ARK Age Aware Skincare offers a common sense approach to how we look after our complexions as we get older.
After all, we all evolve our fashion and make-up as the years tick by so we should be doing the same with our skincare routines and according to the ARK philosophy be “age appropriate”.
A-list fans of the ARK product range includes singer and actress Danni Minogue – who is famous for changing her style as she blossomed into a mother from being a child actress in Australia – to singer Katie Melua.

Founder Shula Starkey has spent 10 years perfecting her skincare range with the help of her team of therapists, personal experience and by collaborating wit Dr Penny Kendall-Reed, a leading expert in the field of nutritional skincare. “We have developed the ARK Age Aware Skincare product range that provides treatment for your skin according to age,” said Shula.

“There are two main skin transition periods in the ageing process where there is a dramatic shift in hormone production and a significant change in the way the body functions; late 20s to early 30s and late 50s to early 60s,” she said.

	Age Prepare (late teens to early 30s)
Age Maintain (mid 30s to 50)
	Age Repair (50 and beyond)

Age Prepare (late teens to early 30s) / Age Maintain (mid 30s to 50) / Age Repair (50 and beyond)

By looking at these transition periods ARK have divided its skin therapy into three ranges:

* Age Prepare
* Age Maintain
* Age Repair

Each age appropriate line comprises of four core products; cleanser, moisturiser, exfoliator and masque. In addition there are nine supporting skincare products which target specific areas such as anti-wrinkle eye cream and plumping lip balm.
Each customer is invited to take the ARK Age Aware Assessment which is a thorough skin analysis with an ARK personal skin trainer after which a skin health programme is prescribed for six weeks. Follow-up visits are encouraged to track progress.

“Over the last 10 years we have performed more than 100,000 treatments at our ARK Skincare Centres and, as a result, we have come to know the skincare concerns of our clients intimately,” said Shula.

“At the same time I have looked to my family and noticed how their skin has matured and changed with age. My mother, Jenny, sister, Sally, and I are 17 years apart and we fall into three age categories: 'Teens to early 30s', 'Mid 30s to 50' and '50s and beyond'.

“Our skin is our only visible organ. Whereas our eyes are the window to our soul, our skin is the mirror of our health. We should learn to read what it is telling us and respond to those messages, knowing what our skin needs when it needs it.

“We have put together a powerful and unique combination of ingredients in each of our age-related ranges. They are designed to combat these environmental factors: the causes and effects of free radical activity, inflammation, dehydration, breakdown of collagen, weakened immunity and loss of hormones by feeding the skin with essential nutrients and vitamins to help repair it and protect it from further damage,” said Shula.

www.arkskincare.com

Skin – the facts

· Your skin is considered the largest organ in the human body.
· The skin is made up of three major layers - epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis (also called the subcutaneous tissue).
· Your skin loses about 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells from the surface almost every minute, even though you do not see it happening.
· Your skin sheds a layer of these dead cells every 24 hours and renews itself about every 28 days.
· Your skin swells when it absorbs water.
· Your skin contains a protein called keratin which is also found in hair and nails
· Your skin is the thinnest on the eyelid.

How your skin ages?
It's easy to forget the skin is an organ - just like our heart or liver - which performs a list of life-sustaining tasks. It regulates body temperature. It is the body's sensor, registering pressure, temperature and pain. It is a barrier against the elements and a shield against bacteria and viruses.

Skin is also the body's first line of defence. As such, it is easily damaged both by external causes - sunlight, air pollution - and internal factors, such as cigarette smoke or a diet that lacks nutrients, particularly antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C and E. It is the way we treat our skin - not the ageing process - that 'ages' facial skin the most.

Scientists explain it this way: there are two types of ageing, 'extrinsic' and 'intrinsic'. Extrinsic (external) ageing is intrinsic ageing aggravated by external causes like sunlight, air pollution, and inflammation caused by harsh detergents, rough treatment, cosmetics and illness.

Intrinsic (internal) ageing is the rate of ageing that occurs with the passage of time. It is a pre-programmed process that is imprinted on our cellular DNA. There is no changing it.

With age, our body's ability to repair itself slows considerably. When we're 11, our cells can repair themselves nearly perfectly from damage, but at 50, the ageing process begins to accelerate because we no longer have that ability.

Meanwhile, inside our skin cells, free radicals activate molecules that go straight to the cell's DNA. Here, they turn on something called AP-1. This begins producing collagen-digesting enzymes that can leave tiny defects in the skin. Known as 'microscarring', this is the birth of a wrinkle.

As you get older the production of growth hormone and oestrogen levels decrease resulting in the slowing down of skin cell renewal and a thinning of the skin, loss of elasticity, deeper wrinkles and a duller complexion.

The ARK skincare range aims to works to balance out these effects by using plant isoflavones, known as phytohormones, that are said to have oestrogen-like effects. Added to that, amino acids in ingredients and supplements support collagen and hormone synthesis, improving skin cell activity and repair.