Dr Vicky Dondos - The Glowing Skin Plan: Proven ways to optimise your skin health and radiance, whatever your age

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First published as The Positive Ageing Plan by Penguin Life in 2021
This edition published by Penguin Books in 2022

Copyright Dr Vicky Dondos, 2021

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Take Up Space from A Recipe for Sorcery (published by Burning Eye Books), written by Vanessa Kisuule, copyright Vanessa Kisuule, with permission of Johnson and Alcock

ISBN: 978-0-241-62102-8

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To my mother and father.

The driving force behind me, since day dot.

Heres the thing: you can be a woman with brains and gravitas and still spend time and money on maintaining and enjoying your appearance. Your appearance both communicates and influences your physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing and it is OK to acknowledge its importance.

It is not the desire to be beautiful that is wrong but the obligation to be.

A Womans Beauty: A Put Down or Power Source, by Susan Sontag (1975)

And its OK to still care about your looks at 50, 60, 70 In fact, I say its important. Feeling beautiful transcends youth. And an attitude shift means we are finally catching up with our Parisian counterparts who have no use-by date, no age limit to feeling and being attractive, and sexy: hallelujah!

But ageing is tough, even for those of us who try our hardest to focus on the positives and feel grateful. And to most women, what we see in our reflection matters. It can pull us down or up boosting our confidence, putting a spring in our step, sometimes turning our day around. Not to mention how feeling good about our appearance can be a powerful motivator to take steps to improve our general health. Its win, win.

So, lets start a new conversation about the role of beauty. The approach I share in this book has come about as a culmination of my experiences as a doctor and co-founder of one of Londons leading aesthetic medicine clinics for almost 15 years: I call it Positive Ageing. Which means reframing the way we understand and respond to changes in our body so that we can show ourselves the empathy and care we deserve. Its not about looking younger, but about looking and feeling good about yourself no matter your age.

When I started in aesthetics 15 years ago, you may be surprised but I was one of the very few female doctors working in this area. One of my first lines of research was to take myself off to appointments, to have my face examined and treatments recommended, at some of the biggest London clinics.

Its not that those clinics were bad, but they didnt make me feel part of the process, knowledgeable about health or good about myself. What I experienced made me realize that there needed to be a new way to treat women who had taken the big step to come into a clinic. And it had to be kinder, less critical, less judgemental and more holistic.

In this book I share the approach I developed, the Positive Ageing Pyramid (PAP). It gives you the frank inside scoop on everything you want to know about skincare, aesthetic treatments and the lifestyle habits and hacks that will enable you to understand and care for your health and appearance, in the best way that works for you. In this book:

1. I will demystify the ageing process, explain how its intimately bound up with your health and what you can do to prevent premature ageing.
2. I will reveal my 5 basics of skincare that should be in everyones routine, and list the products that are/arent worth buying, and hopefully save your bank balance in the process.
3. I will explain the cosmetic treatment options available, what I think of them, who theyre best for.
4. I will show you how to create your own personalized programme : how to look fresh, radiant, a best-version-of-me, at any age.

Knowing the facts will help you decide what you want to do, and how much time and money you want to spend doing it. Do you want to know how to prevent premature ageing, things like wrinkles or pigmentation? Do you want to know what all the fuss is about around certain products? Do you want to try and resolve an issue without having to see a doctor? Are you thinking of having more invasive treatment to tweak your appearance? Do you want to make your skin glow? (Its a yes to that one, right?!)

Whatever your reasons for being here, this is a science-based, straight-talking, judgement-free guide to finding the best options for your skin. In this book I explore everything proven to make a difference, from the basics to the more medical: exercise, sleep, food and digestion, skincare, suncare, and all the options when it comes to clinic treatments too.

I look at all the pros and cons for each one so that you have all the information to make your own decisions about what is best for you. You might want to dip into certain sections if there is something in particular you want to know; otherwise I recommend reading from the beginning, as the book is in chronological order according to the process I go through with my clients, and I really think this will make the most sense when you come to create your own plan.

The premise of the PAP is that building up your regime from the base of the pyramid will lead to the best outcome for your skin. I will refer to this throughout the book, as it is crucial to an effective, personalized plan at the end. Let me talk you through it.

LEVEL 1: MINDSET This is the foundation. I cannot stress enough how important achieving a healthy mindset is before moving up the pyramid. This refers both to your approach to ageing and, even earlier in life, to the emotional component of what you see in the mirror. You can have the absolute best lifestyle, skincare, facials, and even injectables, but if your mind isnt in the right place, nothing will make you feel good.