9 things nobody tells you about ageing

We love the age we’re at, but odd leaks, stray whiskers, droopy lobes and high-rise gums? This isn’t what we signed up for! Let’s brace up and deal with them…

How to deal with the telltale signs

Us girls have a lot to put up with. From puberty onwards, it’s a monthly, weekly and, yes, almost daily wrestling match with the fallout from our hormones. Lines we can deal with, grey hair we can sort, but just when we should be relaxing into our own skin, these hormonal parting shots are just plain unfair. Whether any of the above has already made an appearance or you’re due for a visit, we have the prevention, the cure, or the cover-up!

1 Your eyebrows take a hike…

…and suddenly your face loses a chunk of its definition. WHY ME? A couple of reasons – if they’re sparse, it could be the menopause ( just like hair on your head). But shortening can signpost a thyroid imbalance. WHAT NEXT? If you suspect it’s your thyroid, try the pencil test. Stand in front of a well-lit mirror and hold a pencil vertically on the outer corner of your right eye. Assuming that you haven’t plucked it away, is there any hair to the right of your pencil? No? Then if you have the other signs of sluggish thyroid – weight gain, feeling cold, tired all the time, get a test from your GP.

If your brows and hair are generally thinning, then try a topical hair rejuvenating treatment on brows and scalp. TRY Napiers Seagreens Organic Hebridean Kelp Capsules, £17.25 for 90, napiers.net.

Phylia de M Connect Spray, £47 for 120ml, victoriahealth.com.

2 Your teeth look weird…

…not so white and suddenly longer. Is this what they call long in the tooth? WHY ME? Gums are like every other bit of you – they lose ‘body’ over time, which can cause them to recede. Enamel can wear away to reveal dentin, which gradually turns yellow. Depressing or what? WHAT NOW? Keeping them spanking clean and adding extra care to your daily brush is a smart move. Here’s a new beauty routine for a younger smile: Rinse with coconut oil – it can remove bacteria and strengthen gums. Put a tablespoon of oil in your mouth and swish around for 5 minutes. Brush with charcoal using activated charcoal toothpaste. It’s naturally anti-bacterial and stain-removing.

TRY Georganics Coconut Oil mouthwash, £6.99; Dr Organic Extra Whitening Charcoal toothpaste, £4.99, both hollandandbarrett.com.

‘The only whiskers allowed in my house are on the cat!’

Dr Elisabeth Dancey, dermatologist

3 Your skin is a desert…

…and slathering on extra moisturiser doesn’t seem to hydrate it or prevent a snowstorm of flakes when you whip off clothes.

WHY ME? Well… skin gets thinner as the years roll on, so moisture easily evaporates through it. Thinning speeds up in menopause and so does natural sebum – leaving skin dry.

WHAT NOW? Reframe your diet by upping your essential fatty acids, those superheroes responsible for skin repair, moisture and flexibility. Get more in your diet via oily fish or a supplement.

WHAT ELSE? Make skincare switches for bouncier skin. Aromatherapist Ines Willis has the inside track:

‘Avoid overuse of soaps,’ says Ines. ‘Gentle balms, oils or cleaners are better for cleansing your face.’

Make your own dry-skin face oil: Blend 10ml each of almond, wheatgerm and avocado oils. Add 2 drops each of frankincense and neroli essential oil, plus 1 drop of geranium, and massage into your face.

TAKE Organic Beauty

Oil with hemp, flax and avocado, £12.50, nealsyardremedies.com. Ines Willis practices in Surrey; exanimoaromatherapy.com.

4 You grow whiskers…

…on your lip, neck or chin – such an unfeminine bring-down. WHY ME? ‘Hair follicles can be more responsive to testosterone,’ says dermatologist Dr Elisabeth Dancey. ‘Although a male hormone, it’s present in us females and responsible for the growth of thick dark hairs. Some women have high levels due to polycystic ovary syndrome or follicles sensitive to even normal levels.’ WHAT NOW? Use tweezers for odd whiskers. ‘Yes, the occasional tweak is permissible,’ says Dr Dancey. Best way to do it?

Use slant-edge tweezers and a super-strong magnifying mirror.

Grip close to skin, whip out fast, then calm skin with an ice cube in a zip-lock bag.

Too many to pull? You need to take a look at laser removal.

WHAT ELSE? If your excess hair is caused by polycystic ovary syndrome with its symptoms of weight gain, troubled skin and infertility, studies show a supplement featuring myo-inositol may be beneficial. TRY Viridian Myo-inositol and Folic Acid £17.50, an easy-to-take powder. Dr Elisabeth Dancey is a leading dermatologist and expert in laser hair removal; bijoux-medispa.co.uk.

‘As we get older, everything feels saggier, including our feet’

Dr Bharti Rajput, podiatrist

5 You’re always tired…

No explanation needed, it comes with the territory! How we’d all like to wake up perky and stay that way. Well… you could try new Benenox Overnight Recharge, £12.49 for 135ml, victoriahealth.com, which has honey, vitamin B6 and a couple of amino acids to support quality sleep and your body’s stored energy levels – 15ml a night will do it. You’re welcome!

6 You spring the odd leak…

…definitely not fun for us women. We’d laugh, but we daren’t! WHY ME? ‘We get “leaky” due to hormone changes around menopause,’ says Dr Marilyn Glenville. ‘Stress incontinence is the most common, which leads to leaking when you cough, laugh or sneeze.’ WHAT NEXT? You know the pelvic floor exercises by heart, but why not try:

A supplement. ‘Any nutrient that helps manufacture collagen is important, as this gives the urinary tract its elasticity and strength,’ says Dr Glenville.

Cranberry juice. ‘It can encourage bladder function and help stop incontinence. Try a glass a day.’

A fluid diary. ‘Make a note of how many times you need to go, when you need to go and how often you have leaked. Then compare against the amount of fluid you have taken. Try varying your intake to see if it makes a difference. Aim to see what amount works for you.’ TRY Hair, Skin & Nail Support by NHP, £29.77, naturalhealthcare.com. Supplement and health advice from Dr Glenville at marilynglenville.com.

7 Your feet get gnarly…

WHY ME? ‘As we get older, everything feels a little saggier, and feet are no different,’ says podiatrist Dr Bharti Rajput. ‘Builtin foot cushions get thinner, and the stress on joints can result in a change in shape, which isn’t helped by years of stuffing feet into tight shoes!’

WHAT NOW? Exercise! ‘Feet tend to get flatter with age and the main muscle responsible is the tibialis posterior – the central leg muscle,’ says Dr Rajput. ‘Try an exercise to keep this “queen of muscles” strong.’

Place a tennis ball between the back area of the inside of your ankles and stand close to your kitchen worktop – palms resting on it. Squeeze ankles to keep ball in place, then raise and lower heels. Repeat 5-10 times a day.

WHAT NEXT? Moisturise. ‘Use a urea-based foot cream daily,’ says Dr Rajput. ‘Urea is found in the surface layer of skin – it helps replenishes moisture.’

TRY Dr Ceuticals Foot Rescue SOS Cream, £9.99; Flexitol Heel Balm £4.99, both contain 25% urea,

both boots.com. Dr Bharti Rajput practices in Dundee; solebodysoul.com.

8 Your hair loses weight…

…the one thing we don’t want to slim down, does just that! WHY ME? Mostly that duo of ageing and genetics. ‘As we age, hair follicles shrink and produce hairs of smaller diameter and shorter length,’ says trichologist Jane Martins.

WHAT NOW? ‘The body prioritises essential functions before hair, which means our strands are the last to benefit from what we eat, and are the first to suffer from a poor diet.’ It’s a no-brainer then to feed it the right nutrients.

Up your protein. Jane suggests

120g protein at breakfast and lunch, with two eggs, a chicken breast or fillet of fish a day.

Re-connect with carbs – Jane says, ‘Hair cells need energy, so include wholegrain bread, rice and pasta.’ WHAT NEXT? Up your haircare. Sorry, more maintenance, but it’s worth it. ‘Shampoo daily if possible,’ says Jane. ‘This helps keep hair clean and healthy – the condition of your scalp impacts the growth of your hair.’ Treat your scalp weekly with a mask to help soothe, exfoliate and stimulate the scalp. Style with lightweight protein spray that adds bulk and also protects. TRY Tricho Pro Volumising Protein Spray £35; Stimulating Scalp Mask, £17, both Philip Kingsley, philipkingsley.co.uk.

9 Your ears get longer…

…wrong! They don’t keep growing, but they do change shape.

WHY ME? You’re not alone. ‘Ear lobes droop as soft tissue relaxes and structural support changes,’ says aesthetic expert Dr Preema Vig. ‘This, combined with the loss of elasticity and collagen in the skin, can cause sagging.’ WHAT NOW? If those ears are looking okay, then some loving care can help hold back the sags. ‘Ear lobes suffer the same ageing process as our face, but are so often neglected. It’s important to apply a moisturiser and SPF to ears.’ says Dr Vig. ‘And minimise wearing heavy earrings that can stretch the soft tissue.’ WHAT NEXT? Put life back into sagging lobes with a new ear rejuvenation treatment – ear-tox! ‘It involves injecting a hyaluronic dermal filler into lobes to plump them up,’ says Dr Vig. ‘It’s quick and doesn’t need numbing.’ The good news? It also helps to fix earring damage. Result! TRY Ear Rejuvenation with Dr Vig in London costs around £350-£450, drpreema.com.