How an uneven skin tone can age you

We all worry about wrinkles, but according to research reported by NetDoctor, it’s uneven skin tone that really gives your age away.

Austrian and German research showed that an uneven, patchy complexion can age you by as much as 20 years.

Pigmentation is one problem – it’s often worse in Asian, black or Mediterranean skins because they naturally have more melanin – the pigment that gives hair and skin its colour.

Your body produces excess pigment thanks to inflammation, hormones and sun damage, and even short bursts of sun exposure can cause problems.

It’s treated topically by dermatologists using hydroquinone – which isn’t safe for pregnant women who often suffer pigmentation thanks to excess oestrogen – or you can get products off the shelf containing kojic acid, soy extracts, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin B3, (nicotinamide or niacinamide).

Another factor is oxygen; our skin’s oxygen intake starts to drop after the age of 25, and is halved by the time we hit 50.

This leads to dehydration – and a dull, uneven complexion.

Pores enlarge too, because our skin loses elasticity thanks to declining collagen and elastin, the proteins that give skin its firm structure.

Freckles, while cute speckling our noses as children, lose their appeal as we get older and they cluster in patches thanks to years of UV exposure.

Then there are age spots – the yellowish-brown splodges, caused by UV-damaged pigment cells and oxidative stress, which traps waste inside skin cells.

A more general dull, uneven skin tone with a rough texture, visible pores, and fine lines can be caused by a combination of skin fatigue, everyday pollutants, poor nutrition, yo-yo dieting, stress, smoking, alcohol, inadequate sleep and lack of exercise.

You can spot fatigued skin by the telltale patchiness around your mouth, temples and eyes, increased oiliness on your T zone, prominent pores and dryness around your nose and cheeks.

So how do you beat this? Matis Reponse Intensive Redensifying Concentrate is a tone booster concentrate for mature skin which can improve your complexion.