Page 19 - You Magazine – Issue 1

Looking the age we feel is a goal many aspire to. But while genetics plays a significant part in how well our skin looks after the age of 60, there are many things we can do to assist the process.
When career make-up expert Cindy Joseph signed with the Ford
Modelling Agency, she brought with her far greater aspirations than merely positioning herself as a high-profile clothes horse.
Standing just 172cm tall, with grey hair and crow’s feet, not only was her appearance vastly different from the others commanding the runway, but at 50 years of age a
life well lived had given her the confidence – as well as the platform – to challenge the world’s traditional perceptions of beauty.
As her career flourished, so too did Cindy's belief that older people, women in particular, should embrace their age rather than trying to conceal it, noting, “There’s not a woman who doesn’t want to look younger than she is, because we’re told that as we age, our value goes down.”
Cindy, whose modelling career lasted right until her death in 2018, advocated that those aged in their 60s or older had lived beautiful and unique lives, and should be proud of how they looked “smile lines and all”.
“As over 60s, we need to embrace the power that we have and say goodbye to the old-fashioned notion that [we]
all should constantly try to look ‘younger’. Instead, let’s embrace the beauty, character and honesty that are embedded in our faces.”
Dermal therapist Meg Hawkins, owner of Hobart’s The Skincare Clinic, is another who believes that while the ageing process
is inevitable, having a healthy attitude towards our physical appearances is half the battle.
“Science and technology have made it easier and easier to choose to care for more mature skins which means you can continue into your 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond. Firstly [by being] able to do everything you wish and secondly by looking as young as you feel.”
Understanding the causes
Before undertaking a regular skincare routine, it’s important
to understand the toll that menopause, dehydration and UV exposure may already have taken on older skin, Meg says.
She says sagging jawlines, wrinkles and loss of tone are mostly as a result of chemical changes that happen within our bodies when menopause occurs.
“Oestrogens stimulate fat deposits over the female body and as the levels drop these are
re-distributed over the tummy, thighs and buttocks. The result
is a decrease in the supportive
fat below the skin in the face, neck, hands and arms which is experienced as wrinkles and loose skin. This skin is generally difficult to compress.”
With the decline of oestregen levels, collagen and elastin production drops dramatically as does oil production, leaving the skin significantly drier.
Meg says changes in texture and brightness occur as a result of the decrease of collagen and elastin in the skin’s dermis.
The growth and maintenance of capillaries in the dermis are also partly under the effects of oestrogen. When menopause occurs, dermal blood flow is reduced and with it, of course, a reduced amount of nutrients and oxygen to the area.
“Your skin appears dull because of the build-up of dead cells on the surface of the skin. As you advance into your 70s, 80s and 90s these will become more pronounced and you may also notice that your skin becomes more fragile and sensitive with an increase in blotchiness. You bruise more easily, you sweat less and you heal more slowly.”
You MAY 2020 19