Nowadays, both women and men are advised to moisturize their face twice a day after cleansing. Is this wise for the older person?

Tracey Chappell, a skin expert, says, “Often we allow ourselves to be pigeon-hole into a standard routine and stop listening to what our skin is telling us.

“The idea that we should moisturize twice a day is traditional beauty lore and does apply to a great many of us. But it’s not necessarily the best thing for everyone.

“The belief probably came about because our desire for squeaky clean skin has meant that traditionally cleansers are quite stripping and leave skin feeling tight and dry, making us reach for the moisturizer both morning and night after we wash our faces.

“Only you can know what your skin feels like on a day-to-day basis. Occasionally it is wise to let the skin breathe, particularly as over-using creams that are too rich can make the skin “lazy”, taking over from its natural functions and leaving us dependent on lotions and potions. We get trapped in a vicious cycle.”

There is a whole industry in rejuvenating products and services. Mostly they prove less than workable over time. But some still claim amazing results.

One such product, newly on the market, is Col-Pure Rejuvenation Face Mask. As we don’t test products on this website, or endorse them, we’ll merely quote from the press release recently sent to us.

Col-Pure’s Rejuvenating Face Mask is described as “incredibly refreshing” and said to visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles, while plumping and nourishing the skin.

“Its formula of bio-active ingredients quickly absorb into skin’s underlying tissue, immediately plumping the skin to reduce the look of wrinkles, while improving the tone and texture of your skin for an overall radiant complexion and also boosts collagen production and improves circulation.”

Here’s the quick and easy secret: The face mask contains Decorinyl, a tetrapeptide shown to help control collagen fibril growth, improving firmness and elasticity of the skin. A recent study showed an increase in skin’s elasticity after just 28 days of use. Green Tea is a soothing anti-oxidant that helps skin fight off damaging free-radical cells and is one of the main ingredients. Finally, Tripeptide-3, an advanced anti-aging ingredient, mimics the body’s own mechanism to help produce collagen giving skin a more youthful appearance.

Aging skin can always do with a little help. Let’s hope this product can live up to its publicity.

Dr Fredric Brandt — of Botox fame — says that just by eliminating sugar from your diet, you can look ten years younger in ten days.

And it isn’t just by losing weight : “In a nutshell, sugar hastens the degradation of elastin and collagen, both key skin proteins. In other words, it actively ages you,” he claims.

In a new book, 10 Minutes/Ten Years: Your Definitive Guide to a Better and Youthful Appearance, Brandt says he saw a remarkable change in his own skin when he dropped sugar from his diet. He lost 20lb in weight, but also gained a new “glow, radiance and elasticity” in his face. Within a year, his body had changed as well.

“I’m really lean and have the body of a teenager, although I’m in my 40s. … Believe me, it’s cheaper than a facelift.”

He continues, “The sugar triggers a process in the body called glycation. This is where the sugar molecules bind to your protein fibres — those wonderfully springy and resilient collagen and elastin fibres — which are the building blocks of skin.”

However, just by overheating starchy foods or grilling them, the sugar content mutates producing Advanced Glycation End products, AGEs, which do immense harm to the skin.

This is quite a complex book, so if you’re really interested in its message, we suggest you read it in detail.

A survey of caregivers revealed some unflattering and inaccurate sterotypes about seniors. For instance, almost 40 percent stated that seniors feel “grouchy”, when most seniors say they are seldom angry.

Some other stereotypes discovered in the study by the University of Alberta, Edmonton Canada:

* 25% of seniors are in institutions – in fact, only 5% of all seniors require long term care

* a large number of seniors can’t care for themselves

* seniors are not adaptable to change

* all Alzheimers patients are incontinent

Lead author Tiana Rust said the study showed education about aging is needed to dispel these stereotypes.

“It’s important that people learn more about what it is to be an older adult and also to know what Alzheimer’s and dementia are about. It is important to recognize that older adults are a very heterogenous group, ranging from very vital and capable to those in the last stages of dementia. They fall all along the continuum.”

The study results are published in the latest issue of Educational Gerontology.