Skin care for mature skin from the inside and out

Keep your healthy skin with the right nutrition

You are what you eat and one of the first places a poor diet shows is on the surface of your skin, whatever your age. Skin cells are created in the inner layer of the skin, where they have to settle for the nutrients remaining after more vital body parts have had their share. So, the trick to good skin care is to make sure you get enough of the nutrients your skin needs – in addition to providing care from the outside.

Vitamins for skin care

Vitamin A is essential for forming new skin cells and maintaining normal skin. Good sources of vitamin A are:

• Liver, liver paste, oily fish, eggs, margarine, milk, butter and cheese.
• Fruits and vegetables with lots of colour, such as carrots, broccoli, peppers, kale and apricots.
• Fish oil and other omega-3 supplements.

Vitamin C helps produce collagen, which is an important building block for normal skin. Good sources of vitamin C include:

• Citrus fruits like oranges and kiwi.
• Berries such as strawberries and blackcurrants.
• Peppers, broccoli, rutabaga, spinach and tomato.

Simple mature skin care tips from the outside

The skin also depends on proper care from the outside. Older skin will need extra moisture and should be treated more gently than younger skin.

Here are our top tips:

• Moisturising cleanse

With age, the skin becomes more sensitive and easily dehydrated, which is why it’s important to use a mild, moisturising cleanser that doesn’t remove the protective lipids from the skin surface.

• Gentle exfoliation

Peeling a few times a week removes rough, dead skin cells that can prevent your moisturiser from working effectively, and it gives you a healthy glow. But traditional peels can scratch the surface of your skin and damage it. You should go for a gentle face peel that contains, for example, enzymes that dissolve dead skin cells instead of scrubbing them away.

• Lots and lots of moisture

You need extra moisture when you get older, often more than you realise. So treat yourself to a good moisturiser, preferably one with hyaluronic acid and use it diligently and generously morning and night. And remember to drink water – fresh water is good for your skin and health.

• Sunscreen

Never skip sunscreen! The sun causes around 90% of the signs of aging, such as wrinkles and age spots. Remember, your tan is temporary, your wrinkles are forever. And yes, you get a tan even if you protect your skin with suncreen. It just takes a bit longer but, in return, you get a deeper longer-lasting colour.