When it comes to maintaining a youthful look in your 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond, some people are just lucky.
However, most of those who are radiant in their older years go to great efforts to achieve this.
Excellent skin care is a non-negotiable for a beautiful glow, however, this should be used in conjunction with healthy lifestyle habits - never in place of them.
One octogenarian revealed how she continues to look young at 80, naming the diet choice she credits for a great complexion: no added sugar.
We all know that sugar isn't great for our health or waistline, but many overlook the harmful effects it can have on the skin. This is due to the production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs).
'She doesn't seem to understand that she needs to age'
TikTok/@healtochange
Taking to TikTok, a content creator known as @heal2change presented her age-defying mother on her 80th birthday.
She joked: "She doesn't seem to understand that she needs to age, so I don't look older than her."
TikTok users flocked to the comments section in disbelief when the creator revealed her age. One said: "She looks great, I thought she was your sister. Whatever your mum is doing to stay looking young, she is doing a great job."
Another seconded this: "Your mother looks like she's in her 50s."
"Wow, she looks young for her age," a third commented.
Many users wanted to know how the octogenarian has managed to retain her youthful appearance, with several pleading for her "secret".
To this, @healtochange said: "This is what no drinking, no drugs, no sugar, no junk food and no sun looks like." She added that her mum also avoids "stress".
In another comment, she said: "I'll be 60 next year. I only hope I look as good as her if I stop eating sugar now - there's a possibility, sugar is bad."
In 'Nutrition and aging skin: sugar and glycation', published in the National Library of Medicine, experts explained: "The effect of sugars on ageing skin is governed by the simple act of covalently cross-linking two collagen fibres, which renders both of them incapable of easy repair.
"Glucose and fructose link the amino acids present in the collagen and elastin that support the dermis, producing advanced glycation end products or AGEs."
A second article published in the National Library of Medicine, entitled 'Advanced Glycation End Products in the Skin: Molecular Mechanisms, Methods of Measurement, and Inhibitory Pathways', confirmed the irreversible effect of sugar on the skin.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Sugar has an 'irreversible' effect on the skin
GETTY IMAGESExperts said: "Comprehensive studies have shown that AGEs not only reduce skin elasticity, accumulate pigments, and produce appearance changes such as wrinkles, but also destroy the skin barrier, cause the apoptosis of skin-related cells, and induce inflammation.
"In addition, AGEs are irreversible and difficult to metabolise. As AGEs accumulate year by year, the skin undergoes profound changes from the inside to the outside."
For a radiant complexion in your 80s, cutting out or at least minimising your sugar intake is certainly wise. This means reducing your consumption of foods such as biscuits, chocolate, flavoured yoghurts, breakfast cereals, plus fizzy drinks.
Nourishing your skin from the inside out with a healthy diet that prioritises whole foods is hailed as an excellent anti-ageing strategy.
