Genes or exercise: Can you save your face from ageing?

Whether you choose to accept it or not: ageing is a part of life.

Annoyingly, some people age better than others and nobody really knows why.

Is it to do with genetics or our lifestyles?

A new British program called Your Face Says It All has attempted to find out.

On the show, experts revealed that 80 per cent of ageing in Caucasian skin is due to exposure to the sun - with scientists claiming there may be a link with darker skin and DNA repair.

Lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking alcohol were found to cause the skin to become dehydrated and starved of Vitamin C. Sugar also had a bad effect on the collagen production in the face and stress is another factor.

The documentary discovered that having a good bone structure is crucial to how our skin gets older with the 14 bones in our face changing in shape and volume as the years go on, affecting how we look.

Surprisingly, exercise can also cause ageing – with long distance running deemed bad for the face, although sport in general is beneficial, as long as it doesn’t affect the cheeks.

According to Zoe Bingley Pullin, celebrity nutritionist and founder of Falling in Love with Food, it’s important for us to think more about what we put into our body.

“Excessive and or repetitive exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun, as well as poor nutrition, dehydration, pollution, smoking and change in hormones - including the decline in oestrogen - can speed up ageing,” she says.

“Even things like eating burnt of fried food are also believed to have an effect.”

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Zoe suggests for those worried about the elasticity in their skin deteriorating to boost their intake of calcium and omega-3 foods to help rejuvenate their face.

“Calcium is hydrating and keeps skin moist. Also omega-3 rich fatty acids, such as salmon, chia seeds and walnuts, help boost collagen production in the face,” she adds.

“Research suggests a mix of certain skin nutrients including vitamin E, vitamin C and folic acid increase skin hydration and the overall appearance of skin, as well as steaming and poaching food more often than frying them.”

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