5 products to say goodbye to blackheads

20s: prioritize SPF in day creams for long-term skin protection

Squeezing makes them worse. Five gentle products that clear pores over a few weeks, and the order to use them in.

Most of the ageing we see on a face is sun damage that happened years earlier. A light day cream with SPF, worn every morning, does more for your skin at forty than any serum you buy at forty.

• Choose a cream you like the feel of, or you will not wear it.
• Use two fingers' length of product for the face and neck.
• Top up at lunchtime when you are outside.
• Keep a small bottle in your bag.

30s: use antioxidant-rich creams to fight environmental damage

Pollution and sun create free radicals that break down collagen. Vitamin C in the morning and a richer cream at night help skin repair itself while you sleep.

40s: focus on firming creams with peptides

Peptides tell the skin to make more collagen. They work slowly, so give a new cream two months before you judge it.

50s: opt for creams rich in ceramides

Ceramides are the mortar between skin cells. As skin makes fewer of them, a cream that puts them back keeps moisture in and irritation out.

The best routine is the one you keep: a cleanser, a moisturiser and sunscreen, every day.

60s: select hydrating, soothing creams for sensitive skin

Skin gets thinner and drier. Rich, fragrance-free creams and a gentle cleanser are worth more now than anything active.