Now, some of us – over 40 – are paying dearly with skin that’s turning to leather before our very eyes. What can be done, if anything, to get back some of that youthful glow and elasticity?

We need to know that there are two types of aging that affects our skin – intrinsic (genes) and extrinsic (external reasons, such as exposure to the sun’s rays). While some deterioration of the skin goes along with the aging process, there are ways we can lessen its effects. These include:

• Minimizing repetitive facial expressions – Frowning, smiling or raising your brows repeatedly can cause those deep furrows around your eyes and mouth and across your forehead.

• Sleeping positions – Do you sleep with your face pressed into the pillow or with the side of your face resting on the pillow? If you do, chances are you’ll eventually discover “sleep lines” across your chin and cheeks. Try to sleep on your back to minimize this type of wrinkle.
• If you smoke – quit – Smoking can cause unsightly lines and wrinkles, not to mention a yellowish, leathery texture to your skin. When you quit smoking the lines and unhealthy coloring and texture will immediately begin to disappear.
• Wear sunscreen – Sunscreen should be worn daily and become part of your overall skin protection regime. Be sure you choose a broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) protector and at least 15 or higher SPF.

While you can’t really do anything about the intrinsic (genetic) factors that contribute to aging skin, you can opt for a medical treatment such as dermabrasion, chemical peeling, botulinum or injectable fillers.

Newer treatments such as radiofrequency are taking the place of more invasive procedures like a complete facelift.

See a licensed dermatologist if you suffer anxiety over aging skin or just want to look and feel younger. There are newer and better treatment options becoming available all the time, and your dermatologist should be able to suggest a treatment for you and your type of skin.

Don’t believe the hype. All you’ll get for your money and time is the possibility of developing a real health problem.

But while there isn’t a single remedy to reverse the effects of aging, there are ways to help keep the aging process at bay and improve your health and lifestyle. If you’re hoping to turn back the clock, talk to your doctor and do some research yourself before taking a pill or drug that’s said to be a sure-fire way to regain your youth.

The Evidence is In On Anti-Aging Therapies

While there’s no tried and true method of warding off the aging process, there are proven therapies that can preserve your general health and extend your life expectancy. Below are some therapies that you may want to check out:

• Hormone Therapy – Hormones are natural chemicals produced in your body. As you age, hormonal levels decline and the aging process becomes more pronounced. Restoring those levels with therapies such as DHEA and HGH (Human Growth Hormone) may slow aging, boost immunity and improve cognition capability. But hormone therapy can come with its own set of problems, such as liver damage. Check with your doctor before you begin any type of hormone therapy.

• Antioxidants – “Free radicals” (the substance your body produces as it process the food you eat) can be one cause of aging and diseases. Antioxidants such as the vitamins and minerals contained in the food you eat can neutralize these free radicals and prevent diseases like diabetes and heart disease. If you aren’t eating a balanced diet, you might benefit from vitamin supplements such as Vitamin B6, C, E and A.
• Restrict Your Caloric Intake – Recent studies have found that reducing the number of calories in your diet can help you live a longer, healthier life. But you must be sure that you’re getting enough nutrients such as those found in fruits and vegetables.

There are many factors involved in the aging process – and what may be effective for one, might not be healthy for another. Be sure and talk to your doctor before you begin any type of therapeutic remedy.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do for yourself to increase longevity and live a happier, healthier life is to learn how to develop and keep a positive mental attitude.

The process of developing an attitude that will help you later in life should be nurtured during the younger years. How you learn skills when you’re young to help cope with adversities and strategies through life will become all important when you reach a time that requires those skills.

We now know how important it is to our mental health to figure out a mission for our lives. Then, as you go through the stages and hurdles of life, you can reassess that mission and reconfigure it for where you currently are on life’s path.

Living a full, rich life should be a goal that you not only strive for, but work toward by doing everything possible to make sure you’re healthy, both in body and mind to withstand the ravages of time.

The Most Important Tools to Keep a Positive Attitude

Scientific research indicates that “retirement” as our ancestors viewed it really isn’t a good thing for us to keep a positive mental attitude about life. Below are some helpful tools for you to live by if living a full, rich life is of concern to you.

• Keep Busy – A rocking chair isn’t the way to achieve “Fountain of Youth” effects during the aging process. We now know that keeping active, both in body and mind is the best way to live a long and productive life.

• Write Your Own Road Map – Baby boomers entering their 60s never expected to age, so they’re now looking for ways to keep their youth – but most are trying to retain their youth with cosmetic surgery, pills or surrounding themselves with youthful “things” such as a bright red sports car. Writing your own road map for the rest of your life is empowering and can also help to build your mental aptitude just as you would build your muscles through exercise.
• Cultivate Healthy Relationships – The relationships you cultivate with family and friends can make the difference in how you view the rest of your life. Taking trips and learning new things are all better done with someone you care about than alone.

Take the necessary steps to develop a positive mental attitude that will help you through the aging process gently and optimistically.

Men and women are frantically searching for “Fountain of Youth” remedies to make them look as young as they can. Unfortunately, many are choosing medical treatments rather than searching for more healthy alternatives.

There are some things you can do to look younger besides opting for injections of Botox or invasive surgeries like liposuction and facelifts. Take a look below at some of the “gentler” ways to seem younger than you really are:

1. Dress Your Age – Almost nothing makes you look older than you are than attempting to dress in the same style of clothing that your daughter or granddaughter wears. Dress your age and appear younger than you are.

2. Sleep Your Way to Youth – Your best sleep happens during what is called the “rejuvenation hours.” Your face won’t reveal as many lines and your eyes won’t be as puffy. If you’re in a habit of waking up at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning, try meditation or take the natural herb, melatonin before turning in for the night.
3. Your Diet Can Make You Younger — Obesity can become a problem as you grow older because of a slower metabolism. Keep your weight on track, make your skin glow and your blood healthy by eating foods with beneficial properties.
4. Exercise Regularly – Nothing benefits your overall health like having an exercise regime that you enjoy and perform on a regular basis. No matter what exercise you choose, getting your body moving can drop the years from your body and mind.
5. Use Makeup Sparingly – You’ll appear to be much younger than you really are if you use makeup more to enhance your natural assets rather than attempting to cover up the flaws. Get a professional makeup artist to show you how to apply your makeup in the best and most flattering way.
6. Choose the Proper Hairstyle – Are you still wearing the same style you had in the 70s – or is your hair dull or gray? Do yourself a favor and visit a professional hairstylist and let him or her design a style that fits your face and coloring.
7. Break Those Bad Habits – If you smoke or drink too much alcohol, cut down or quit if possible. Too much alcohol will dry out your skin and smoking will rapidly age your entire body.

In your quest to look and feel younger, don’t forget your “attitude.” Do what you can to keep yourself upbeat and positive – and for goodness sake, don’t forget to smile!

Studies have shown that nothing works better to attain anti-aging effects than a regular exercise program. ‘Regular’ is the key word – unless your exercise program is consistent, the process won’t have the same effect.

There are certain types of exercises that will help you stay active, live a longer and happier life and stay mentally alert. How often and how strenuous you make your exercise program depends on your personal needs, both physical and your daily lifestyle.

The Best Exercises to Reap Anti-Aging Results

There are three definitive types of exercises that are best suited for an anti-aging regime:

• Flexibility – The most important exercises to beat the aging process. It increases blood circulation and releases serotonin, which is a chemical produced by the brain and is necessary for overall health and well-being. Flexibility exercises are also safe and easy to perform.

• Strength Building – These exercises will help build sturdiness and sustain bone mass. Your chances of having a debilitating injury are lessened as you build your muscle strength. Exercises to improve the muscles in your shoulders, back and legs will also help with hormone production.
• Cardiovascular – Designed to keep your heart healthy, aerobic exercises also help fight depression and keep your weight down. Running, brisk walking and any other exercise that will increase your heart rate for a sustained period of time release brain chemicals that produce hormones.

Research has shown that there’s no particular time of the day when exercising is best, however accidents seem to happen more often in morning hours – muscles and joints seem to be less flexible at that time.

Preferably, exercise when you aren’t too tired, but when you’ve been up and about for awhile. Mid afternoon seems to be a good time for most people to perform exercises without too much fear of injury.

You don’t need a home gym or an expensive membership in a neighborhood gym. One piece of equipment that you know you’ll use on a regular basis is the best investment is one that you know you’ll use on a regular basis.

Restylane

This is a gel that is injected in strategic areas to reduce wrinkles and plump up your skin. It is made from nonanimal hyaluronic acid mixed with water and actually replaces the hyaluronic acid that you naturally have, but which is reduced by aging. It is typically used on the frown line, smile lines, lips, chin and cheeks and can even be injected in the décolletage and hands. It lasts 6 to 12 months and then you must have the treatment repeated.

Botox

Botox isn’t actually a new treatment - it’s been around quite some time. This is a protein that relaxes the muscle and is typically used in between the brow to reduce the frown lines. Like Restylane, it is injected under the skin with a needle. Botox only lasts about 4 months.

Hylaform

Hylaform is used around the mouth. It is recommended for the nasal labial folds (the wrinkles that run from your nose to the side of your mouth), to treat feather lip lines and to plump up your lips which can get thinner as you age. It’s made from hylaronic acid
And is a rather mild treatment.

Thread Lift

The thread lift is kind of like a face lift without the cutting. Strings are attached under the skin and then are “stretched” to pull the skin taught much like is done in a face lift. The strings actually stay in there and if your skin starts to sag again, you can actually have them tightened up!

There are also many surface repair treatments that don’t involve needles. Glycolic peels and Retin-A work on smoothing out fine lines and giving the skin a healthy glow and are simply applied topically. Laser resurfacing and microdermabrasion involve a little more effort in the doctors office but can give the skin a fresh new look without cutting or needles.

Deciding which anti aging treatments are for your is a personal decision, but one that should be made along with your dermatologist who will be able to objectively look at your skin and recommend the treatment that will be best.

1. Stop Smoking. Need I say more? Not only is smoking a major contributor to cancer, heart disease and a host of other illnesses it will age you like nothing else. Smoking causes excess wrinkles, a graying pallor to your skin and it makes you smell bad!

2. Treasure Your Sleep. Sleeping rejuvenates your body and when you get enough of it, you’ll wake feeling refreshed and energized which, in itself, will make you appear more youthful. You’ll also have a nice glow to your skin and no puffy bags under your eyes. But how much is enough? There is no “one size fits all” amount - you’ll have to figure out how much is right for you but generally around 7 or 8 hours is what most people find works. It is important to get deep uninterrupted sleep as the deeper sleep is what really rejuvenates you.

3. Eat Your Fruits And Veggies. Fruits and vegetables have powerful antioxidants that can actually help slow the aging process. The fiber will help keep you “regular” and the added water content will help keep your skin looking luminous. Plus all the vitamins and minerals will help keep your immune system strong allowing you to fight off disease and have a healthier life.

4. Take Care Of Your Hair. Eating right will help your hair keep it’s shine and good looks but if you have a good hair style, this can literally take years off your appearance. This is especially true for women but men should try to go with a trendy - age appropriate cut as well. Contrary to what you might think, keeping your hair long as you get older does not make you look younger. It actually can add years to your appearance! Go for a stylish haircut that compliments the shape of your face and don’t be afraid to add some highlights to mask out those grays!

5. Sit Up Straight. Good posture can make you appear more youthful while bad posture will make you look older. In fact, if you practice good posture it could help you look 10 years younger and 10 pounds lighter! When you have good posture you appear confident and happy plus it helps to reduce muscle strain and back problems.

6. Get Enough Exercise. Getting enough exercise doesn’t have to mean grueling aerobic workouts every day. You want to incorporate some aerobic activity - walking, swimming, tennis etc… as well as strength training and stretching. Yoga and Pilates are great exercises to keep those muscles stretched and toned which is very important as you age. Exercising will give you a energetic youthful appearance, help keep your weight off and will also help you keep your muscle tone as well as good balance as you age. This is critical as you get into your golden years since one of the main problems that happens to the elderly is falling which is mainly due to bad balance.

7. Take Care Of Your Teeth. Good dental hygiene is important not only for your health but for your looks too. Many people don’t realize that problems with your gums and teeth can actually have adverse affects on other organs in your body so it’s critical to go to those dental visits every 6 months and have the recommended work to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Have nice straight, white teeth can do a lot to improve your youthful appearance.

8. Keep Your Weight Down. Excess pounds adds years to your appearance and also is a contributor to many health problems including diabetes, heart disease and cancer so why no keep your weight down as you age? It does take a little bit of work, but you’ll feel and look so much better!

One thing you can do to keep your face young looking is to live a healthy lifestyle. Smoking, eating the wrong foods and stress can all add up to lines on your face. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables as the antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties of both will help keep down the wrinkles. Plus they will help with your overall health and keep you feeling great which is sure to put a smile on your face.

It’s well known that the rays of the sun are a major contributor to facial aging, in fact about 90% of your wrinkles come from sun damage. In addition to the wrinkles, sun damage can cause hyper pigmentation or dark spots on your face which make you look older. Try to use a sun block at all times, even if you won’t be directly laying in the sun.

Water is a key element in every cell in our body and drinking enough of it can help slow down facial aging. Getting enough plain water will help keep your skin hydrated and plumper looking as well as aid in the cellular processes of your body. But how much is enough? Experts say to get between 4 and 8 - 8 ounce glasses a day. Everyone is different so you’ll have to experiment to see what level you feel comfortable with, the key is to start drinking more of it if you aren’t already.

Free radicals are created by our body during it’s normal process, but unfortunately they are a major contributor to aging and disease. You can fight them off, however, with antioxidants like those found in fruits and vegetables. You can even apply fruit juices and other things that are high in antioxidants (like green tea, for example) directly to your skin. Take a supplement for added insurance just in case your daily diet isn’t giving you enough.

Getting enough sleep, as well as the position you sleep in is also important for a youthful looking face. Believe it or not, sleeping on your back can ease tension on your face and, thus, help to prevent wrinkles. Sleeping on your stomach or side, on the other hand, can cause creases and stretching of the skin that, over time can turn into permanent wrinkles. Getting enough sleep is important so that your body has time to cleanse and refresh which will make all your organs healthier, even your skin.

If you want to take even more drastic steps to fight facial aging, you might consider things like Botox and topical applications such as Retin-A as well as laser therapy or microdermabrasion. All these things, along with a good skin care routine can go a long way to keeping your face looking youthful.

The less invasive of these treatments are surface treatments. That means they are applied topically, so they are usually in the form of creams or gels. Although you do need a dermatologist prescription to get them, you can apply them yourself at home. There are no needles involved and they don’t hurt. What could be easier than that?

One of the most popular of these is Retin-A. This has been used by dermatologists or decades and has good results on fading wrinkles and clearing up blotchy areas caused by damage from the sun. It is also quite commonly used on teenagers to reduce acne. This is a cream that is applied in a small bad on your face before you go to bed. Typical treatments include applying it every night for some extended period - 8 months or a year and then using it only a couple of times a week thereafter. You might experience itching, dryness, or stinging at first but this usually goes away after you have used the product for a while.

Glycolic acid treatments have also been in use for some time to help rejuvenate the skin. This exfoliates the skin, removing the dead outer layer and revealing the fresh layers underneath. For this reason, you must be careful about getting sun exposure if you are using glycolic acid as your skin will be extra sensitive.

Like Retin-A, glycolic acid treatments are applied topically typically before you go to bed. There are different “strengths” of glycolic acid and your dermatologist will likely start you off on a mild dose and you can work your way up.

Both of these treatments are effective, but don’t expect them to work overnight. They will take months to improve your skin, although you may see your overall appearance improving in as little as 4 weeks.

If you want something that improves the look of your skin overnight, you’ll need to turn to some more drastic anti aging skin treatments.

For more immediate results, you can go to your dermatologists office and have something called microdermabrasion. This actually involves a machines that will exfoliate your skin through gentle abrasion and suction. It’s painless, takes about 30 minutes and lets you go back to your normal routine right after. Microdermabrasion can help reduce fine lines, get rid of hyper pigmentation, blemishes and stretch marks as well as leave your skin with a health glow.

Laser skin resurfacing is another option, but to explore it in depth is a topic for another article. There are actually different types of laser resurfacing some that improve your complexion by vaporizing blemishes and some that actually help to stimulate collagen and elastin production (two of the elements that keep your skin looking young). The thing about laser skin resurfacing is that it is quite expensive - and it hurts! Plus you will need a few recovery days as your skin will look unsightly after the treatment.

These Anti Aging Skin Treatments can help you shave off years without having to undergo anything invasive like needles or surgery and can be a wise addition to your skin care regimen and to help you age gracefully.