What is in anti-ageing skin creams?

As our obsession with looking younger longer grows, scientists and dermatologists continue to research effective anti-ageing treatments. They have discovered a number of vitamins and natural ingredients to help slow down the ageing process and that may even reverse some of the signs of ageing skin.

Vitamin A can help puff up the skin and ill out fine lines.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. It heals and boosts collagen production and circulation. It generally brightens the skin.

Vitamin E is another powerful antioxidant and moisturiser.

Retinoids are chemicals that encourage the production of new skin cells, giving skin a smoother appearance.

Alpha hydroxy acids encourage the skin to shed dead surface cells, improving texture and reducing large pores. They are particularly useful for oily or acne-prone skin.

Green tea extract is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It's good to drink and is effective topically to reduce puffiness, wrinkles and large pores.

How can i avoid wrinkles?

There are growing numbers of anti-ageing products available that are specifically designed to limit damage and help you hold back the years (its really as simple as natural plain make-up and a smooth moisturised body)

Your skin will become gradually drier and rougher from now on, so exfoliation is important. It's also critical to carry on protecting your skin against sun damage if you want to avoid sun spots, uneven pigmentation and even more wrinkles.

A good defence against damage from free radicals is vital. Use a moisturiser rich in antioxidants.

Vitamin A an retinoids will help boost collagen and elastin levels in your skin, making it look younger.

Exercise is even more important to maintain a healthy skeleton and muscle tone, and to combat a slower metabolism. A combination of weight-bearing or resistance exercise and a cardiovascular workout i best.

It's not always easy to avoid stress, especially as most people in their 40s have hectic lifestyles, balancing the needs of family, home and work. But there's no doubt that your body will now cope less well with stress and lack of sleep, so be gentle with yourself and make sure you have enough time to rest and recover from everyday life.

Now is the time to take a good, long look at your diet. What you ate even a decade ago may no longer suit your body's needs. Hormone and oestrogen-balancing foods are key if you want to feel healthy and avoid the worst effects of ageing.

What makes our skin?

SKIN

Collagen makes up 70% of the skin. It is the main structural protein in the skin, and its fibres act as scaffolding to give skin strength and maintain elasticity. Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen. Collagen production is badly affected by skin damage, smoking and eating too much sugar, causing wrinkling and sagging.

Elastin, which is the skins other main fibrous protein, gives skin its bounce. Collagen and Elastin fibres become less flexible over time because of damage my free radicals.

Antioxidant vitamins A, C, E and minerals such as selenium limit damage caused by free radicals. A normal skin should be composed roughly of 70% living cells and 30% dead cells. At the age of 40 only 30% of skin cells are still active.

The epidermis never stops growing from the bottom layer up. Dead skin cells are usually shed invisibly from the surface (the dead cell layer is called the stratum corneum). On average it takes between 50-75 days for a complete cycle from the development of new skin cells until they are shed.

Essential fatty (such as those in seeds, nuts and oily fish) are vital for healthy skin to maintain the membranes of skin cells.