Wrinkles, Sagging, Jowls and Brown spots, they’re perfectly normal – but are those signs of aging getting you down? Not to worry. If you want to, you can dramatically improve your appearance and buck the skin-aging blues.
The desire to maintain a young, healthy look spurs millions of women – and men – to seek treatments that improve the appearance of their skin. While there’s nothing unhealthy about wrinkles and sags – and many people move serenely through life accepting the way they look – let’s face it: Today’s society sends the message that beauty counts. And looking your best can fortify self-confidence.
So if you’ve thought you have to live with wrinkled, sagging skin, here’s an eyebrow raiser: New cosmetics and medical treatments abound to give skin a younger, healthier look at any age. Together, you and your doctor can decide what’s best for you.
How does your skin age?
Have you ever wondered why some people have great-looking skin in their 40s, while others show signs of aging as early as their 20s?
Your skin ages according to your biological clock, which is preset by your genetic makeup, and your exposure to the sun. Overexposure to the sun’s rays, as well as smoking, stress and pollution, cause your skin to age faster than you do. Your skin loses moisture and collagen, the connective tissue that gives skin its firmness and elasticity.
What’s the result? Wrinkles, fine lines, sagging and age spots as well as an unbalanced distribution of fat.
Basic skin care
Daily use of moisturizers and sunscreens that protect the skin from ultraviolet rays, both UVA and UVB, is one of the most effective means of preventing skin damage, rejuvenating skin and protecting yourself from skin cancer. Choose one with a Sun Protection Facto, (SPF) of at least 15. Start using sunscreen when you’re young.
Anti-wrinkle products
There’s a plethora of over-the-counter products, as well as prescription trentinoin creams, for reducing wrinkles and fine lines. These “cosmeceuticals” typically contain: alpha hydroxy acid, or AHA (glycolic acid, lactic acid); retinoids, (tretinoin, retinoic acid); antioxidants (vitamins A, C, E, beta carotene); or topical growth factors.
AHA creams can be used alone or combined with tretinoin to treat mildly damaged skin. They may improve the texture quality and elasticity of your skin by speeding the removal of dead skin cells and stimulating collagen. Retinoids work best when combined with AHA products. If used over a period of years, they will continue to reverse skin aging. Topical tretinoin must be prescribed by a doctor and rubbed on daily for several months before you notice improvement.
Did you know?
Injections, the latest beauty panacea, should only be performed in a medical office by a qualified doctor. Antioxidants and growth factors may also help reverse environmental damage to skin. With such variety, ask your doctor to recommend a customized skin care routine.
Rejuvenate with resurfacing
Resurfacing treatments remove outer layers of wrinkled skin on your face. Chemical peeling is just what the name implies – a chemical solution applied to the face to peel off surface skin so a smoother, unblemished skin shows. Peels can be light, moderate or deep, depending on the extent of facial damage.
Microdermabrasion gently scrapes away aging skin by blasting fine particles of sand-like crystals against the skin. Laser resurfacing directs a precise, intense beam of laser light over undesired skin tissue, vaporizing it one layer at a time to reveal new, firmer skin underneath.
Injectables
Injections of botulinum toxin smooth forehead wrinkles for up to four months by paralyzing the underlying muscles. The latest beauty panacea, these quick, simple treatments (they take less than 30 minutes) should only be performed in a medical office by a qualified doctor. To elevate wrinkles or pits and enhance thinning lips, the doctor can inject fillers, such as bovine collagen, or fat suctioned from another area of your body.
Cosmetic surgery
Today, women and men are increasingly indulging in cosmetic surgery. Why? In part because techniques, such as face-lifts and liposuction, are now commonly performed as outpatient procedures, with less trauma and faster recoveries. A face-lift can lift years off your appearance. By tightening sagging skin and repositioning fat through hairline incisions, plastic surgeons restore firmness and vitality. Liposuction is an effective way to reshape almost any part of the body by suctioning excess fat through tiny incisions.
But face-lifts and liposuction are still surgery. So in your quest to look firmer and slimmer, do your homework, especially in choosing your surgeon. f you’re considering any treatment… Evaluate your options. What are possible side effects? How long wlll results last? Can you afford the time? Is beauty worth the price? Talk to your doctor to see what’s best for you.
Adult skin flares up, too
Suffering from adult acne or rosacea can be distressing, but treatments are available:
Acne. You might suffer from acne as an adult even if you didn’t as a teen. Acne occurs when a skin pore gets plugged with dead cells and oil. Bacteria grow in the plug, causing inflammation. Causes of adult acne include medications; greasy cosmetics; constant chafing of the skin – by eyeglasses, for example; and changes in hormone levels. See your family physician or a dermatologist to track down causes and select possible treatments, which include over-the-counter preparations and, prescription medications. Laser or light therapies are sometimes used when other treatments fail.
Rosacea. If you notice a persistent redness across your cheeks, nose, chin or forehead, you might have rosacea. The condition usually begins between ages 30 and 50, and it worsens with time and may affect the eyes i not treated. The cause is unknown. Your family physician may recommend a prescription oral antibiotic, followed by an antibiotic gel or cream. It may take up to two months of treatment before your skin improves. Laser or light therapy may help if other treatments don’ t control rosacea.