http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00n1g6x

Images created by Auriole Prince at changemyface

By ANNA MAGEE

Last updated at 3:16 PM on 20th October 2011

Despite the warnings, I never used to worry too much that my lifestyle might one day show on my face. After all, there was always make-up, moisturiser, even a touch of Botox as the years advanced. Surely my guilty habits couldn’t make that much difference to my looks, could they?

And what habits would those be? Well, like most women, I crave chocolate and have been known to scoff three bars of Galaxy in one go if I desperately need a sugar fix. I smoked in my 20s and, although I officially quit at 30, I still succumb to the odd puff after a night on the merlot.

Ah, the merlot: my biggest downfall. While I may have cut out the cigarettes, my taste for wine has not diminished. I like a glass of red every other night, and every couple of weeks I go out and get a little tipsy  — OK, very tipsy — with my friends.

Wake-up call: Anna now, left, and how she will look in ten years time if she keeps drinking alcohol frequently

But now, at the age of 42, a fascinating experiment has made me rethink the whole way I live. For I have seen the future of my face. Or, rather, I have been given a glimpse of how it would look in ten years if I continue to ply my body with alcohol and excess sugar, or take up smoking again. The results were not a pretty sight and will serve as a stark warning to women who regularly enjoy a couple of glasses of wine a night or the odd sugary doughnut, and think it won’t do them any harm.

The process was made possible by Auriole Prince, a forensic artist specialising in age progression. Using key information about a person’s lifestyle she can manipulate an image to predict how they will look in the future.

So I submitted my picture and talked to experts in ageing, dermatology and plastic surgery about the effects smoking, drinking and a poor diet can have on our looks — and how to minimise the damage.

ALCOHOL

(Based on two or more standard glasses of wine a night — twice the recommended level for women)

I was horrified by this bloated, flushed, red-eyed and tooth-stained monster, an illustration of what drinking could do to my face in only ten years from now.

I’ve woken up sporting one or two of these aesthetic features after certain nights out in the past, but they have always subsided within a day or two. Imagining I could stay like that was frightening.

The cost of reversing all this damage was a wake-up call, too. Broken capillaries on the cheeks would require thousands of pounds in light treatment, the teeth-staining hundreds in whitening, not to mention liposuction on that double chin.

The only way to ensure this image doesn’t become a reality would be to cut out alcohol altogether. But there are ways to cut down. Switch to a non-alcoholic wine. Eisberg (£3.20 from supermarkets) is wine with the alcohol removed, so it’s closest to the real thing without the damage.

REDNESS: ‘Drinking causes enlargement of the blood vessels,’ says dermatologist Dr Nicholas Lowe of London’s Cranley Clinic. ‘This leads to flushing and, if you’re prone to rosacea, could exacerbate it.’

DAMAGE CONTROL: If cutting out booze altogether isn’t an option, try an instant fix such as Dr Nick Lowe’s Redness Relief Correcting Cream (£15.31, Boots).

THREAD VEINS: ‘If you’re prone to flushed-looking skin, alcohol will only make it worse as excess drinking means your blood vessels lose tone, leaving you with permanent thread veins,’ says Dr Lowe.

DAMAGE CONTROL: Intense pulsed light (IPL) with a dermatologist will help the redness, but it will cost you: Five sessions with Dr Lowe at his Cranley Clinic cost around £2,000.

‘One to two sessions of the more intense yellow dye laser will help remove broken blood vessels,’ he says. ‘But be ready for two days of increased reddening.’

FOREHEAD LINES: Drinking dehydrates the skin, which can lead to sallowness, deepening of wrinkles and dryness.

DAMAGE CONTROL: You don’t have to sacrifice your night out. Just fill your glass with sparkling or natural mineral water in between your regular tipple.

FAINT ‘NECKLACE’ LINES: These go horizontally across the neck. Anti-ageing physician Dr Lynette Yong says: ‘These lines are hereditary — but drinking certainly makes them worse.’

DAMAGE CONTROL: Try a specialist moisturiser such as Clarins Advanced Extra-Firming Neck Cream (£41 for 50ml, Debenhams).

CROW’S FEET: ‘Big drinkers are chronically deficient in vitamin A, which is essential to collagen and elastin formation,’ says plastic surgeon Dr Jonathan Staiano, of the Liberate Cosmetic Surgery Group.

DAMAGE CONTROL: A gentle hyaluronic acid filler such as Juvederm could help. Fillers start from £275, and you can find a practitioner at cosmeticdoctors.co.uk or juvedermultra.co.uk.

SMOKING

(Based on a 20-a-day habit)

AFTER 10 YEARS OF SMOKING 20-A-DAY: Anna would look grey and wrinkled aged 52

This horrendous image definitely made me think twice about enjoying the occasional cigarette.

The deep-set lines in my forehead, cheeks and around my mouth are terrifying — it makes me look as if I’ve had a very hard life.

Worse still, it’s not even an exaggeration. I know plenty of older ladies who have smoked for years and they look like this.

The greyness and flatness of my skin is what really stood out — something no amount of pricey make-up could fix.

For those struggling to give up using will-power alone, try Nicorette Quickmist Mouthspray (£17.99, from pharmacies) — said to double your chances of quitting.

The biggest problem with smoking is the habit you get into, so instead of reaching for a cigarette, try  going for a ten-minute walk. Recent research at Exeter University found ten minutes of physical activity could help reduce cravings.

Otherwise, Love Not Smoking . . . Do Something Different (Hay House, £8.99) is a six-week programme from behavioural modification experts Professors Karen Pine and Ben Fletcher, with an app from iTunes.

DEEP WRINKLES: ‘Smoking makes all lines worse by damaging the collagen and elastin in the skin that give it its plumpness,’ says Dr Yong.

DAMAGE CONTROL: ‘Vitamin C helps the re-formation of collagen,’ she says. ‘All my smoker patients are advised to apply Skinceuticals C-Ferrulic morning and night (£129, stockists 05603 141 956). Hyaluronic acid fillers work on visible wrinkles and help re-grow collagen.’

TOOTH DAMAGE: ‘Smoking stains teeth,’ says Harley Street dental surgeon Dr Simon Darfoor. ‘It also leads to gum disease and tooth loss: 42 per cent of smokers over 60 have lost all their teeth.’

DAMAGE CONTROL: Colgate Total Whitening (£1.55, nationwide) is more gentle than older abrasive smoker’s toothpastes, but still removes stains.

‘New cleaning systems, available at most dentists, can remove tooth staining without the need for scraping,’ says Dr Darfoor. ‘One called Air Flow uses bicarbonate of soda and a power-jet instrument that cleans deeper than manual scaling.’ Airflow starts at £85.

SAGGING EYELIDS AND CHEEKS: ‘With age, the muscles, fat and bones under the skin shrink and this can lead  to sagging,’ says Dr Yong. ‘Smoking deoxygenates the blood so you get less nutrients going to the skin, dramatically accelerating this sagging.’

DAMAGE CONTROL: Dermaroller micro-needling (genuinedermaroller.co.uk) uses tiny pin-pricks to help bring blood, and so nutrients, to the skin.

‘In theory it might help, but if you keep smoking after the age of 40 the sagging will get severe and surgery may be the only option,’ says Dr Yong.

DARK CIRCLES: ‘Reduced circulation makes skin sluggish and dark circles become more prominent,’ says Dr Yong.

DAMAGE CONTROL: Eat circulation-boosting food. Add garlic and grated ginger to stir-fries and sprinkle ground cayenne pepper and turmeric in curries.

HIGH SUGAR DIET

(Based on a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, such as those found in white bread and pasta)

AFTER A DECADE OF EATING A HIGH SUGAR DIET:  Anna could expect to look bloated and unhealthy

Who was this bloated woman with the ashen, waxy skin staring back at me from this photo? And could a decade of junk food really destroy my face this much?

More than any of the other pictures this gave me the biggest fright. It was enough to make me rethink Galaxy bars for ever.

More than anyone, I know how difficult it is to give up the sweet treats, but if you want to cut down, try replacing sugar with Truvia — a powder sweetener made from stevia, a South American plant that has no calories or artificial ingredients.

LINES AND SAGGING: ‘A diet high in sugar and high-glycaemic carbohydrates such as bread, rice, potatoes, baked goods, pasta, desserts and soft drinks can lead to glycation in the skin,’ says Dr Nicholas Perricone, a dermatologist and leading authority on diet and ageing.

‘This is where sugar molecules attach to collagen fibres and cause them to lose their strength and flexibility so the skin becomes less elastic and more vulnerable to sun damage, lines and sagging.’

DAMAGE CONTROL:  Help your body repair the damage by boosting your diet with Omega 3.

James Duigan, celebrity trainer and author of Clean & Lean Diet, recommends a diet rich in oily fish, avocados, olive oil, nuts, sunflower and flaxseeds.

Or you could try a fish oil supplement taken daily with meals, such as Bodyism’s Omega Brilliance (£40 for 60 capsules, bodyism.com).

WAXY, BLOATED FACE: ‘Too much sugar and white, refined carbs can give skin a soft, doughy look,’ says Dr Perricone.

‘The contoured cheekbones and crisp jawline become blurred because carbs create an inflammatory response that causes more inflexible skin, puffiness and a loss of radiance.’

DAMAGE CONTROL: ‘Alpha lipoic acid is one of the most potent proven anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory antioxidants available and will help you avoid that waxy look,’ says Dr Perricone. Take 50mg twice daily (Perricone Alpha Lipoic Acid, £25, perriconemd.co.uk).

PIMPLES: ‘A high-sugar diet makes you more prone to infection,’ says Dr Staiano. ‘So the more sugar you eat the more pimples you may have.’

DAMAGE CONTROL: If you find it impossible to cut sugar out of your diet, nutritionist Kim Pearson suggests taking the amino acid tyrosine in the morning to help prevent cravings. Take 500mg of Lambert’s L-Tyrosine (£10.71, nutricentre.com) with your breakfast.

GREY, THIN SKIN: ‘Eating a low protein diet makes the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin, thin and crepey, leaving it looking grey and sallow,’ says Dr Staiano.

DAMAGE CONTROL:  Protein can’t be stored in the body, says Dr Perricone, so you need to top up your supply by having some at every meal. Star sources for skin, he says, include fish, shellfish, lean organic free-range poultry and eggs, grass-fed beef or lamb, and for veggies, legumes and quinoa (from health food stores).

AFTER 10 YEARS OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE: How Anna will look if she stays of the cigarettes and limits her drinking and sugar consumption

. . . AND MY VERDICT

Nothing prepared me for these images.

My husband Kevin was walking past the computer and caught a glimpse of the picture that showed the effects of a high sugar diet.

He said: ‘One word: divorce.’

I’m not sure he was joking.

I am grateful I gave up smoking 12 years ago, and since seeing these images, I’ve given up sugar and cut back on my drinking, even managing a night out on mineral water in a wine glass (no one noticed).

Yes, there is still the odd night out on the tiles, but I slap on vitamin C moisturised before bed, swallow pints of water and have vitamin pills at the ready

So how will you protect the future of  your face?

A version of this article appears in this month’s Marie Claire magazine.

For more information on Auriole Prince and her age progression techniques, go to www.changemyface.com.

Marie Claire is out

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2051161/What-TWO-glasses-wine-day-face-years.html#ixzz1bQ0h1O8i

In some areas of Stoke on Trent, problems with alcohol among children are becoming such a big problem, that the council decided to work with schools and children directly to combat the problem. The children were directly responsible for commissioning a short film about drinking and some software to show how they would look older, with the effects of alcohol. The project was a great success and should pave the way for similar pro-activity throughout all schools in Great Britain, especially those areas worse effected by alcohol abuse.

Together with the digital company Rancon, we created this unique ageing software to age the children a few years before adding a slider effect with worsening effects of alcohol. The children had a direct impact on the way the software looked and worked. For a start, it had to be very easy to use, at one click the children can upload a photo of themselves, they then place markers for their eyes, mouth and chin, then click to age. Once the aged image appears, they can use the slider to increase effects of alcohol, including red bloated cheeks, bloodshot eyes, weight gain and blemished skin. At any time, the children can click to return to their original image.

As the image changes, the tension builds, culminating in the final ‘worst case scenario’ of the child as an alcoholic. The results speak for themselves as the children gasp and claim never to want to touch a drop of alcohol in their lives – the images are shocking but realistic unlike many other software programmes on the market.

We are so excited to have worked on such an important project and hope that other schools and organisations may benefit from the alcohol ageing software too. We are now working on the smoking version.

For more information please contact Auriole Prince on 0845 539 3399 or 07958 635 905.

www.changemyface.com

“With the increasing popularity of cosmetic surgery in the UK, Dr Christian Jessen shines a spotlight on the industry and comes to the aid of women who have fallen victim to botched operations”. In The Ugly Face of Beauty, shown last night on Channel 4, Jenssen looks at cosmetic surgery which has gone wrong, the impact on those women’s lives and explores how easily some women were led into signing up for surgery without even talking to the surgeon or understanding the risks involved. Their main concern seemed to be how to finance the surgery. Maybe we are entering a new era of cheap deals and BOGOF cosmetic surgery with little thought about whether people actually need this surgery.

Firstly, and most importantly, get help to decide whether or not to have surgery in the first place by getting imaging done to show yourself with the cosmetic changes you require. By seeing images of yourself you can then decide whether cosmetic surgery is for you – it may not be worth the pain and expense after all. Then, if you still want to go ahead, contact BAAPS (British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons) to find a reputable surgeon, not the cheapest. Look into the risks, what’s involved, how much recovery time and how much after care you will receive.

Get imaging done at changemyface from £39

See more information on the series The Ugly Face of Beauty at Channel 4

Cricketers Matt Prior, Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann illustrate the dangers of sun damage

Swann cannot dismiss the need for protection: cricketers, with their long hours in the field, are at particular risk of skin cancer. A study has found that one in seven county players had to be referred to specialists after the discovery of potential melanomas during check-ups. Now the Professional Cricketer’s Association has organised screening for all its members at private clinics nationwide run by the dermatology specialists sk:n. Of those screened so far, 15 per cent have been told they need further checks.

The consequences of ignoring the problem were confirmed recently when Mark Jasper, 41, the Australian-born cricketer who plays in Devon, revealed that he was terminally ill after being diagnosed with skin cancer. This was contracted, he believes, after he failed to apply sunscreen during a match in New Zealand in 2001 and was badly burnt.

The rate of skin cancer in men is on the rise. Last week, figures from Cancer Research UK showed that the number of men dying from malignant melanoma had almost trebled over the past three decades. In the late Seventies, fewer than 400 men died from melanoma; now it is more than 1,100.

Skin cancer is the second most common form of the disease in young adults, with nearly 200 cases reported in Britain daily. Yet it is preventable if people avoid sunburn and deal with “worrying” moles early, the charity says.

www.changemyface.com

Speaking of proportions, I thought this was quite topical…..…these images were produced by VisionMetric who develop the EFit software for police to illustrate how the same face can be manipulated to look both untrustworthy and trustworthy. Although the actual features have been manipulated, it does prove the point that when you mess around with that triangle of proportions, you can end up with a very different looking person. In saying that, some proportions do change with the ageing process, for example a man’s receding hairline can result in a larger looking forehead, and the loss of dentition as you get older can result in a smaller jaw.

Child Age Progression involves much structural change – it takes into consideration the underlying bone growth and the dentition changes which take place at around 6 -7 years old – these changes continue until at least 18 years of age.

Image produced by Karen T.Taylor, author of Forensic Art

You can see from this image drawn by Karen Taylor,  that the baby’s cranium is very large compared to the lower part of its skull. As a child develops the growth of the cranium then levels off and the lower part of the face, the nose, cheeks and jaw continue growing outwards and downwards.

Here are two well known faces who’ve been in the gossip columns recently, you can see how the area below their eyes has grown in comparison to the eyes and above. There has been some research to show that beautiful people have proportions closer to those of a child i.e. larger foreheads, small noses and chins, big eyes.

I spoke before about a unique look, usually you find that there is a consistency of appearance throughout life – like when you meet old friends at school reunions – it’s amazing how people just don’t change – it’s more true for some than others but there are always the extreme exceptions.

www.changemyface.com

Auriole Prince BA MAA RMIP

I found this definition of ageing on wikipedia……Ageing is the accumulation of changes in an organism or object over time. Aging in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of aging grow and expand over time, while others decline.

I studied illustration and photography at Maidstone Art college and after a few years, joined the Missing People Charity where I learnt all the different skills to become a forensic artist. This included training at the FBI Academy in Quantico in 2D and 3D facial reconstruction  - witness interviewing and E-Fit training at Durham with the British Police, Age Progression training at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington. And last but not least – the Medical Art Post graduate course.

Here are some of the images I produced – I tried to incorporate the forensic art into my Medical Art course as this was my line of work at the time. From 1997 to 2004 I worked for the Missing People Charity – I started as a volunteer then moved into case work, looking after the families of those who had gone missing. I then moved into the Identification department and started to learn forensic art, which included child age progression for long term missing children, facial reconstruction from skeletal remains, sanitizing photos of people found dead and updating photos of missing adults, i.e. changing hairstyles etc I also helped police to match missing persons reports with those found unidentified, dead or alive.

Age progressions are normally done for three reasons……

Firstly and most importantly, they are used when someone has been missing for two or more years and there has been sufficient time for appearances to change. The age progression image normally renews publicity and media interest in a case, therefore the case stays pro-active, supporting families and hopefully finding the person safe.

Secondly, age progressions are produced by or for police to try to capture criminals.

Thirdly, age progressions are often used in the media to illustrate to people the damaging effects of for example, smoking, drinking and sunbathing as a kind of a shock tactic.

Missing Person April Fabb

This is the case of missing person April Fabb – she was 13 when she disappeared on her bicycle in Norfolk, never to be seen again. She would now be in her mid 50’s.

Here I started off with a reference photograph in colour of a lady in her 50’s. I then used that as my main reference photo. I had pictures of her parents in their 50’s and used those as reference, Each age progression is different, and sometimes I’ll merge the missing photo with that of a family member. It just depends on what I have to work with.

Effectively, you are piecing together a puzzle using reference pictures of family members – here lie the clues as to how someone is going to look when they are older. Ultimately, I’m always hopeful that I’ll maintain the proportions and ‘unique look’ of that person.

Part 2 continues later…..

www.changemyface.com

www.missingpeople.org.uk

Vice: Katie Price has Botox every six months

Katie Price, model, entrepreneur and author, 31, reveals her fitness and beauty regime and why you can’t beat the needle:

SKIN

Looking after my skin is not my strong point but the two things that do make my skin look better are sunbeds and Botox.

I used to use spray tan but it stinks so now I use sun beds. I know people say they’re dangerous and can give you skin cancer but I don’t smoke, I hardly drink and we’ve all got to die of something, so that’s just my choice.

I get my forehead and around my eyes Botoxed every six months and I love it. You can’t beat it.

It just freezes all the wrinkles and that’s what you want but I’d never have a full face lift, I’ve seen what they can do to people and I don’t want to go through that.

I do get the odd spot and I’ve got a few at the moment but that’s down to stress.

MAKE UP

I don’t wear any make-up if I’m not working but if I’m doing a shoot, going out or appearing on TV I’m like a drag queen.

I like lots and lots of products; in fact I like the whole of the Boots counter. I wear Dior Showgirl mascara, lipstick by Bourjois, Mac or Stila, and Mac eyeliner and eye shadow. I’m also a big fan of false lashes and I love Mac again.

I get facials every week – Alexandra House near my house are great – but I like to go to different places every week to hide from the paparazzi.

And however big a night I’ve had I always take my make-up off before I go to bed.

Whenever I’m in the car on the way home I’ve always got my pyjamas, my blanket and my make up remover and I always take it off on the way home.

Skin deep: Edith Bowman says she’s not bothered by wrinkles

TV presenter and Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman, 35,  reveals her top beauty and diet tips and why she’ll never say never to Botox.

DIET

My mum used to have a whole shelf in her bookcase dedicated to dieting books, so that put me off for life. I’ve never followed a specific diet but I try to eat as healthily as possible.

Since the birth of my son Rudy 16 months ago I’ve done a bit of home cooking for him so I’m eating more fresh vegetables than I used to, but I don’t think there’s any harm in eating the occasional pizza or kebab.

I’m more body conscious since I gave birth and I have a few more lumps and bumps, but I don’t freak out about it. I just eat more greens, cycle to work more and work hard at resolving it rather than looking for a quick fix. As long as I’m somewhere between nine and nine and half stone then I’m happy.

SKIN

My skin is so dry that it literally sucks the moisture out of the air, so recently I’ve been treating myself to some facials at Fortnum & Mason with Sarah Brown, who is wonderful. She does this treatment called Dermabrasion, which sort of hoovers the skin cells off, and I use lots of Sisley products and also Cowshed moisturisers for my dry hands.

Wrinkles don’t bother me and I’ll be happy to grow old gracefully. It’s hard for me to say I’ll never have Botox as I’m not at the stage in my life where I need it yet, but my general feeling about facial cosmetic surgery is that you lose your expression and you lose part of you. I think you lose part of your identity.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1242427/Edith-Bowman-I-ll-happy-grow-old-gracefully–I-havent-completely-ruled-Botox.html#ixzz0cOnO9LOf