How to Look 10 Years Younger

Teresa Zawada, Licensed Aesthetician

It’s an era of youth. People are not only looking younger but are feeling younger—and decades seem to now be going in reverse. 50 is the new 40, 40 is the new 30 and communities are now being built for the “active adult.”  With such an increase in liveliness, Baby Boomers are more open to techniques to look on the outside how they feel on the inside.

The truth is some of us are too nonchalant about our skin routines, and after that, we accumulate enough damage on our skin that we will spend endless hours on dwelling on in the mirror in our later years.  Although prevention is the best way to keep yourself looking ten years younger than you actually are, let’s focus on the majority of people who are now looking for a fix later in life. 

The Value of Vitamin A and Sunscreen

Beginning in your 30s, the years of building sand castles without sunscreen, or taking a few trips here and there to the tanning salon “just to get a base tan,” have markedly diminished your skin’s collagen and elastin production.  Fine lines, crow’s feet and lines that linger after your done smiling are more noticeable.  This may be THE tell-tale sign of age.  If you want to address all those concerns at once, use a topical Vitamin A at least three times a week, gradually increasing up to nightly, depending on skin sensitivity and response. Benefits will include: 

·       -  An increase in cell turnover leading to an improvement in skin tone and texture

·        - Plumper skin contributed to the stimulation of collagen and elastin

·        - A reduction of fine lines.  

After a couple months usage, coupled with a sunscreen in the morning, you’ve now eliminated about four years.

Combatting Age Spots

Another tell-tale sign of aging are spots. Freckles are cute when we’re five years old, but not many of us appreciate an uneven sheen of dark areas when we get older. It’s worth it to take a trip to the dermatologist to be prescribed a topical hydroquinone, or a more natural kojic acid (available without a prescription), which can lift and erase areas that have been hyperpigmented over the years.  

If a more aggressive treatment is needed, lasers can be used over the entire face or just in the areas affected.  Lasers would also be beneficial for any unsightly broken blood vessels that are unaffected by topical treatments, or even for a full face refresher, keeping in mind that a potential week recovery is necessary for the skin with many laser treatments.

Pump Up the Volume

Loss of volume is another unfortunate side effect of aging.  Because no topical cream can actually plump the skin like a filler can, talk to your doctor about the fillers Juvéderm® or Restylane® for instant gratification for naso-labial folds, marionette lines and to plump up a thinning lip.  Unlike fillers that add volume, the ever popular BOTOX® cosmetic is a subtle treatment that relaxes the lines between the brows, forehead and Crow’s Feet areas—almost instantly erasing years from your face. 

Beauty Inside and Out

Lastly and very importantly, remember that the skin can reflect internal processes.  A glass of water every morning with a fresh squeezed organic lemon in it will stimulate the body, boost the immune system, help clear skin and give your body (skin included) a dose of healthy Vitamin C.

If you have specific questions about skin care, please post them on Windsor Dermatology’s Facebook page, or call (609) 443-4500 to schedule a consultation.