Many women worry about ageing and try every trick in the book to keep themselves looking youthful.
But now evidence suggests they should ditch expensive lotions and potions – or trips to the Botox clinic – in favour of a very simple two-step routine.
In the BBC show The Truth About Looking Good, presenter Cherry Healey was told that an SPF and retinol are the only things that will truly fight the signs of skin ageing.
She was stunned to discover that sun damage was responsible for a staggering 75 per cent of the signs of ageing in skin, with the remainder down to external factors like pollution and smoking, and only a small percentage attributed to the physical process of growing older.
And once lines appear, skincare products containing at least 0.1ml of retinol are the only ones that will reduce them, according to the show’s findings.
The experts said a 60-year-old who had never been exposed to sunlight would have perfect skin.
But once lines have appeared, the only products proven to reduce them are those containing retinol, they said.
Skin expert Professor Chris Griffiths from the University of Manchester said that most visible changes to skin, such as wrinkles and fine lines, are caused by exposure to the sun.
The dermatologist recommended staying out of the sun as much as possible and always using an SPF to fight ageing.
Experts recommend that you use a cream with a high SPF and a five star rating for its ability protect against UVA rays; detail that is outlined on the packaging of skincare creams.
Professor Rachel Watson said it was important to use an SPF daily even in winter, as our skin is still being damaged by the sun even in the dark winter months.
But once you have wrinkle, there are only a handful of things that will help get rid of fine lines, including resorting to procedures like Botox.
However, if you don’t fancy the needle, some creams do work, the experts said, but only as long as they contain the ingredient retinol.
Dr Anjali Mahto, from celebrity favourite the Cadogan Clinic in Chelsea, said that a product containing at least 0.1ml of retinol would give a noticeable reduction of wrinkles.
She said: ‘Gradually build up its use and if it’s not causing too many problems with irritation after a few months of use upgrade to a product with 0.3 or not 0.5ml of retinol.’
Products containing this ingredient range from £6 to over £60, but the expensive creams don’t necessarily contain more than their cheaper counterparts.
The programme also revealed that customers shopping for beauty products are often misled by stylish packaging, which it suggested subtly boosts our self esteem as we hand over the cash to take it home.
The show conducted an experiment and found that more people bought the same product when it had stylish packaging than when it had plain packaging.
