Inconsistencies with magic users' immortality (minor book spoilers)

[Stormrage]

Inconsistencies with magic users' immortality (minor book spoilers)

It might be a mistake on Sapkowski's end, or maybe something I missed:
In the newest book, Season of Storms, it is said Ortolan invented the Alraune decoction, a potion magic users across the world use to stop aging effects (it's unable to reverse them).
In Bloof of Elves, it's mentioned Triss is allergic to potions, and can only use amulets (that's why she couldn't cure herself).
Is this a real inconsistency, or did I miss something?

 

[Frybread]

Maybe channeling the Power only slows the aging process but the alroune decoction stops it completely?

 

[Kallelinski]

I think it is more complicated than drink a potion and you are immortal.

As we have learned by Geralt, sorcerers can change their appearance to whatever they want. A male sorcerer usually takes the appearance of a 35-45-ish old man, while sorceresses tend to appear like 20-25, but that doesn't necessary mean that their body is actually one of a 20 years old.

They can fix imperfections like a cleft lip, pox and so on, changing their appearance, but it's impossible to actually change the physical body like repairing an uterus to get children again.

End of the book saga spoiler:

Spoiler

When Yennefer was trying to save/heal Geralt, after he was stabbed by a pitchfork, she appeared like a very old woman, her appearance magic "went out", because she was concentrating her whole magic power to save him.

Sorcerers are by that immortal, because they can fix not so complicated damages to their body, but there are also limitations, like regenerating new eyes.

That potion might be the reason why and how they can do that, your own body can easily repair broken bones or fix cuts, that potion is just much better at it

But your concern about Triss seems to be right, because that would mean she can't use the potion and can't benefit from its effect. So it's possible that she can't be immortal like the others, as her body would react negatively to it.
But she still appears to be much younger than she is, in Witcher 3 she must be at least 50 years old, yet she looks like 25, but that's just her appearance.

Remember that assistent of Vilgefortz? Forget her name right now, but she was cursed and couldn't changed her physical body because of that, yet she had an illusion to appear normal. Only few could actually detect that illusion.

 

[Frybread]

I think we'll never know exactly how this works until Sapkowski writes more books or says something definitive in an interview.