London - Modern women are now so confident that they think they looks five years younger than they really are, researchers have claimed.
A survey found that most women do not believe they look old until the age of 46, but many still feel confident about their appearance into their fifties and beyond.
Three-quarters of the 2 000 women polled said they looked five years younger than their real age – largely thanks to their youthful complexions. One in ten respondents believed they looked a decade younger than they really were, while a third said they would happily embrace growing old.
However the study, commissioned by skincare product Lancome Advanced Genifique, suggested that around 10 percent started worrying about ageing in their twenties.
Nearly 40 percent said their concerns began in their thirties. And the average age to start worrying was 46, although one in five women said concerns about looking old had only started in their fifties or sixties.
Study participants said the secrets to eternal youth included:
* a happy marriage,
* avoiding getting sunburnt,
* using a good moisturiser,
* good genes
* eating five pieces of fruit a day
* regular haircuts
* daily exercise
* religiously cleansing, toning and moisturising,
* using good eye cream
* never smoking
* a glass of wine at the weekend
* surrounding themselves with young people and
* having well-behaved children.
British actress Helen Mirren, 68, was the celebrity most admired for her youthful appearance, followed by comedian Joanna Lumley, 68, Pretty Woman star Julia Roberts, 46, and singing sensation Lulu, 65.
Italian and French women were considered the most likely to retain a youthful appearance, followed by those from Scandinavia. Women from Russia, Germany and Ireland were thought to age the fastest.
Nearly half of the respondents said they spent up to £60 a year on cosmetics which they hoped would make them look younger, 38 percent spend between £60 and £150 while 12 percent spent between £150 and £250. And an three percent of women revealed that they spend more than £250 every year on skincare products aimed at holding back the years.- Daily Mail