Skin Saver: How to keep glowing in later years

As the party season revs up this may be an ideal time to take steps to ward off damaging effects our lifestyle can have on your face. Margaret Jennings suggests some resolutions.

ARE you peering in the mirror and bemoaning your ageing skin? It may not be the best time of year to remind you of how our lifestyle affects our face — with the party season cranking up, but there is only so much make-up can do to hide damage that we ourselves can help avoid.

Without being a total party pooper, it’s important to remember that as we age, the effects of unhealthy lifestyle habits take an even greater toll on our skin. “With ageing skin, 20% is genetic — you’re programmed to be the way you’re going to be, but you can actually modify it a lot with your lifestyle habits,” says consultant dermatologist, Rosemary Coleman from the Blackrock, Dublin.