I’ll be the first to admit that getting older sucks, but there are some great ways you can look and feel younger than your age, without botox or plastic surgery. The now aging Baby Boomer generation is obsessed with looking youthful (thanks to media hype). Why do you think Plastic Surgery is such a thriving industry? But think about it, do you really want to look like Joan Rivers, who underwent so many plastic surgeries that she looks like she’s been in a boxing ring and lost? She can hardly smile anymore! There are so many plastic surgery nightmares out there that have ruined women’s lives instead of making them better. How would you like to have breasts like Pamela Anderson’s at 80? Alas, that is a scary thought! What about all those grandmothers with tattoos and piercings? Generations before us knew how to age gracefully (without the help of Botox or facelifts), we were able to learn a lot from them.
Let’s see what happens to our skin and hair as we age: The effects of sun exposure, smoking, diet, and heredity become apparent on our skin as we age. Stress, gravity and obesity also affect the appearance of the skin. And as we age, our skin doesn’t make new cells as fast as it used to. The skin gradually becomes less elastic and prone to dryness. Something similar happens with the cells that give color to our hair. The hair pigment cells become less efficient at renewing themselves, which makes our hair gray.
Here are some great tips on how to take care of your skin, to help you look and feel 10 years younger:
Keep out of direct sunlight when the sun’s rays are strongest (between 10 am and 4 pm). If you must be outside, wear a hat and sunscreen or an anti-aging moisturizer with SPF 15 and UVB and UVA protection. Skin damage from excessive or unprotected sun exposure leads to wrinkles and uneven skin tone, and the worst case scenario is skin cancer.
Eat well and stay hydrated.Good nutrition helps the body repair the skin. Drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated from the inside out.
Use anti-aging products. For women over 50, anti-aging creams and lotions can enhance natural beauty by rejuvenating the skin. Look for products with pentapeptides that help skin cells produce more collagen, which is the support structure that gives skin a firmer appearance.
If you smoke, stop. Research shows that smoking prematurely ages the skin.
Quotes on aging from some famous and wise men:
“Age wrinkles the body. Quitting smoking wrinkles the soul” -Douglas MacArthur
“And in the end, it’s not the years of your life that count. It’s the life of your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
Here are 10 of my personal tips for aging gracefully, sort of:
Stress less, smoke less, eat less, complain less, criticize less, smile more, laugh more, exercise more, play more, love more.