Times 2 - UK (2020-09-15)

the times | Tuesday September 15 2020 1GT 5

times2health

home schooling and home working.

As Jack explains: “Higher levels of

the stress hormone cortisol and

activation of the sympathetic part

of the autonomic nervous system

help us cope with temporary stress.

The problem comes when this

response is prolonged, with cortisol

levels becoming chronically high and

the sympathetic drive continuing over

weeks or months. This is thought to

cause increased catabolism, which

means tissues such as fat, collagen and

elastin will be broken down quickly.

Hormone systems will also be affected.

“All of these are believed to result in

tissue ageing and volume change in

the face. The major thing I’m seeing

people notice is volume change and

skin dehydration, with much more

awareness of issues such as under-eye

hollows. The usual complaint is

‘Zoom face’, conference calling making

volume loss and jowls look much

worse.” As to who has the most severe

pandemic face, it is the “squeezed

middle”: 30 to 50-year-olds with young

children, demanding careers and/or

other pressing responsibilities.

Sana Khan, a skin, anti-ageing and

regenerative medicine specialist who

runs Avicenna Wellbeing in

Marylebone, London, points to

another face-ager with an impact on

all ages, even those who have been

virtuous in other ways. “For those who

have been glued to laptops, ‘netflixing’

or browsing social media, blue light

their bearing lockdown’s mental and

physical load, from home working

while home teaching to housework

where they might otherwise employ

cleaners. For the lion’s share of

2020 they have faced — term

used advisedly — uncertainty,

unemployment, financial hardship and

the fear of dying; anxiety about

themselves and anxiety about others.

“You can call it ‘trauma’, you could

call it ‘stress’, you could call it ‘acute

life changes’, ‘acute life adjustments’,”

Kersh argues. “There are so many

things happening to so many people

across the board. It’s like living in a

war-zone mentality almost. Where

you don’t know what to expect next,

what’s happening next, how to

navigate your life.” I felt like this

during the two years in which my

parents were dying, and gained the

pained face to show for it.

Dr David Jack, a former NHS

surgeon in the burns and plastics

department, runs a private aesthetics

clinic on Harley Street in London.

“Covid face isn’t universal,” he says.

Some people are embracing skin care,

and others have even had facelifts,

having been given a convenient escape

from prying eyes. “However, I have

noticed that most people are looking

pretty exhausted post-lockdown, and

a lot of patients believe it has been

really ageing on their skin.”

They identify as the chief cause

stress, from furlough, loss of income,

COVER: PAUL SCALA; MODEL OLIVKA/TITANIUM MANAGEMENT. BELOW: JUDE EDGINTON/TIMES MAGAZINE

to reduce

jaw tension

1

Check your bite

According to the Oral Health

Foundation (OHF), as many as

one in four people experience

temporomandibular disorder

(TMD) conditions that involve the jaw

joints and muscles. Symptoms can

include pain around the joint, earache,

headaches and shoulder tension.

Teeth grinding is a common cause,

but anything affecting the equilibrium

of your bite can be problematic, says

Karen Coates of the OHF. “You may

have had a crown or filling that is

slightly too high or a missing tooth

which can cause the mouth to over-

close or close unnaturally, straining

the jaw muscles,” Coates says. “The

temporomandibular joint needs equal

support from both sides of both jaws

so it might be case of adjusting or

replacing teeth so they meet evenly.”

2

Relax your facial muscles

Philip Bateman, a

physiotherapist who

specialises in treating TMD,

says if dental causes have

been eliminated, chronic jaw tension

is probably the result of stress and

overworked facial muscles. “A lot of

people clench their jaw muscles all the

time without realising it,” he says.

“Biting your lower lip and fingernails,

chewing gum or biting on your front

teeth, even excessive yawning will all

load the jaw muscles and exacerbate

pain so these practices should be

avoided as much as possible.”

Part of his job is helping people to

relearn the normal jaw-resting

position, which involves keeping upper

and lower teeth apart when relaxed.

“A physiotherapist can perform trigger

point massage, which will help,”

Bateman says. “But you can also do a

DIY facial massage by gently kneading

the cheek and jaw muscles with your

fingertips several times a day.”

3

Do a jaw workout twice a day

Bateman recommends doing

this simple exercise. Close

your mouth so your teeth are

touching, but not clenched.

Rest the tip of your tongue on your

palate, just behind your upper front

teeth. Run the tip of your tongue

backwards towards the roof and back

of your mouth. Keep your teeth gently

together. Hold your tongue back in

this position to keep contact with the

soft part of your palate and slowly

open your mouth until you feel your

tongue being pulled away. Hold it for

five seconds, then close your mouth

and relax. Repeat for five minutes.

Peta Bee

has been shown to accelerate the

ageing process, resulting in skin

looking dull, lacking in elasticity

and increased wrinkles,” she says.

“ ‘Tech neck’ may also be an issue.

We think of lockdown as a short

period. However, the skin regeneration

cycle is around five to six weeks. This

means that any changes in routine,

lifestyle or diet would have an impact.”

Can six months’ hard living really

turn us into shrivelled husks, or are

we just neurotically self-scrutinising

because virtual meetings mean we

confront so many candid close-ups?

Dr Daniel Belsky, an assistant

professor of epidemiology at Columbia

University, confirms that, scientifically

speaking, ageing can happen rapidly

— compare tales of people going grey

overnight. “Sudden extremes can

trigger acute biological reactions.

Take disease shocks or surgical

shocks. Those actually infected

with coronavirus could experience

a substantial ageing impact.

“However, in terms of quarantine

stresses, this will most likely have a

more gradual effect — an appearance

of ageing, rather than a completed

ageing process. You may look worse

for wear, but this won’t reflect

biological changes in cells and tissues.”

Think of it as a warning signal rather

than a done deal. The upside is that

decrepitude can be rectified with

lifestyle changes. “So being outside is

key, both in terms of sunlight and

physical exercise, improving diet and

what at Columbia we’re calling

‘physical distancing with social

solidarity’, given how important

connection is in building resilience.”

That is, if Covid face means you’re

prepared to be seen. I have gone

beyond larding myself in unguents

and am increasingly happy about the

requirement to go about masked, not

least when combined with sunglasses

and a hat. As my friend concludes: “All

these people moaning about m-acne,

mask-ne, or whatever mask zits are

called — at least this makes them look

young.” Not only is she deploying

Zoom’s “touch up my appearance”

function, she has been known to

smear Vaseline over her lens with

varying, vaguely mystical effects.

What she and I are really doing

here is revealing our social class.

For, as ever, the rich have been able to

buy their way out of Dodge, with the

pandemic not being as pressing for

those who have been at their second

homes since March and who then flew

straight to Mykonos. The cosmetic

guru Dr Michael Prager tells me:

“Most of my female patients have gone

through the last six months as if in

a time bubble. No more commuting,

no more inhaling the most polluted air

in Europe, no more fight-and-flight

syndrome in overcrowded spaces.

“All of these are causes of ageing

— from free radical damage, raised

adrenaline and cortisone levels to

increased physical tension —

manifesting in pain, disrupted sleep,

immune system depression and the

mental effect of all of the above.

Without these factors — and

combined with a lot less drink and

drug taking from the lack of social

activities — it has turned the clock

back for the well-to-do who are still

working from home. Most have moved

out of town and enjoyed fresh air,

sleep, walks and nature. The

deceleration of their lives has worked

miracles.” That truism about

coronavirus being a great social

leveller? — not so Covid face.

bit

Help

your face

to re cover

Exercise

As cells age, the

telomeres, the protective

ends of our DNA strands,

naturally shorten.

Endurance activities such

as running produce

a greater increase in

telomere length than a

resistance workout such

as strength training,

according to a recent

study in the European

Heart Journal.

However, “strength

training is still important

to maintain muscle and

bone health,” says Janet

Lord, director of the

Institute for Inflammation

and Ageing at

Birmingham University.

For those aged over 65,

strength training on

two days a week and

75 minutes of vigorous

exercise (running, tennis)

a week is recommended.

Sleep

Aim for eight hours a

night even if you feel you

only need five, advises

Dr Duncan Carmichael,

the author of Younger for

Longer: How You Can

Slow the Ageing Process

and Stay Healthy for Life.

“Poor sleep can quite

quickly age the body and

the brain,” he says.

Sun exposure

Vitamin D supports

muscle and bone health,

but too much time in the

sun increases the risk of

skin cancer, so experts

suggest 10 to 30 minutes

every day is sufficient.

People with dark skin will

need to spend longer in

the sun than people with

lighter skin to produce

the same vitamin D.

Diet

People aged 65 or older

who adhere to a diet rich

in oily fish, nuts and fresh

vegetables have a 25 per

cent lower risk of early

death, according to a

2018 study in the British

Journal of Nutrition.

“What all of us should be

avoiding is refined sugar,”

Carmichael adds.

Elisabeth Perlman

Dr Suha Kersh

nd

ver

o

and a

these

mask

calle

you

Zoo

fufn

sm

vva

W

hhhher

For

buy

pan

tho

Sunexposure hom

There has

been a major

shift in how

we looked

before

and after

lockdown