Are you hampering Anti Ageing Treatments with a bad skincare routine?

Women opting for anti-ageing surgery but want to keep that all important 'natural' look are preferring less invasive treatments but could be making the job harder by not looking after their skin properly, a leading cosmetic expert reveals.

Dr Ravi Jain, Medical Director of Riverbanks Clinic has voiced concerns that whilst managing the rising demand for natural looking non-invasive skin treatments is now a top priority for many salons, basic skincare and skin health is often overlooked and this is having a profound effect on how successful the treatments are for patients with damaged skin.

"Natural beauty is not just about adding some volume to the skin here or injecting some Botox there, it is also about assessing the general health of the skin itself and taking necessary steps to restore and rejuvenate the skin prior to any treatment. Damage caused to the skin by overexposure to the sun can contribute massively to how a treatment not only reacts with the skin but the long term results and so before any you do anything, you need to get your skin healthy," says Dr Jain.

If you suffer from sun damaged-skin and are noticing fine lines and wrinkles appearing, sun spots emerging or a general tightening and sagging of the skin, Dr Jain recommends taking the following steps to rejunvenate tired skin.

1. Maximise skin health by effective exfoliation and hydration therapies such as alpha-hydroxy acid skin care programmes and peels. Ensure you use an antioxidant SPF 30 in the summer and 15 in the winter, every single day. (try Priori AHA or Idenbenone)

2. To correct pigmentation and broken veins consider a course of IPL/laser during the winter months.

3. Consider botulinum toxin or dermal filler injections for fine lines and wrinkles, caused by sun damage.

"Prevention is always the key to maintaining natural, healthy looking skin and many people simply don't realise the damage they've already caused to their skin, even if it looks ok on the surface. I'd recommend anyone who has over exposed their skin in the past to go and have their skin analysed under a facial scanner. That way, they'll see exactly what state their skin is in now and can then take the best steps to improve their skincare routine and slow down the ageing process as they get older," says Dr Jain.

Special Offer: Visit Riverbanks Clinic and have a skin analysis consultation including facial scanner analysis for just £25 if you quote ref: SUNBLOG1 when making your booking. Call 01582 762877 for more details. Offer valid until Feb 1 2010.