Jane Asher's health and beauty tips for older women

Trust your doctor, not the health pages of the tabloids. Avoid nonsenses like ‘detoxes’, ‘bowel cleansing’, swallowing unnecessary vitamins and so on. But do have regular breast scans and, if possible, the occasional colonoscopy. If you have a problem but it’s spotted and treated early, so much can be done these days.

If you’re unsure about a new outfit, take a ‘selfie’ in it – before you hand over your money – and show it to an honest friend for their opinion. Take a good hard look at the picture yourself, too. It’s much easier to be objective about whether it suits you this way.

Keep moving! And, if you can, invest in one or two private lessons with a good, qualified Pilates teacher. In your everyday life and in whatever exercise routine you follow from then on, you’ll never forget the principles of core support.

Jane Asher: mother and daughter

Try to have a session with a professional make-up artist. We all get stuck in our ways and I’m lucky enough to be made up by professionals in my work. I’m not a natural beauty. I don’t have the perfect face. I’ve learnt so much from the experts over the years and, without them, I’m sure I’d still be relying on the eye make-up I used in my teens.

Keep out of the sun as much as possible. Of course, you need enough to keep bones healthy, but the sun does wreck the skin (and the dangers of melanoma are very real).

Unfortunately, grooming becomes ever more important in your sixties. If I’m not colouring my hair, I’m removing it from somewhere else…

Informative, in-depth and in the know: get the latest news, interviews and reviews with Saga Magazine.