CosBeauty Magazine #84

age?
We’ve all heard the old adage
told to hubbies-to-be that
if they want to know what
their wife will look like in many years
time, just look at her mum. As it
turns out, there may be a large grain
of truth when it comes to ageing skin.
A group of plastic surgeons from
the Loma Linda University Medical
Center in California scanned the
faces of mothers and their daughters
using computer modelling and 3D
cameras. The research team found
that mothers and daughters who look
similar also age in a strikingly similar
pattern. They found the daughters’
faces were beginning to sag, wrinkle,
thin and lose elasticity around the
eyes in exactly the same patterns as
their mothers’ faces. This similarity
particularly increased after the
daughters hit the age of 30.
One of the surgeons, Dr Matthew
Camp, says the study was the first
to prove scientifically that women
age like their mothers. Until now,
Dr Camp says studies of facial
ageing have mostly been subjective
and observational.
The findings may be especially
helpful for women in their mid-
30s to early 50s, which is the ideal
window for using minimally invasive
techniques to maintain a younger
looking appearance. Recognising
how your mother’s face changed over
the years could help guide a cosmetic
surgeon in the appropriate procedures
to address similar patterns of sagging
skin or volume loss. For example,
doctors would be able to pinpoint the
appropriate areas to inject
dermal fillers.
Another author of the study, Dr
Subhas Gupta, says knowing exactly
how a woman’s lower eyelids will
change with age can help surgeons
plan a surgical correction
that will prevent the changes seen
in her mother. ‘If you come in when
you’re 30, we can tell you where you
will have changes and quantify what
you will need and where,’ he says.
’The findings were surprisingly
repetitive regardless of ethnicity and
actual age difference between mothers
and daughters. You can beat Mother
Nature to the punch and not have
your mother’s eyes,’ says Dr Gupta.
Preventative
measures
for
daughters
When you’re young it’s all about
preventative, gentle and nourishing
products. Your hormones are still
balancing themselves, so stick to
oil-free cleansers, moisturisers and
makeup where possible.
Getting into a good skincare regime
in your teens not only helps resolve
some of the teen angst-causing
problem skin issues, but it also
forms good habits for the coming
decades. Cleanse, tone and moisturise
are the basic three steps at any age
and should be followed morning
and night.
Many teens find oily skin is their
main concern, so a gel-based cleanser
is best – perhaps one that includes
salicylic acid to help clear acne. Use
a light, non-comedogenic, oil-free
moisturiser to follow up.
Women in their 20s may opt
for foamy gel cleansers and light
moisturisers, perhaps a milky cleanser
if you’re prone to dry skin. Of an
eve, use a hydrating fluid or an oilfree
moisturiser along with a mild
www.cosbeauty.com.au 69