Dermatologist Professor Caitriona Ryan keeps her skincare routine simple, does not fast, runs at weekends and tracks her biometrics with a WHOOP wearable. She is co-founder of ID Formulas, a consultant dermatologist and clinical professor at University College Dublin.
Morning routine and simple skincare
Twice a week her alarm goes off at 5.45am so she can get to the gym for HYROX training, although her five and seven year olds are often her alarm clock. Her routine happens around the things she is doing for the children: breakfast time, packing lunches and getting everyone moving. Once that is under control, she showers, has coffee, takes Advanced ID with breakfast and starts the day.
As a dermatologist, her routine is less elaborate than people expect. In the morning she uses an antioxidant serum and a tinted zinc SPF. If she does not have an event in the evening, she cycles to and from work. It is 10 minutes away, but her patients laugh, as she typically cycles in a dress and brings her four-inch heels in her bag.
Diet, exercise and technology
She has never fasted and does not follow a restrictive diet. Breakfast is oranges, eggs, toast with jam and lots of coffee, after taking Advanced ID. She tries to get plenty of protein and whole foods, but loves food and eating out. When possible, she fits in a couple of five- to eight-kilometre runs at the weekend. Her main goal is maintaining strength and cardiovascular fitness and keeping doing the things she wants to do as she gets older.
She hates the cold and has mild Raynaud's, so cold plunges were never for her. Her slightly unusual indulgence is a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which she has at home. She also has an Eight Sleep bed, which she loves. She is fascinated by new technology, but pragmatic about it, noting that none of it compensates for not exercising, eating badly or getting too little sleep.
Tracking with WHOOP and managing stress
She wears WHOOP continuously, looking most at heart rate variability, recovery and sleep performance. Since taking Advanced ID, her WHOOP age is seven years younger than her original age, her HRV considerably higher and her sleep performance improved. She notes that a wearable cannot prove that one intervention caused every change, but seeing objective biometric changes alongside how she is actually feeling is important to her.
She manages stress and mental fatigue with friends, saying an incredibly close group spending time together resets her faster than almost anything else. Exercise helps too. She tries not to catastrophise or allow a bad day to become the story of the week, and believes optimism, humour and being near those you love are important parts of ageing well.
Evenings and sleep philosophy
Her relationship with screen time is terrible, with her phone and laptop almost always beside her between medicine, media, emails and running businesses. She sees 35 to 40 patients a day and gets home at about 6.30pm. Once there, she wants to see the children, hear about their day and get them to bed at about 8pm.
After that, she is often back on her laptop while eating, because there is work from her businesses that she cannot touch during clinic hours. If she has time, she gets into the hyperbaric chamber. Then it is skincare, usually retinoid and moisturiser, and bed. To her, the biggest factor in consistently good sleep is allowing enough time for it, adding that you cannot optimise six hours into eight, however sophisticated the technology beside your bed is.
She has no interest in chasing immortality. She wants to live for a long time, but more importantly wants to remain strong, sharp, independent, useful and able to enjoy her family and friends for as many of those years as possible. That, to her, is health span.
