KUCHING: We all take on the role as the modern superwoman at some point in our lives as mother, daughter, sister and wife.

We mature into seasoned, tough-talking, career women having spent the bulk of our youth climbing up the corporate ladder, whilst juggling the demanding roles of dedicated homemaker and stylish wife all at the same time.

We welcome the next decade of our lives looking back at the fruits of our labour with much pride. But the moment we peer into the mirror, we wince. Our reflection exposes the years that have taken a toll on our appearances as if every birthday brings with it a new set of experiences and alas a new set of wrinkles.

For many of us, being superwoman comes with a catch. It is difficult to put a price on increasingly demanding and stressful lifestyles, sleep deprivation, late nights at the office rushing deadlines, coupled with the endless nicotine and caffeine fixes to get through the day. For the vainer of us, at least, this price is reflected in the dermatologist’s bill.

Now that we are well into our thirties, people say (rather kindly), ‘She still looks good…’. This is to be followed by a phrase of ‘…for her age’, which is hot on the trail of ‘handsome’ and then who knows?

Ageing is inevitable. It’s just one of life’s injustices. Women today are waging a never-ending war against the aging process. But all hope is not los, ee just need to identify the enemies in order to prepare the artillery. If we were to equate aging to a disease, we can fight it and with any disease, everyone knows that prevention is better than cure. There are two main processes that induce skin ageing internal and external. Internal ageing basically reflects one’s DNA and is directly proportional to time, the older one gets, the more one ages.

External ageing, on the other hand, is caused by environmental factors such as sun exposure, air pollution, smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, and poor nutrition. External aging is also under our control, we can take steps to counteract its effects. Skin-care is a multi-billion dollar industry and anti-ageing products contribute to a major portion of that revenue. Women spend thousands of dollars year after year to look their best spending money on wrinkle creams, moisturisers, hand and foot creams and eye serums, all in hopes that it will help to knock a few years off our biological clock.

However there is one vital part of the body that is often overlooked when we set out to belie our age. This area, under the chin and above the chest is none other than the neck and it is our necks that give our ages away.

Think about it, our necks are often times the only part of our bodies that are exposed to the ravaging effects of the sun, day in and day out. It is our necks that we often forget about as we slather SPF lotion all across our face and up and down our arms. The sun shines down our necks as we walk around town doing our daily activities. The face can be covered with a hat, our eyes, protected with sunglasses; but the neck is often exposed (unless you are the type that enjoys wearing turtlenecks in the blistering Malaysian heat).

Among all these environmental factors, sun exposure plays a prominent role (up to 80 per cent) in skin aging, especially premature ageing. Sunbathing may result in a sexy ‘sun-kissed’ look, but the compounded effects of that are detrimental to the skin in the long term.

Frequent sun exposure without proper SPF protection results in wrinkles, pigmentation and sagging of the skin that is far from sexy. Being constantly exposed to air pollutants from motor vehicle fumes in the city doesn’t help either.

You may want to keep that in mind the next time you walk on the busy street alongside a bus chugging out toxic fumes. Women today often work an average of ten to twelve hours in a day. These hours are also spent in dry, confined, air conditioned spaces, which is bad for skin health. This combined with constant work pressures and stress is a recipe for accelerated aging.

Furthermore, the effects of stress are two-fold not only does it accelerate ageing, it also weakens our resolve when it comes to eating right, which explains why we are more compelled to reach for the cookie jar when the work load piles up. Poor diets that are high in saturated fat and sugar are another big player in the ageing process. Women take note “Sugar ages you”, said nutritionist, Carrie Wiatt, founder of Diet Designs and author of Eating by Design.

In addition, a study by Cornell University discovered that women are more apt to choose sugary options like ice cream, cookies and cake when stressed. Sugar consumption triggers free radicals within the body, which accelerate the aging process by inducing inflammation and damaging cells.

Although sneaking the occasional scoop of ice-cream or piece of candy is only human, sticking to a low sugar diet will build healthier cells and keep the wrinkles at bay. And so will swapping the usual caffeine fix to fulfill the eight-glasses of water quota.

In this day and age, smoking, drinking, and partying into the wee hours of the morning, have become interwoven into our social fabric. Sipping cosmopolitans at a fancy club or bar may have been glamorised by the cult TV show, ‘Sex and the City’ (SATC), but having one too many, brings more harm to the skin than good. Having an atrociously expensive dermatologist may have bought SATC’s character, Samantha Jones, a few years, but for us regular folk, the thought of refinancing our house in the name of beauty, is unrealistic.

Needless to say, moderation is the key and smoking is another big skin no-no. “Cigarette skin” is characteristic, implying increased skin wrinkling and an ashen appearance, remember that scene in SATC of that infamous image of Carrie Bradshaw plastered on the cover a magazine sans her usual war-paint?

Its no surprise that she kicked her habit soon after. Your skin will also thank you for taking a break from the party scene, once in awhile, to get a good night’s rest. The term ‘beauty sleep’ was not coined simply.

Spending money on anti-ageing treatments, but forgetting to treat the neck is a major flaw in any anti-aging game plan. There is nothing worse than the contrast of silky smooth skin on the face against the crumply wrinkled skin on the neck, which is an obvious tell-tale sign of where all the money and effort is going into.

“Compared with the skin of the face, the skin of the neck is characterised by less sebum and a less effective barrier. The skin of the neck, especially the epidermis, is also very fine. But the moisturising is similar and, above all, the signs of the ageing are appreciably identical wrinkles, deeper lines, sagging”, said Lilywati Arshad, L’Oréal Malaysia’s scientific director.

“This premature ageing process is also affected by the use of harsh soaps, which contribute to moisture loss and sensitivities, special attention should be given to the skin on the neck and skin care regimes should not end at the chin” she said.

If peering into the mirror every birthday seems remind you more and more about leathery tortoise necks on the National Geographic, you may want to consider reassessing your skin care routine and investing in a good quality neck cream is the answer to this dilemma.

The firming effect of these products can help take years off the appearance, not to mention save us from the dreaded ‘turkey wattle’ every time we wear a v-neck blouse. These anti-ageing creams are the last piece needed to complete the ‘looking better’ puzzle.

Incorporating a neck cream into your anti-ageing game plan may just buy us enough leverage to peer into the mirror with our chins confidently raised. Even superwoman needs a little help sometimes.