Your grandmother may not have sunbathed at all and may have worn hat and gloves until the 60s. Many patients in their 40s and older express surprise and dismay that their skin doesn’t look as great as their mother’s, but these days we know why.

Skincare Problems


I have wrinkles and age spots, but I never sunbathe so the sun can’t be to blame. Why is this?

You don’t have to have lived on the beach for your skin to be photo-damaged. Even minimal sun exposure is enough to contribute to photo-ageing. UVA, (the ray which weakens the skin’s support network and is the main cause of wrinkling), is constant all year round, surnmer and winter, and unlike UVB is present virtually all day. For this reason it is recommended that you wear a SPF15 cream every day.


My skin is really oily. Will it always be so?

Oil production does fall off with age. If your skin has always been greasy this is a welcome by-product of the ageing process. In the meantime you can console yourself with the knowledge that your skin is less likely to age quite as quickly as your drier skinned counterpart — provided, of course, you stay out of the sun.


I have been anorexic for the past seven years and my skin looks dreadful and my hair and nails are dry and brittle. Why is this?

If you aren’t eating properly your skin, hair and nails, as well as your general health will suffer. You probably lack the essential fatty acids required to make the lipids which keep your skin supple and well hydrated. You are probably also low on the vitamins and minerals which produce healthy epidermal and dermal cells, and aid their day-to-day maintenance. By eating a well-balanced diet you would probably notice a difference in your skin and hair within weeks. If you can’t eat more, consider using a balanced multi-vitamin and mineral supplement.


Will eating chocolate give me spots?

What you eat cannot make spots form from the inside out because, in fact, spots form from the outside in. If your skin pores get blocked with sebum (skin oil), salts from sweat, city grime, dust or make-up then the clogged pore may become infected and a spot may form. Acne is often the result of unbalanced hormones which cause an excessive build up of sebum. In such cases, eating well is important, and it is wise to avoid excessively fatty foods such as French fries in favour of a well-balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.


Are separate eye creams essential?

No, not necessarily. However, biopsies show that the skin around the eye is a third thinner than elsewhere which means that irritants can more readily penetrate and cause inflammation reactions. So when you use a specialist eye cream, it tends to contain fewer active, or potentially irritating agents, as well as hopefully having active ingredients to combat the dreaded crows’ feet.


Is it possible for my skin type to change?

Your skin could well be normal during the summer, but become dry during the winter when it is subjected to cold winds and the drying effects of central heating. Equally, your normal skin could become oily during the summer, especially if you live where humidity levels are high. Many people need to fine tune their skincare regime to the season, moisturizing more in winter and using more astringent cleansers in the summer.


I live in a hard water area and my skin feels very dry. Would my skin benefit from installing a water softener?

While there have been no clinical studies carried out on the benefits or otherwise of soft water, it is safe to say that those with dry skin would benefit from washing in softer water. Hard water contains high levels of alkaline salts and the combination of alkaline soap and hard water can leave >a drying residue on the skin. If you don’t wish to install a water softener, try washing with pH balanced, non-soap cleansers.


Is there any benefit in applying my skin cream with upward strokes?

Beauticians are often trained to apply creams this way and the leaflets which accompany skin creams often suggest it, but there is no scientific basis for the notion that upward strokes will improve sagging skin. Beauticians’ strokes will normally stimulate the lymph system into draining away toxin-carrying fluids which can make the face puffy, in particular, around the eyes. They are also want to give you a relaxing experience. You can apply your cream in whichever direction you like as long as you do it gently and don’t drag on the skin.


Is wearing make-up everyday bad for my skin?

No, in fact, it may be good for it. Most foundations today are formulated to be noncomedogenic, that is, they won’t clog the pores, and they contain ingredients designed to protect and moisturize your skin. Some of the best foundations actually contain sunscreens and antioxidants and are a useful addition to a daily sunscreening moisturizer.


My oily skin won’t wrinkle, will it?

It is true that fair, dry skin tends to wrinkle more, and earlier, than its tougher, oilier counterpart. Darker skin, which by definition is usually oilier, does have a greater degree of built-in protection in the form of melanin, but this dark pigment cannot be relied upon to protect the skin indefinitely. So, unfortunately, oily skin will also wrinkle if overexposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. It will also show other sorts of ageing changes now associated with sun damage, which include sun spots, uneven pigmentation and sagging.


Must I use an SPF15 every day —summer and winter?

The burning UVB ray is stronger during the summer months but the ageing UVA ray beats down with the same intensity all year round. Of course, whether you wear sunscreen all day, every day is up to you. If you don’t your skin will age prematurely. If you do, you stand a better chance of retaining a firmer, wrinkle and age spot-free face for longer.


Do skin creams work?

The answer, rather unhelpfully, depends on what you mean by ‘work’. If you mean can moisturizers hydrate your skin, make it look brighter and feel more comfortable, then yes, they do work. But if you mean, can anti-ageing creams rernove lines and wrinkles and shrink the sagging skin over the jawline to its teenage firmness, then no, they cannot. Cosmetic creams, by definition, can and should, deliver only minimal effects. Some cosmeceutical creams can produce more pronounced results but they must be prescribed and used under medical supervision.


Moisturizer stings my face. Why?

You probably have sensitive skin which means that its outer layer lets in more than it should — and probably lets out more moisture than it should. You need to ensure that you cleanse it very, very gently. And don’t apply anything which upsets it. Buy products from ranges designed for sensitive skin. Use SPF15 or higher moisturizing creams whenever possible. Such measures should help to shore up the skin’s outer layer making it less sensitive in future.


Could a new diet improve my skin?

If you diet lacks the nutrients your skin requires for healthy function, then yes. If however, you already eat a well-balanced diet then it’s unlikely you will be able to improve on matters. Some animal studies suggest that a diet rich in antioxidants can help the skin defend itself against UV-attack but these studies have yet to be performed with humans.


My skin looks better when I use a sunbed and worse when I don’t. Why is this?

This is a common complaint of sunbed users. It is usually because the irregular pigmentation produced by the UV damage is masked by the tan itself. When your tan fades, the blotches become more evident.

If you suffer from a condition such as acne or psoriasis you may well be recommended by your dermatologist to use a sunbed. Ultraviolet light therapy has long been used to help clear the lesions of these skin diseases. However, there is a careful balance to be achieved between short-term gain and long-term damage to the skin. Trials in mid-1998 at the Hammersmith Hospital in London suggested that high frequency red light would not only help clear acne, but also wouldn’t damage the skin as ultraviolet light can.


Is there any such thing as a safe tan?

No I’m afraid not. Melanin is produced in the skin in response to skin damage. Your DNA has to be under attack before it is produced so a tanned skin is, by definition, a damaged skin. The only really safe tan is a fake tan.


I love to have a tan and am not prepared to give up sunbathing. However, I would like to go some way to minimizing long-term damage. Can you suggest anything?

The most important thing is to ensure that you never, ever burn. Use as high an SPF as you can bear to. Keep in mind your skin type when buying and make sure it offers broad spectrum (UVA and B) protection. Remember too, that there is several hour delay before sunburn shows. Be prepared to build up your colour slowly and gradually.


I like to use a sunbed before going away because I’ve been told having a tan is a protective measure against sunburn.

The melanin produced when the skin is exposed to natural sunlight does give some protection, but remember that it took damage to get it and even the darkest ‘natural’ tan of a white person amounts to a natural SPF of only about 5. Unfortunately, a sunbed tan is not as efficient as a natural one. For a start, the UVA rays of the sunbed do not cause the skin’s stratum corneum to thicken which is an important defensive response. Also, the colour you get from UVA comes mainly from the bottom level of the epidermis, where UVA is more active, whereas the tan you get from UVB is evenly distributed throughout the epidermis.


I was working in a bar in the Caribbean and often developed blistered, burnt hands. Why?

I think you might have used limes in some of the drinks you were serving. Lime juice contains plant chemicals called psoralens which cause the skin to become extraordinarily sensitive to effects of the sun.


Can after-sun lotions save my skin and stop me from peeling?

They can certainly help to rehydrate your skin. They can even help to cool the burning sensation and make you feel more comfortable. Those with antioxidant vitamins may also help to inhibit some of the damaging effects of the free radicals which are rampaging through your skin. However, they cannot reverse damage done to your DNA, prevent your skin peeling, or halt the sun-accelerated ageing process.


As my hair is starting to go grey its texture is changing from smooth and straight to wiry and wavy. Why, and what can I do about it?

The lack of pigment means that your hair doesn’t have the same resistance to sunlight, it is not as full (the pigment itself made up about 8% of the volume of each shaft), and is no longer so able to hold moisture. Washing your hair frequently will help to put the moisture back in. Try using pH-balanced hair products including those that are specifically formulated for grey hair. You can also seal in as much water as possible with heavy-duty conditioners and intensive conditioning treatments. Use some sunscreens and sunscreening styling products, silicone serums to smooth its tendency to frizz, and try to avoid using heated styling devices.