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Wear sunscreen
Forget 12-step skincare routines, red light therapy and injectables – the single most important thing you can do for your skin is wear UV protection. “Not just sun protection, but UV protection, every single day, regardless of weather or season,” says Dr Jennifer Owens, resident aesthetic expert at the Reborne Longevity clinic in London. “Up to 90% of visible skin ageing is caused by UV exposure – nothing else comes close in terms of impact.”
Choose your words
Beware the misguided logo, warns Guardian fashion columnist Jess Cartner-Morley: “Never, ever wear a sweatshirt or, worse, carry a basket with a slogan that includes the words ‘dance’ or ‘love’. Be cautious of words in French. These are the style equivalent of having a ‘Live, laugh, prosecco’ poster in your kitchen. Sorry, but you cannot buy youthful insouciance at M&S.”
Straighten up
Want to look instantly better without spending a penny? Standing up straight makes you look younger – and thinner – says Nick Finney, personal trainer to celebrities including Jennifer Lopez: “Our 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 – tight pectorals will pull your shoulders forward.” Strengthen your posterior chain in the gym by perfecting Romanian deadlifts and horizontal rows.
Look after your smile
People get hung up on wrinkles and middle-age spread, but dodgy teeth are far more ageing, says Sali Hughes,the Guardian Saturday magazine’s resident beauty expert: “Teeth that are discoloured, significantly crooked or even missing are very ageing and so, conversely, a well cared-for mouth can take years off.”
According to Ten Dental’s Dr Jenni Rawes: “As we age, enamel naturally wears down, revealing more of the dentine underneath, which is a darker, creamier colour. It’s 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.” 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 £375 for whitening.
Ditch the iron
Still operating on the presumption that a pressed outfit signals that you have your shi(r)t together? Keep up. “Youth culture treats ironing like a hobby from the 50s, which means creased natural fabrics have become the ultimate modern Prada-esque symbol of chicness,” says the Guardian’s fashion and lifestyle editor, Morwenna Ferrier. “Looking kempt means looking corporate.” Also: “Don’t tuck things in. Modern fashion is all about the drape.”
Pay attention to your lower half
“Why are so many men of a certain age walking around wearing hideous chinos, which sag at the knee and taper at the ankle?” bemoans fashion consultant Simon Chilvers. “A pair of trousers in a flattering 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 – and, yes, that can include sneakers, as long as they’re not too desperately trendy.”
Long hair? Don’t care
Thought middle age comes with a compulsory mum cut? Think again. “Longer hair is absolutely not the preserve of the young,” says Hughes. “Healthy hair of any colour (including grey and silver) that falls at the shoulder and beyond actually looks brilliant and sexy on women over 50.”
Hairdresser George Northwood – whose clients include Alexa Chung, Gwyneth Paltrow and the Duchess of Sussex – agrees: “Hair condition and texture are more important than your age when thinking about your hairstyle. The important thing to consider is: ‘Does my hair look relevant?’, rather than subscribing to a particular length for your age, which feels a bit outdated.”
Correct pigmentation
“Everyone fixates on lines and wrinkles, but uneven skin tone is more ageing,” says Owens. “It’s also more fixable – home care, UV protection and treatments like peels or microneedling can reverse existing sun damage. There’s decades of evidence behind microneedling as a technique.” A course of three sessions can boost collagen for months afterwards, and you can repeat that course once a year. “It’s one of the few treatments that’s genuinely within most people’s reach, and paired with good home care and daily UV protection, the results are transformative.”
Lose the Mary Poppins bag
“Get a smaller handbag,” commands Cartner-Morley. “Look around you: young people have really small bags. You can basically do everything with a phone now, after all. You don’t 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!”
… and the dad phone
“Ditch the wallet-style phone case – you know, the one with the flip cover,” says the Guardian’s deputy fashion and lifestyle editor, Chloe Mac Donnell. “Instead, buy a thin screen protector and a slim case. Casetify does fun collaborations if you’re into prints.”
Be age inappropriate
Good news, men – you don’t have to ditch your favourite hoodie and jorts, post 40. “I personally don’t think that men have to dress according to their age,” says fashion commentator Derek Guy, AKA the menswear guy. “I 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.”
… within reason
“Next season’s ‘visible boxer shorts’ look has the potential to come off as a wardrobe malfunction at a certain point in life,” cautions Chilvers.
Update your makeup bag
What worked in the 90s may not land today. “I meet so many people who are wearing the same makeup they wore 15 or 20 years ago – when their lifestyle, budget, skin and tastes were very different,” says Hughes. “Swapping out a heavy matt foundation for a 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.”
Ferrier adds: “It’s not that a little flick or cat eye will age you, but it does betray you as someone born before 1990.”
Don’t dismiss Botox
There are no prizes for ageing naturally. “I don’t care whether people want Botox or not,” says Hughes. “There are many very valid reasons for not wanting to engage in ‘longevity treatments’, from the political to the financial. What I find baffling is that I’m asked every single day about other non-surgical treatments, from Juläine to Morpheus 8, by people that I know would find what they are looking for more quickly and more cheaply in Botox, but who – through some misplaced and wildly inconsistent guilt – can’t bear to be that person. Get it or don’t get it – but life is too short for such hand-wringing.”
… but don’t overdo it
“Overtreating with Botox is one of the most common mistakes I see,” says Owens. “As 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 ‘exercising’ – it can atrophy, and brows drop lower, earlier than they otherwise would. That’s 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.”
Get strong, not skinny
In an Ozempic-obsessed world, it’s easier than ever to lose weight – but looking frail is ageing. “As we get older, our skin loses its tautness at the same time that our muscle mass declines,” says Finney. “This combination exacerbates the soft and baggy appearance people dislike.” Instead of worrying about losing weight, consider getting stronger through resistance training in the gym. “As your muscles strengthen they’ll push closer to the skin, causing a shrink-wrapped, more taut appearance.”
Be bold (and bald)
“If you’re going bald, just go bald,” advises Mac Donnell. “A shaved head will make you look more confident than a receding hairline. And it’s cheaper than a hair transplant.”
As for greys? According to Northwood, they can also be embraced. “I think men look great with silver hair,” he says. “I might bleach my hair for a statement, but I don’t think men should be trying to cover their greys – 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 pale face and dark hair. It’s different for women, who dye their hair, as chances are they will also wear makeup.”
And, finally …
“Don’t bang on about ‘being old’,” says Mac Donnell. “Referring to yourself as ‘ancient’ when you’re 43 is an ick. You don’t hear Madonna doing it, and she’s a pensioner.”
