Dr Linda Shares Her Secrets To Looking Younger

TV psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos seems to have it all, she’s intelligent, looks fabulous, has a great job, a loving husband and daughter and insights into what makes us tick as human beings.

As a psychologist and as a mother Dr Linda is also passionate that young women develop a healthy self-esteem and body image. Her philosophy is that feeling good about yourself, your passions and achievements inevitably leads to looking good and most importantly liking who you see in the mirror.

Here she talks to Belle About Town about why she started her own beauty range, how busy women can increase their confidence and the importance of making time for your partner!

What made you, a psychologist, want to produce a skin care range?
I have been interested in psychodermatology for years and did both my Masters and Doctoral Thesis in this subject and have written many publications on it. My own personal interest in this area however grew from a family story – my own darling cousin Alexia suffered as a child from vitiligo. We were very close as children and I saw first hand how having this condition affected her in terms of her interaction and confidence. And as research has shown that this condition is often brought on by stress, I became interested in how to treat the psycho / social aspects of these conditions.

What are nootropics?
The collection contains a unique blend of ingredients, combining high performance actives and peptides to combat the signs of ageing with pioneering ingredients such as Nootropic cognitive enhancers. Nootropics are naturally derived, smart nutrients that can have positive effects on the mind. Some ingredients containing nootropics are, periwinkle extract (Vinpocetine), Tyrostan (Tyrosine) and Vitacell – thought to have a calming effect on the skin and help regulate mood.

How can they help busy urban women?
They help to break the cycle of stress impacting on skin – they make skin believe you are on holiday even when you are not!

What do you do to minimise stress in your life?
By being organized – I have so many different projects on the go I have to know exactly where I am and be very clear about what I am doing… feeling disorganized makes my stress levels go up.

What do you do to make yourself feel better when you are having a low day?
Very simple things like spending time with my family, reminding myself of my blessings, trying to keep a sense of perspective and talking to my friends who never fail to make me laugh!

What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your life so far?
My biggest challenge has been living so far away from my family – I am a very family oriented person and miss not seeing my parents and close family more often. I do spend a lot of time every summer in Cyprus with my parents and treasure that time.

How do you balance home and work as a working mum?
I try to be clear about my time – is set boundaries to that when work is done, the phone is off. I try never to work at weekends and spend all of this time with my daughter and husband. I take my daughter to school every morning and one night a week we have no TV or electrical games and just play together. It’s the best de-stresser I know!

Your husband also has a very busy job, what do you do to keep your relationship healthy?
Again, as with my daughter, I have clear times to spend with my husband. We are very good friends and he really supports everything I do. We talk all the time – I really believe this is very important. We are true partners, in raising our daughter, in our family life and taking time to be together.

As a psychologist you are suppose to know all the answers, but is there an area in your own life where you don’t actually practice what you preach and struggle with?
Saying no!! I always take on far too much!

What is the best advice you can give busy urban women?
Set some boundaries for time for yourself. It is not self indulgent to take time for your self – self care skills are very important. Take care of yourself, especially if you are responsible for lots of other people. It is important that you feel well spiritually, emotionally and physically.

When you are on TV what do you do to make yourself look, and feel, your best?
A good night’s sleep is CRUCIAL!! If this isn’t possible I swear by my own Untired Eye Cream and always a quick spritz of my Uplifting Facial Water. Oh, and concealer!

How can women increase their confidence whether it be socially, in their looks or at work?
You should value you for you – we spend so much time thinking how skilled, clever, funny, attractive and stylish other people might be… take some time to do the same for yourself. Think of your good points and remind yourself of them! It goes against the British grain a little but it is important to have a healthy sense of entitlement.

What 5 items do you never leave the house without?
Phone, keys, a photograph of my beautiful daughter, my own Uplifting Facial Water and of course money!

LP Skin Therapy is available from Harrods and QVC and www.lpskintherapy.com