In the name of youth

Shock, horror, dismay. And a slight buckling of the knees.

That was my reaction when my dermatologist told me a couple of months ago that I was "on board the express train towards aging".

My aghast expression said it all. How could it be when, a year ago, I was presumably still looking fresh and youthful?

He kindly explained that this could be due to factors such as diet, stress, sun and pollution - all of which are environmental factors that result in older-looking skin.

That the environment plays a huge part in the aging process was something confirmed by Arthur Pellegrino, Vice President of Elizabeth Arden Research & Development, at the launch of Prevage Anti-Aging + Intensive Repair Daily Serum in Seoul last September.

Yes, it's mostly not the fault of one's parents. Pellegrino pointed out that only 20 per cent of the signs of aging are due to genes or heredity. That other 80 per cent - seen in fine, crepe-y lines, pigmentation, melanin formation, loss of firmness and elasticity in skin - are primarily caused by what we deal with in our daily lives, from sun exposure and smoking to stress and our diet.

Thankfully, one can do something about it - with a bit of help from skincare products.