I'm an anti-ageing expert. This is what happened when I tried 60-year-old Courteney Cox's incredible routine (and what REALLY works to make her so startlingly youthful)
If we were ever in danger of forgetting just why we adore Courteney Cox, her Instagram post celebrating her 60th birthday was a timely reminder. There’s Courteney in the gym, looking astonishingly youthful, running, lifting weights, doing pull-ups (pull-ups!), and then, ever the comedian, sending herself up by emerging, dressed in a tiny bikini, limbs contorted, from a tiny freezer cabinet. ‘What?’ she deadpans to the camera with perfect comic timing. ‘It’s cryotherapy!’
As anti-ageing regimes go, this looks extreme – and yes, we know she’s joking. But is it worth trying Courteney’s routine? I’m a tweakments expert and over the past 20 years I’ve tried almost all the anti-ageing treatments there are out there. Like Courteney, I’m also an extremely youthful looking sixtysomething - a year older than her at 61. In fact, I’m often taken for a woman in her late forties, so, believe me when I say that I know what really works. Read on for my definitive guide to turning back the clock Courteney Cox-style.
I'm an extremely youthful looking sixtysomething, a year older than Courteney at 61, writes Alice Hart-Davis
ICE ICE BABY
What is it? Spending three minutes in a cryotherapy chamber not your own freezer) chilled to -120 degrees C isn’t much fun, but many sports people find it helps muscle recovery. It can also ease symptoms of joint pain and arthritis. It’s not as popular as cold water immersion or ice baths which, if you ask me, are almost worse to endure, though the endorphin rush that you get afterwards is fantastic.
Courteney emerges from the freezer. Evidence suggests that exposing the body to extreme cold reduces inflammation
Does it work? Evidence suggests that exposing the body to extreme cold reduces inflammation, including the sort of low-level inflammation that accelerates ageing in our organs as well as our skin. And simply put, anti-inflammatory equals anti-ageing.
How much does it cost? Cryotherapy chambers are few and far between – search online for your nearest. You can expect to pay £90 per session at London Cryo in Belgravia (www.londoncryo.com) and £50 per session at AestheticsoftheRoyalLiverBuilding.Co.uk in Liverpool
At-home alternative? A cold shower. Yes, really. Again, it’s not much fun but many health experts swear by it - and you don’t have to do it for long. Cold water bathing expert Wim Hof recommends just one to two minutes a day.
Anti-ageing rating: 3/5
If you have access to an ice bath or cold water bathing and love the effects… go for it.
HATS OFF TO LASERS
What it is? As she climbs out of her freezer, Courteney is holding in one hand a HigherDOSE baseball cap with red LED lights on the inside, said to promote and strengthen hair growth.
Courteney clutches her HigherDOSE baseball cap with red LED lights on the inside
Does it work? LED light, which is so popular for rejuvenating the skin, has also been scientifically proven to stimulate hair follicles and improve hair growth. It’s not something I’ve tried as my hair is fairly dense, and for the light to work, it has to be able to reach the scalp. What I’d choose instead is a Laser Diode hat which uses low-level laser light that penetrates the scalp more effectively than LED light.
How much does it cost? Thrix laser diode cap, £40 a session at santilondon.com. ‘This is about 100 times more effective than LED light,’ says Tariq Karim, founder of the Santi Spa in Kensington. You can buy the cap for home use (below), but Karim advises trying it out for a few sessions first, to see if it works for you.
At home alternative: Thrix laser diode cap, £1,100, santilondon.com (Courteney’s HigherDOSE light hat is not available in the UK.)
Anti-ageing rating: 2/5. LED light caps or helmets may work depending on the quality and intensity of the lights they contain, and whether that light can reach your scalp.
Laser diode caps are far stronger and more likely to give results - even up to a 4/5 on the anti-ageing scale.
FACE MASK FAIL
What is it? Courteney is also pictured wearing a sheet-like face mask. In fact, this is a serum-infused fabric or ‘hydrogel’ mask that you drape over the face and leave on for half an hour to work its magic. I love these for a quick spot of down-time.
Face masks like Courteney's won’t de-age your skin, but, hey, every bit of self-care is a step in the right direction of a fresher complexion
Does it work? For hydrating the skin, absolutely. They won’t de-age your skin, but, hey, every bit of self-care is a step in the right direction of a fresher complexion.
How much does it cost? Take your pick according to your budget, from Garnier Moisture Bomb Sheet masks (£3.49, Boots) to Meder Beauty’s Myo-Fix Mask (£80 for 5) with skin-smoothing peptides to ease away wrinkles.
Anti-ageing rating: Sorry ladies, but you have to face facts – I’d say a measly 1/5.
USE IT OR LOSE IT!
What is it: Exercise! Courteney showed herself not just running on a treadmill but hefting weighty kettlebells and doing full pull-ups too. ‘Look, we have no choice. Just gotta do the best you can,’ she says, generating cries of respect across social media. I work out with weights, too, because I know that exercise, particularly using weights, is one of the best things women over 40 can do to counteract the effects of ageing. Building lean muscle, which is very much still possible in your sixties and over, not only tones your body but burns fat even when you are at rest. If we don’t work at keeping it, we can lose up to five per cent of our muscle mass with each decade, putting us more at risk of osteoporosis, falls and injuries.
Cardio exercise like running or cycling boosts the heart rate and improves heart health, and lifting weights (as Courteney is here) helps to maintain muscle mass
Does it work? You bet. It’s use it or lose it when it comes to fitness. Cardio exercise like running or cycling boosts the heart rate and improves heart health, and lifting weights helps to maintain muscle mass, which dwindles as we age and leads to frailty. Does muscle mass matter that much? Yes it does! Plus, getting your blood pumping helps get your skin glowing, too.
How much does it cost? Any gym will help you get going at an appropriate level. If you want luxury, you could join a fancy club - I used to be a member of a fitness studio that charged up to £300 a month. Equally, you can work out at home for free – two litre bottles of water can easily stand in for two-kilo weights. The important thing is that you actually do it.
Anti-ageing rating: 5/5 It’s never too late to begin with an exercise programme. Start small, enlist a friend as an exercise buddy and you’ll notice a difference in less than six weeks.
Alice Hart-Davis is founder of thetweakmentsguide.com
