A BATTLE AGAINST TIME

As technology advances, can we really fight off ageing - and should we?

- ASHLEIGH PAGE

From classic anti-ageing serums to cosmetic injectables and lip fillers, to the more peculiar vampire facials - where your own blood is injected into your face to capture eternal youth - anti-ageing products are big business. In fact, the global anti-ageing market will be worth £306 billion by 2030.

A hotly contested debate, with some women welcoming wrinkles and greys, and others wanting to fight off ageing for as long as possible, it all boils down to personal choice. But are we closer to fighting ageing completely?

Researchers in Cambridge have recently managed to rejuvenate a 53-year-old woman's skin cells so they are the equivalent of a 23-year-old's. Using similar techniques that were used to clone Dolly the sheep, the aim is to help us stay healthier for longer.

We speak to two women about changing attitudes towards ageing and why it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Growing old is a privilege not everyone has'

Alex Allan, 48, is a nutritional therapist at alexallannutrition.co.uk and lives in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. I decided I wanted to reduce the amount of chemicals I was using in my beauty products. Having suffered from poor hormone health and PCOS, I found that chemicals absorbed by the body put more pressure on the liver.

NEW ROUTINES

So when I retrained as a nutritional therapist, I learnt just how important it is to take care of your body and be mindful of environmental toxins.

I replaced my hair, skincare and make-up products with ones that had fewer chemicals and were low in xenoestrogens - hormone-mimicking compounds.