It’s long been known that the sun’s ultraviolet rays are a major cause of skin ageing.
To see the effect, we compare celebrities of the same age who love the sun and those who don’t.
From Meryl Streep to Tina Green, Nigella Lawson to Fergie and Helen Mirren to Goldie Hawn, these photos show how sun lovers age faster.
Meryl Streep and Tina Green, aged 68
One is a poised actress who has spent her life lighting up our screens; the other is married to a controversial business tycoon and spends her days in luxury, laid on his yacht. So is it any wonder Meryl Streep looks fresh-faced, while Tina Green has years of sun damage etched into her skin?
Is it any wonder Meryl Streep looks fresh-faced, while Tina Green has years of sun damage etched into her skin?
Meryl’s beauty secret is a simple one: not only does she cover up, wear hats and avoid sunbathing, but she told friends she refrains from touching her face at all, for fear of spreading bacteria.
Tina, meanwhile, sits on the deck of the ‘floating palace’ wearing low-cut bikinis and basking in the hot UV rays. The result is deep wrinkles, saggy arms and liver spots all over her chest and neck.
Meryl always wears a hat and covers up. Tina, meanwhile, sits on the deck of the ‘floating palace’
Nigella Lawson and Sarah Ferguson, aged 58
In the past, Nigella has made headlines for her unusual methods of avoiding the sun — in 2011 she was photographed in newspapers around the world wearing a burkini-style head-to-toe swimsuit on Bondi Beach (apparently because her then-husband, advertising mogul Charles Saatchi, ‘liked his women pale’). However, on this week’s return trip Down Under, she showed her porcelain skin to full effect.
In a 2016 interview she said: ‘I am so sun-phobic I need to wear a factor-50 sunblock even in winter. In summer, I slap more sunblock on top.’
In the past, Nigella has made headlines for her unusual methods of avoiding the sun. By contrast, the Duchess of York (right) is known to indulge in many a sun-drenched mini-break
By contrast, the Duchess of York (right) — who is known to indulge in many a sun-drenched mini-break, including frolicking in Saint-Tropez in a teeny-tiny bikini with John Bryan, her financial advisor, in 1992 — just looks frazzled.
Fergie’s drooping jowls, sunken eyes and deep-set wrinkles add years to her face, while her red locks, dry and frizzy from over-exposure to the sun, simply can’t compete with Nigella’s thick, lustrous curls.
In her 2003 book, What I Know Now, Fergie made reference to ‘suntan oil’ — which is used to speed up and enhance tans by attracting UV rays to the skin — suggesting that she’s been rather lax when it comes to protecting her skin.
Left: Nigella in 2011 wearing a burkini-style head-to-toe swimsuit on Bondi Beach. Right: Sarah Ferguson in Sardina
Helen Mirren and Goldie Hawn, aged 72
Oscar-winner Helen appears to have defied the ageing process entirely. Currently the face of L’Oreal, she has barely any bags beneath her eyes, no sagging on her neck and not a hint of sun damage on her chest.
Oscar-winner Helen appears to have defied the ageing process entirely. Actress Goldie Hawn (right), on the other hand, hasn’t been quite so lucky
She by no means avoids the sun — who could forget those stunning photographs of her, aged 63, strutting around in a red bikini on holiday in Puglia, Italy — but you don’t keep a flawless complexion like hers without protecting it.
Actress Goldie Hawn, on the other hand, hasn’t been quite so lucky, with prominent age spots on her chest, wrinkles round her mouth and deep creases beneath her eyes. She may have swapped her itsy-bitsy bikinis for more modest swimsuits in later life, but she still loves the sun, and has been spotted recently soaking up rays with her partner, Kurt Russell, in Greece.
Leeft: Helen in Iscia, Italy. Right: Goldie Hawn on the island of Skiathos
Nicole Kidman and Ulrika Jonsson, aged 50
Australian actress Nicole Kidman is famed for her alabaster complexion — and says being pale has actually helped her career. ‘As I was pale-skinned, I was kept indoors a lot,’ she said in one interview. ‘I was reading books, building my inner life and concocting ideas.’
Australian actress Nicole Kidman (left) is famed for her alabaster complexion. Right: TV host Ulrika Jonsson
A natural redhead, she has always shunned the sun, wearing full-body cover-ups on the beach and lathering sun cream on her face every day. ‘I’m outside a lot . . . but I don’t like the sun on my skin,’ she has said.
By contrast, TV host Ulrika is barely ever out of a bikini — indeed, in 2009 she spent £11,000 on plastic surgery to ensure she looked good on the beach. But frequent exposure has led to wrinkles round her mouth and eyes and dark spots on her chest. ‘I have wrinkles but I don’t care,’ she’s said.
Left: Nicole protects herself from the sun. By contrast, TV host Ulrika is barely ever out of a bikini
Cheryl Tweedy and Pippa Middleton, aged 34
There was a time when, like every WAG, Cheryl would slather herself in orange fake tan. But these days, the pop star is flying the flag for pale-skinned, radiant beauty — and looks so good she could easily be in her 20s.
Though a fan of skimpy swimwear, sensible Cheryl (left) always wears a hat and large sunglasses when she’s out and about.
Cheryl is flying the flag for pale-skinned, radiant beauty. Right: Pippa Middleton
Pippa, meanwhile, seems to have grown rather too fond of days in the sun at Eden Rock, the Caribbean hotel owned by her in-laws, where she’s been spotted jumping into the sea and soaking up the sun in a flattering red bikini.
Some experts have blamed sun damage for her leathery-looking skin.
Left: Cheryl on holiday at the Costa del Sol with ex Ashley Cole. Right: Pippa, meanwhile, seems to have grown rather too fond of days in the sun at Eden Rock, the Caribbean hotel owned by her in-laws
Christie Brinkley and Donatella Versace, aged 63 and 64
At 63, blonde bombshell Christie is actually 15 months older than mahogany-hued fashion designer Donatella, but she looks a good few decades younger.
In a photograph posted online recently, Christie — covered up in a long-sleeved jumper — showed off her sensible approach to spending time on the beach.
Consequently, her youthful look is a world away from crepe-skinned Donatella, who, despite large amounts of Botox, has a leathery, orange complexion left wrinkled and puckered from years of sun-worshipping.
At 63, blonde bombshell Christie is actually 15 months older than mahogany-hued fashion designer Donatella (right), but she looks a good few decades younger
Left: Blonde bombshell Christie. Right: Crepe-skinned Donatella, who, despite large amounts of Botox, has a leathery, orange complexion
Kate Beckinsale and Kate Moss, aged 44
Model Kate Moss (right) is paying for decades of debauchery with her complexion, which has the uneven pigmentation and sallow, grey tones of a sun-worshipper (and smoker).
Actress Kate Beckinsale (left) may be the same age as Kate Moss, but her skin looks wrinkle-free
Even now in her 40s, she’s regularly spotted soaking up the sun aboard the yachts of wealthy pals.
Actress Kate Beckinsale (left) may be the same age, but her skin looks wrinkle-free, with the lustrous elasticity and rosy sheen of a 30-year-old. She prefers to fake it rather than risk damaging her skin, and swears by daily SPF protection.
Beckinsale prefers to cover up rather than risk damaging her skin, and swears by daily SPF protection