How do you hold back time?

The fear of ageing is gripping women early - women as young as 20 are starting to use anti-ageing products. The average British woman spends £75 a year on supplements and skin creams that promise to hold back the years, but do they work? We spoke to two 45-year-old women: one has spent £2,600 a year for the past 10 years on beauty treatments and creams; the other spends only £45 a year.

Pauline Bowler is an optometrist. She lives in Brentwood in Essex and is married with three children. She spends £2,634 a year on regular Botox injections, facials and top-of-the-range skin creams.

"Since I was 30, I must have spent £35,000 on keeping my skin young. I've been paranoid about my skin since I reached my thirties, wanting to keep it looking young for as long as possible.

"As a teenager, I wasn't that concerned, and sunbathed using olive oil, which could have been a disaster. When I found that this was a very bad idea indeed, I decided to start using skincare products in a bid to stave off the wrinkles before it was too late.

"I was quite a Clarins fan throughout my twenties, but when I was 30 I met my husband Patrick - a doctor who specialises in cosmetic procedures - he soon put me right as to what I should be doing and recommended a dedicated anti-ageing range called MD Formulations.

These products are stronger than over-the-counter creams; some contain alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) which have a gentle peeling effect and some contain hyaluronic acid which helps plump up the skin.

"My everyday routine is to wash with a glycolic cleanser to clean out the pores thoroughly (three a year at £23.50: total £70.50), Facial Treatment Cream to refine, even out and plump up the skin (three a year at £42 each: total £126), then finally moisturise with an SPF30 cream which I use in summer and winter (three a year at £15: total £45).

"I think Patrick's advice and the sight of Brigitte Bardot looking so old and wrinkly from sunbathing really got me going - I just didn't want to end up looking like her. From then on, my skincare regime became quite hard-core and has stayed like that ever since I was 30 with some additions along the way.

"Since turning 40, I've been having Botox every four months to smooth out the lines around my eyes and the frown lines between my eyebrows. That helps a lot as you get older, believe me (three Botox sessions a year at £200 a time: total £600). I've also had Cellabrasion, a form of microdermabrasion using salt crystals once this year and will definitely be doing so again (total £50).

"My night routine is to wash again with the cleanser, use an antioxidant serum, an intensive eye treatment and a moisturiser over the top (12 Vit-A-Plus Night Recovery a year at £40 each: total £480; 12 Vit-A-Plus eye cream a year at £45: £540; moisturiser: as before). This may sound long-winded, but it takes a mere five minutes.

Twice a week, I also use a fantastic face mask (three Vit-A-Plus firming treatment masks at £23.50: total £70.50) after cleansing to refine the skin. Every month I have a glycolic peel facial in a clinic (12 facials a year at £50 each: total £600).

"I also take oil of evening primrose supplements (two large jars of capsules a year at £26 each: total £52) which I'm sure helps the skin look youthful.

"Most people don't believe my age. My friend's son thought I was 30 but, on the whole, the general opinion is that I'm in my mid-thirties. I do think I'm ageing well, but I would say that my skin stays that way because I lavish the right products and treatments on it."

Anne Macalpine-Leny is a homeopath. She is married with two children and lives in west London. She uses an inexpensive cleanser, hot flannel and rose oil on her skin. Her annual spend on her beauty regime is £45.

"I have always followed my grandmother's advice: simple is best. She told me not to go in the sun - in her day, being tanned was the sign of being a 'worker' - and advised me not to use soap as it was 'drying'. She said: 'Put fat on your face, keep it oiled.' She also suggested an occasional 'salt scrub' of olive oil and sea salt, straight from the kitchen, which I still make if I feel like a treat. There's no need for all these fancy £50 'spa' jars.

"As time is of the essence for me, and I have sensitive skin, I follow grandma's advice by using an inexpensive tissue-off cleanser. I just choose anything that I fancy in Boots (three a year at £5 each: total £15). Then I use a hot flannel to get the blood circulating, following this with a cold water rinse to close the pores and make the skin tingle. This makes it really come alive.

"My extravagance is a simple rose oil which I make myself. It hydrates the skin, soothes any sensitivity and smells gorgeous. I use a few drops of rose absolute - the strongest essential oil, available from aromatherapists such as Neal's Yard and mix it with cheap and cheerful sweet almond oil from the chemist (£30 for a year's supply).

"I have been following this very basic routine since my twenties. It's good for day and night - there's no point in adding anything else.

"Being a homeopath, I believe that beautiful skin comes from within and find that doing yoga every day helps me de-stress and brings the blood rushing to my face. If I get home from work feeling tense and I'm looking a little pale, I simply do some yoga poses which make my skin look fresher and radiant before I go out for the evening - no need to start messing about with toners or anything like that.

"A friend suggested I have a go at Botox, she even gave me the phone number of her cosmetic surgeon, saying I'd love it. But I knew that I would never consider anything like that. Once you start, you can't stop - it's an endless cycle. Anyway-I intend to grow old gracefully and - more importantly - naturally.

"I do think that my lips have lost some plumpness but I wouldn't try to get them filled with collagen. Again, I follow granny's advice and 'put some fat on them' - just a simple lip balm does the trick, they look fuller immediately.

"People are always telling me I have lovely, clear skin and ask me what my secret is. I do think my skin looks good for a 45-year-old. I've seen plenty of people my age who have all kinds of complicated high-tech routines and skin that is not so great.

"I don't think that putting a load of junk and chemicals on the skin helps anything. If one's skin was going to age well naturally, it would age just as well with a consistent regime of very basic products which will do the job. It saves a lot of time and an enormous amount of money, too."