\n<\/p>\n
Forget 12-step skincare routines, red light therapy and injectables \u2013 the single most important thing you can do for your skin is wear UV protection. \u201cNot just sun protection, but UV protection, every single day, regardless of weather or season,\u201d says Dr\u00a0Jennifer Owens, resident aesthetic expert at the Reborne Longevity clinic in London. \u201cUp to 90% of visible skin ageing is caused by UV exposure \u2013 nothing else comes close in terms of impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beware the misguided logo, warns Guardian fashion columnist Jess Cartner-Morley: \u201cNever, ever wear a sweatshirt or, worse, carry a basket with a slogan that includes the words \u2018dance\u2019 or \u2018love\u2019. Be cautious of words in French. These are the style equivalent of having a \u2018Live, laugh, prosecco\u2019 poster in your kitchen. Sorry, but you cannot buy youthful insouciance at M&S.\u201d<\/p>\n
Want to look instantly better without spending a penny? Standing up straight makes you look younger \u2013 and thinner \u2013 says Nick Finney, personal trainer to celebrities including Jennifer Lopez: \u201cOur posture suffers with age, due to a combination of weakness, atrophying muscles and tightness. The solution is to strengthen all the muscles in your posterior chain [the rear of your body] while making sure that the muscles at the front have enough mobility to allow them to pull your back upright \u2013 tight pectorals will pull your shoulders forward.\u201d Strengthen your posterior chain in the gym by perfecting Romanian deadlifts and\u00a0horizontal rows.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Julia Roberts.<\/span> Photograph: Getty Images<\/p>\n People get hung up on wrinkles and middle-age spread, but dodgy teeth are far more ageing, says Sali Hughes,the Guardian Saturday magazine\u2019s resident beauty expert: \u201cTeeth that are discoloured, significantly crooked or\u00a0even missing are very ageing and so, conversely, a\u00a0well cared-for mouth can take years off.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Ten Dental\u2019s Dr\u00a0Jenni Rawes: \u201cAs we\u00a0age, enamel naturally wears down, revealing more of \u00a0the dentine underneath, which is a darker, creamier colour. It\u2019s also more porous than enamel, so absorbs staining from food and drink far more readily, making teeth look darker still over time. Brightening the smile has a huge effect on how youthful and well someone appears.\u201d Rawes says that visiting the hygienist for a scale and polish, and whitening the teeth using custom-made at-home trays are the fastest, lowest-effort ways to upgrade your smile. Expect to pay about \u00a3375 for whitening.<\/p>\n <\/span>Brad Pitt.<\/span> Photograph: Bauer-Griffin\/FilmMagic\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Still operating on the presumption that a pressed outfit signals that you have your shi(r)t together? Keep up. \u201cYouth culture treats ironing like a hobby from the 50s, which means creased natural fabrics have become the ultimate modern Prada-esque symbol of chicness,\u201d says the Guardian\u2019s fashion and lifestyle editor, Morwenna Ferrier. \u201cLooking kempt means looking corporate.\u201d Also:\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t tuck things in. Modern fashion is all about the drape.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are so many men of a certain age walking around wearing hideous chinos, which sag at the knee and taper at the ankle?\u201d bemoans fashion consultant Simon Chilvers. \u201cA pair of trousers in a\u00a0flattering cut and decent fabric are the linchpin of great style as we age. Equally, a pair of well-made and well-kept shoes are central to the stylishness of any male wardrobe \u2013 and, yes, that can include sneakers, as long as they\u2019re not too desperately trendy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span>Andie MacDowell.<\/span> Photograph: Reuters<\/p>\n Thought middle age comes with a compulsory mum cut? Think again. \u201cLonger hair is absolutely not the preserve of the young,\u201d says Hughes. \u201cHealthy hair of any colour (including grey and silver) that falls at the shoulder and beyond actually looks brilliant and sexy on women over 50.\u201d<\/p>\n Hairdresser George Northwood \u2013 whose clients include Alexa Chung, Gwyneth Paltrow and the Duchess of Sussex \u2013 agrees: \u201cHair condition and texture are more important than your age when thinking about your hairstyle. The important thing to consider is: \u2018Does my hair look relevant?\u2019, rather than subscribing to a particular length for your age, which feels a bit outdated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone fixates on lines and wrinkles, but uneven skin tone is more ageing,\u201d says Owens. \u201cIt\u2019s also more fixable \u2013 home care, UV protection and treatments like peels or microneedling can reverse existing sun damage. There\u2019s decades of evidence behind microneedling as a technique.\u201d A course of three sessions can boost collagen for months afterwards, and you can repeat that course once a year. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the few treatments that\u2019s genuinely within most people\u2019s reach, and paired with good home care and daily UV protection, the results are transformative.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span>Anne Hathaway.<\/span> Photograph: GC Images\/Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cGet a smaller handbag,\u201d commands Cartner-Morley. \u201cLook around you: young people have really small bags. You can basically do everything with a phone now, after all. You don\u2019t need to carry around a wad of second-class stamps. Nor do you need two packs of tissues or spare tights. Live life on the edge!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDitch the wallet-style phone case \u2013 you know, the one with the flip cover,\u201d says the Guardian\u2019s deputy fashion and lifestyle editor, Chloe Mac Donnell. \u201cInstead, buy a thin screen protector and a slim case. Casetify does fun collaborations if you\u2019re into prints.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span>Pharrell Williams.<\/span> Photograph: Getty Images for Tiffany & Co<\/p>\n Good news, men \u2013 you don\u2019t have to ditch your favourite hoodie and jorts, post 40. \u201cI personally don\u2019t think that men have to dress according to their\u00a0age,\u201d says fashion commentator Derek Guy, AKA the menswear guy. \u201cI like it when people break expectations, such as an older man who adopts youthful fashions. To me, seeing people use clothes to express themselves outside the narrow boundaries set by class, sexuality, gender and age is what makes fashion so rich and interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNext season\u2019s \u2018visible boxer shorts\u2019 look has the potential to come off as a wardrobe malfunction at\u00a0a\u00a0certain point in life,\u201d cautions Chilvers.<\/p>\n What worked in the 90s may not land today. \u201cI meet so many people who are wearing the same makeup they wore 15 or 20 years ago \u2013 when their lifestyle, budget, skin and tastes were very different,\u201d says Hughes. \u201cSwapping out a heavy matt foundation for\u00a0a sheerer, glowier skin tint is a fast way to look modern and more confident, and switching a complicated, dated eyeshadow palette for one cream or liquid shadow and a liner looks instantly carefree and chic.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferrier adds: \u201cIt\u2019s not that a little flick or cat eye will age you, but it does betray you as someone born\u00a0before 1990.\u201d<\/p>\n There are no prizes for ageing naturally. \u201cI don\u2019t care\u00a0whether people want Botox or not,\u201d says Hughes. \u201cThere are many very valid reasons for not\u00a0wanting to engage in \u2018longevity treatments\u2019, from the political to the financial. What I find baffling is that I\u2019m asked every single day about other non-surgical treatments, from Jul\u00e4ine to Morpheus 8, by people\u00a0that I know would find what they are looking\u00a0for more quickly and more cheaply in Botox,\u00a0but who \u2013 through some misplaced and wildly\u00a0inconsistent guilt \u2013 can\u2019t bear to be that person. Get it or don\u2019t get it \u2013 but life is too short for\u00a0such hand-wringing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOvertreating with Botox is one of the most common mistakes I see,\u201d says Owens. \u201cAs we age, brows naturally drop, and the frontalis is the only muscle doing the work of holding them up. Weaken it too much with Botox and it stops \u2018exercising\u2019 \u2013 it can atrophy, and brows drop lower, earlier than they otherwise would. That\u2019s part of why heavily treated faces can end up looking older, not younger. Botox absolutely has a place, but restraint is what keeps it looking natural.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span>Michelle Obama.<\/span> Photograph: AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n In an Ozempic-obsessed world, it\u2019s easier than ever to lose weight \u2013 but looking frail is ageing. \u201cAs we get older, our skin loses its tautness at the same time that our muscle mass declines,\u201d says Finney. \u201cThis combination exacerbates the soft and baggy appearance people dislike.\u201d Instead of worrying about losing weight, consider getting stronger through resistance training in the gym. \u201cAs your muscles strengthen they\u2019ll push closer to the skin, causing a shrink-wrapped, more taut appearance.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span>Jason Statham.<\/span> Photograph: WireImage\/Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re going bald, just go bald,\u201d advises Mac Donnell. \u201cA shaved head will make you look more confident than a\u00a0receding hairline. And it\u2019s cheaper than a hair transplant.\u201d<\/p>\n As for greys? According to Northwood, they can also be embraced. \u201cI think men look great with silver\u00a0hair,\u201d he says. \u201cI might bleach my hair for a\u00a0statement, but I don\u2019t think men should be trying to cover their greys \u2013 often it can end up with a red or khaki tone, which looks strange. As we age, our skin lightens and it looks washed out when men have a\u00a0pale face and dark hair. It\u2019s different for women, who dye their hair, as chances are they will also wear makeup.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span>Madonna.<\/span> Photograph: Gamma-Rapho\/Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t bang on about \u2018being old\u2019,\u201d says Mac Donnell. \u201cReferring to yourself as \u2018ancient\u2019 when you\u2019re 43 is\u00a0an ick. You don\u2019t hear Madonna doing it,\u00a0and she\u2019s a pensioner.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wear sunscreen Forget 12-step skincare routines, red light therapy and injectables \u2013 the single most important thing you can do for your skin is wear UV protection. \u201cNot just sun protection, but UV protection, every single day, regardless of weather or season,\u201d says Dr\u00a0Jennifer Owens, resident aesthetic expert at the Reborne Longevity clinic in London.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[11230,4287,1326,2265,1870,7347,25207,337,25206,891,4005],"class_list":{"0":"post-51881","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-botox","9":"tag-ditch","10":"tag-dont","11":"tag-extend","12":"tag-giant","13":"tag-handbag","14":"tag-hotspan","15":"tag-life","16":"tag-overdo","17":"tag-style","18":"tag-ways"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/51882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Ditch the iron<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Pay attention to your lower half<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Long hair? Don\u2019t care<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Correct pigmentation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Lose the <\/strong>Mary Poppins <\/strong>bag<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2026 and the dad phone<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Be age inappropriate<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2026 within reason<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Update your makeup bag<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Don\u2019t dismiss Bo<\/strong>tox<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2026 but don\u2019t overdo it<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Get strong, not skinny<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Be bold (and bald)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
And, finally \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n