Those of you who have taken care of your skin throughout your lives, do you currently look as if you take elixir of youth with your breakfast each morning?

[scouseontheinside]

Just that really! I've taken fairly good care of my skin, moisturised and suncreened fairly consistently... My mum was mad for skin care routines and always bought a full range on branded skin care products for our use when growing up.

However, DH wouldn't know a moisturising cream if it fell from the sky and hit him on the head - and his skin looks the same as mine!

Do you think it really makes a difference?

Jury is out.

My mum was a young sun worshipper and has never done more than splash water on her face and put on a bit of Pond's. She is late sixties and could pass for 50. Good genes must play a part. My gran was the same (and a smoker, although not heavy), and in her late 70s could pass for 20 years younger. She looked amazing.

However, I know people who look older than their age and sunbeds and/or heavy smoking/drinking have definitely wrecked their skin.

I dont think skincare routines make a huge difference, to be honest. Health does.

My mum is a sun worshipper who washes her face in the morning with soap. No moisturiser at all. She looks her age but definitely not older.

I think it's mostly down to genes. I think she would look a lot younger without all the holidays.

I don't think so, not really.

I think obsessive sunbathing or sunbeds are detrimental, but plenty of fresh air and exercise keeps you young and if a little sun-tanning goes along with that it's not a bad thing. My mum is almost 70 and has been a keen gardener and golfer as long as I can remember. She doesn't let herself get burnt but definitely does like to get a "colour". Is the youngest looking 70 yo I know. She has never bought a moisturiser costing more than £5 in her life.

What she does do though is get plenty of fruit and veg (from the garden) lots of fresh air and exercise, lots of water, very little alcohol and has never smoked.

Not smoking is the best thing you can do for you skin IMO, followed by good food, plenty of water and plenty of sleep.

Hmm... see this is what I figure. I have some friends who have never given a flying pig's whistle, yet look 10 years younger.

At the same time, I do know a lady who smoked/drank/sun baked and looked gorgeous for years. Then it all seemed to catch up at once!

So what about creams on your neck and hands? I hear moisturising in younger years makes a huge difference texture in later years. I seem to be faring well at the moment, but I am not yet the age where all that seems to happen. I need to know if I should implement a three times daily neck moisturising routine!

I agree it's probably genetic, but the smokers and sun worshippers would probably look even younger if they hadn't.

Bit of everything I think. Genes definitely have a huge role in it, but I think things like being careful in the sun, not smoking, not drinking too much, eating well, hydration etc play their part. I think skin care routine is a fairly small part. Skin grows from the inside out, not outside in, so anything that goes ON your skin is just improving the surface temporarily.

I look younger than I am, but I've always looked younger. When I was 18 and going into pubs legally for the first time the people IDing me were always surprised I was older than about 14. I'm 34 now and people think I'm younger. People frequently refer to me as a 'young mum' (never in a negative context that I'm aware!). I've been using moisturiser since I was in my early teens. Having children has aged me - wrinkles have appeared and a few grey hairs!

I do look young, but this is because I am small and it's probably more to do with a facial features/genes thing than anything else. I am 31 and am often taken for mid-to-early 20s (I also get that 'young mum' comment!) My mother will soon be 59 and could pass for 50. She is a sun worshipper but takes really good care of her skin - nice moisturiser etc.

HOWEVER I do not look like I'm youthfully glowing with health - at all. My skin is shit despite years of care. I am constantly trying to keep acne at bay and probably spent too much time outdoors as a child without suncream. I am freckly and fair-skinned and that kind of skin ages much much quicker, even if you don't smoke. I think it's just thinner or something.

Have friends who smoke, eat shit and drink way too much with skin like gleaming jewels. It ain't fair!

Luck, genes and care from within. Look at Joanna lumley. She looks fantastic but smokes like a chimney. However she says she eats masses of fresh fruit and veg.

Hmmm, I'm really not sure that about. I'm in my 40s, have always had a good skin care routine, and I'm presently quite pleased with my skin. However my mum had good skin, and my Spanish ancestory means I've got quite an oily complexion, which probably helps. I do confess to enjoying the sun though.

So whilst my skin looks quite good, I've no idea if it would equally good if I'd never bothered taking care of it!

I think it's genes for the most part. I think a good skincare routine helps a little though but I'd reckon what goes on inside does more good than creams and serums. I'm 31 and regularly pass for a teenager. I got asked for ID for a pair of those children's safety scissors! I can't buy a packet of rizla papers without having to show my ID either! I don't have any wrinkles, fine lines or any grey hairs. I think I just got lucky.

Approx 80% of the visible signs of aging are sun damage. Skin type/texture/colour/blemishes etc is probably mostly genetic, some other environmental issues too (diet etc). Moisturisers short tem plump up the skin, keep dry areas comfortable etc. Long term, while we live in hope of an amazing lotion, they really don't do anything to prevent aging. And there is no question but that smoking ages skin. Joanna Lumley may look well on telly, IRL I wonder. I can spot a smoker at 50 paces. Good diet does help. Watch sugar intake. (Substance of the devil).

No, despite all our best wishes and dreams and expense, skin care routine makes damn all differ to aging. SPF does. Spend your money on SPF.

Saw this yesterday on line. Shows how smoking effects you.

www.businessinsider.com/how-smoking-ages-the-face-of-identical-twins-2013-11

Dehydrated yet oily skin here so have spent my life moisturising since a young girl.

No sm

No smoking, no meat, no kids probably also helps.

I'm 40s but my colleagues think I'm 28 so something is working.

I think skincare is only part of the equation, but an important one.

Any old cream will do to moisturise but to keep face looking young, these are the best:

• Sleep
• Botox
• Some fat on your face (Don't be too skinny)
• Parkinson's (My grandmother looked in her 60s when she passed away at almost 90 - she had Parkinson's for decades and had practically no facial expressions. Lines on her face smoothed out after the first decade or so)

I think it helps if you have a pudgy face in your teens as the collagen takes longer to deplete. It's also a very good idea to keep out the sun, not smoke and maintain a healthy weight with a healthy diet.

You only have to look at the celebs who yo to with their weight to see that it takes a toll on their face.

Round face, brown skin, always use sunscreen, don't drink, don't smoke. No fancy moisturisers.

No wrinkles yet at 34

Oh yeah, no kids, lots of sleep and fresh air, low stress and lots of relaxing holidays every year probably help as well! Face creams probably the least effective measure.

Agree that face creams make very little difference - EXCEPT sunscreen. (Think it's hilarious that they charge squillions for La Mer and people pay it.)

I've been using at least SPF30+ on my face and neck 365 days a year, for at least 15 years. I'm 41, but my skin looks way younger than friends my age who grew up in the same climate.

General health is also very important, but genetics is huge (not much you can do about that, unfortunately!)

My mother and I both have very good skin, she is 88 and I'm 57. She always insisted i wore makeup from about age 14 and I do think this has protected my skin from the sun in my earlier years, before sun screen was commonly used. We have both used Clinique products for the last 30+ years, they help a bit I think.

Always looked after my skin - Jurys out on whether it would be any different if I'd been slacker with skin tlc.

I'm utterly convinced that stress is the biggest ageing factor. That description of appearance 'They've had a hard life' is so true and apparent on faces

Koala SPF 30+ you say? I've been using moisturisers with about SPF15. Do you think this is too light?

SPF15 is too little. You need minimum SPF 30, probably 50. You need to spread quite a thick layer of product to get the full SPF effect, and this is cosmetically unacceptable to us. The reality is that we spread moisturiser so thinly that we are not getting the SPF on the package effect, but if you use a SPF50, we're doing ok. Does that make sense?

I have two older sisters.
One 55 the other 53.

The older one looks 10/15 years younger.

The other one smokes, drinks too much, was on sunbeds for years, gets burnt in the sun because she 'likes a bit of colour'. She wears clothes gets hairstyles that are far too young for her in an attempt to appear youthful. In truth she looks ridiculous. She looks closer to 60.

Oh, my point was no magic creams, just general grooming and taking care of your whole being works.