But you needn’t start to look like an old hag the minute your periods stop! You just need to be aware of what makes your skin look older as time goes on, and time starts going on from about the age of 35!

Most damage to die skin is done by smoking and by excessive exposure to sunlight. Smoking reduces the blood supply to the skin cells by narrowing the tiny blood vessels; also the blood of a smoker carries less oxygen and more carbon monoxide than the blood of a non-smoker, so die cells of both the upper epidermis and the underlying dermis don’t receive enough nourishment, and lose moisture. Yet another reason to stop smoking! In fact, if you look around you, you will notice mat, on die whole, the natural ‘unmoisturised’ skin of older women tends to be less attractive in smokers than in non-smokers.

Too much sun on the skin can also damage the underlying layers, and make diem less elastic. In excessive amounts it can also cause skin cancer. (As with smokers, you have probably noticed mat the skin of a woman who has spent much time in a hot climate tends to be dryer and more

wrinkled than the skin of a woman who has spent her summers in Britain.) But in small quantities, sunlight on the skin is the best possible way of taking in vitamin D, which plays a vital part in helping the body use calcium effectively to build good bones. So do get out into the sunshine for your bones, but don’t overdo it.

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