SUNBATHING MAKES YOUR SKIN LEATHERY
DiAne DiAngeliS MeAney, 71, is a retired sales executive. She lives in South london with husband David, 67, who worked in the horse racing industry, and has three daughters and one grandchild. She says:
Recently, I bumped into one of my daughter’s friends whom I haven’t seen since he was at school.
He couldn’t believe it when my daughter told him my age and said: ‘Wow, you don’t look any older than when I first knew you!’
It’s always great to hear compliments like that.
While my father aged very well, my mother and sister weren’t so lucky, so it can’t all be down to being genetically blessed.
If you take care of yourself, and you look good, you feel sexy and look sexy to others, especially your other half.
One of the most important things I’ve done is stay out of the sun. While I did my fair share of sunbathing in my teens, luckily I worked out very early on that sun-worshippers tend to end up looking leathery, so I stayed in the shade.
I had the same early warning with cigarettes, too. I’ve never smoked, because I used to work as a patient co-ordinator in a plastic surgery clinic on london’s Harley Street.
I would be amazed by the number of people who would come in for facelifts who were heavy smokers. It drains so much oxygen from the skin. If you’d seen what I saw, you’d never touch another cigarette! I don’t drink much, either.
I’ve started using skin products containing natural chemicals hyaluronic acid and something called matrixyl 3000 and argireline — it’s like Botox in a bottle. If you put the right products on your face, you really notice an improvement.
But, I admit, I also have Botox injections twice a year in my frown lines and crow’s feet and I had lasik eye surgery so I no longer have to wear glasses.
My diet used to be terrible, but now I eat well, and eat only organic food. I take vitamins c and D, and work hard to maintain my size 10 figure. I’m 5ft 3in and weight 9st 2lb.
I don’t exercise much. I walk our dog and use an exercise bike, but I’m one of those people who is always on the move. I used to teach line dancing every week and was very fit.
But looking young is often a matter of attitude as well. I feel very lucky in life, but you do have to work hard at looking and feeling good.