What makes someone look young?

[Mejane]

Aside from fashion or figure, how do we know a woman is in her thirties, forties or fifties? What changes about the face that lets us know her age? What if she has lovely skin, white teeth, and a hairstyle that doesn't betray her age? I can still tell, kwim? Why? Is it a change in facial structure? Is it a certain look - wisdom or... ? Even someone who has had surgery and looks great doesn't look like a kid. Cher, for example, looks as good or better than she did in her twenties, but it's obvious she's not twenty. How has your face changed over time?

 

This has been bugging me lately, so thanks for your thoughts. :001_smile:

[TravelingChris]

THere was a website I saw once where they had twins or siblings who looked very different ages but were really close in age. It explained why you thought that X looked older. Some of the biggest reasons were - smoking, bad teeth and being thin. It seems like in young people (under 30 or 35), thinness looks younger but in people over 35, it makes you look older.

[Dobela]

I wasn't able to accurately able to determine age in a woman until I began aging and knew what I looked like at certain stages. And how the women compare to my mother.

[Hoggirl]

If I look at my wedding photo (married almost 22 years) and compare my face now, my cheeks were "higher" and more full. Loss of fat in the cheeks and gravity is what drags down the face the most, I think.

[Catwoman]

Cher, for example, looks as good or better than she did in her twenties, but it's obvious she's not twenty. How has your face changed over time?

 

Well, I thought Cher was quite homely when she was in her 20's and that she looked much better after some "procedures," but I think that she has taken it way too far and now looks like the aging drag queen version of her former self.

 

Too scary for me... :eek:

 

But she seems like a fun person!

 

Cat

[LisaKinVA]

THere was a website I saw once where they had twins or siblings who looked very different ages but were really close in age. It explained why you thought that X looked older. Some of the biggest reasons were - smoking, bad teeth and being thin. It seems like in young people (under 30 or 35), thinness looks younger but in people over 35, it makes you look older.

 

Not enough fat to fill in the wrinkles...lol (just kidding).

 

Genetics plays a big role. My brothers all have a lot more grey hair than I do (a LOT). You don't even notice mine. When we are altogether, people assume (because of my lack of grey) that I'm the youngest). When I was younger (graduated from college, I went to church with my parents and kid brother... I was asked what "grade" I was in). Most women my age have lines in their foreheads... and starting to creep in around their eyes and lips... I don't.

 

Darker hair (that seems too dark). My mom looks older if she colors her hair her "natural" color. But, if she colors it a shade lighter, she looks younger.

 

Certain facial features (dh has a "baby face"... in one job, they asked him to wear glasses to help him look more "mature." He has 20/20 vision).

 

Fair people who have spent a lot of time in the sun, or in arid climates tend to have much drier skin and will look "older" faster. I guess humidity is good for something...(my dad looks much younger than his sister... fewer wrinkles, etc. He is often confused for my husband. I may just choose to believe that he looks young, and not that I look old :tongue_smilie: FTR, when I was in high school, he was ALSO confused by FRIENDS of mine that he was our age... one of them told me they thought boy X singing in the choir was really cute. They were mortified when boy X was my FATHER).

 

I look younger when I am thinner... older when I'm heavier.

 

My young children keep people thinking I'm younger than I am.

 

Did I mention when I turned 30, no one believed me. They thought we had just graduated from college (which is why we were directed to the "young married couples class." We were 6 years older than the people leading it.:tongue_smilie:

 

In essense, I would say it depends upon a lot of independent (and sometimes interdependent) reasons. I still don't really like people assuming I'm in my early-to-mid 30's. They expect too much out of my 42-year-old bones and joints:tongue_smilie:

[Rebecca VA]

I think weight gain makes a person look older. Even if they're young, too much poundage can give them a middle-age-spread look.

 

Another thing is energy level. A high-energy person will just seem younger.

[Mejane]

Well, I thought Cher was quite homely when she was in her 20's and that she looked much better after some "procedures," but I think that she has taken it way too far and now looks like the aging drag queen version of her former self.

 

 

 

:D I agree. I was thinking of her still-high cheekbones, wrinkle-free skin, nice teeth, etc., all the things that make someone look young. She still doesn't look young; she looks great "for her age." Even if we didn't know she's in her 60s, we'd know she was at least in her 40s, right? Why?

[Rebecca VA]

Cher (and Madonna, too) have a "stringy" look that's different from normal youthful thinness. I don't know what causes that.

 

Another clue to aging is thinning of the lips. My lips have gotten thinner, and it really bothers me. It's not pretty.

[RoughCollie]

I once knew a woman who was in her mid-40s. She looked like she was 30. Her roommate was a woman who was 32. She looked 45-50.

 

The difference was the sun. The older woman had always been religious about keeping her hands, face and neck covered with sunscreen and shaded. The younger one was always deeply tanned in the summer.

 

The hands and neck show age as fast or faster than the face does. If you wear gloves while cleaning and take care of your hands, they will look younger. I missed that boat -- my hands look like I've been a charwoman all my life -- mostly because of not wearing gloves and from washing my hands a lot (not a lot like OCD). Necks, I think people can't do much about except keep them slathered with sunscreen.

 

I have always made a concerted effort not to frown or raise my eyebrows, which is why I don't have lines across my forehead. The crowsfeet around my eyes are not very deep either, because I make a conscious effort not to squint and I wear sunglasses.

 

I still have 22 pounds to lose, and I wonder what my face will look like then -- will I have wrinkles that fat fills out now? Will I ever resemble the me of my 20s and 30s?

 

Personally, I think it helps to be rich and to have a good plastic surgeon and time and money to lavish on one's personal upkeep. I'm not personally in favor of pain, being cut open, or spending all my time being fussed over, so I would not make a good rich person.

[Elaine]

I once knew a woman who was in her mid-40s. She looked like she was 30. Her roommate was a woman who was 32. She looked 45-50.

 

The difference was the sun. The older woman had always been religious about keeping her hands, face and neck covered with sunscreen and shaded. The younger one was always deeply tanned in the summer.

 

The hands and neck show age as fast or faster than the face does. If you wear gloves while cleaning and take care of your hands, they will look younger. I missed that boat -- my hands look like I've been a charwoman all my life -- mostly because of not wearing gloves and from washing my hands a lot (not a lot like OCD). Necks, I think people can't do much about except keep them slathered with sunscreen.

 

I have always made a concerted effort not to frown or raise my eyebrows, which is why I don't have lines across my forehead. The crowsfeet around my eyes are not very deep either, because I make a conscious effort not to squint and I wear sunglasses.

 

 

 

I never, never put my naked face in the sun. If I am outside I am wearing a hat and Mary Kay sunscreen. I believe it helps a lot. I don't think that my face has changed very much since my 20's, but I am a moisturizing lunatic.:D

 

I echo the weight comments. Some girls that I went to HS with are very heavy now, and I am not and they all look much older than me.

[Ginevra]

Goodness! What happened to my post? It got lost in cyberspace!

 

I have wondered this before, too. I know people who look great; they have beautiful hair, skin, teeth, figure and clothing. But I still would never confuse them with a 20-year-old. Why? Why, if I purchase alcohol, do they know with certainty that I have not seen the underside of 21 in a long, long time? :D

 

Know what I think looks awful? This happens both with celebrities and some people I know IRL. They had a centerfold-like altered body when they were young and then, in their 40's (or older), they are still dressing in little sexy clothes and wearing Pamela Anderson hair. It just makes them look like a 25-years-ago Miss November. :tongue_smilie: I'd rather look attractive "for 39," good, but normal for my age than look like I'm still trying to work the Victoria's Secret model that I clearly could no longer be, KWIM?

 

I agree that sun and smoking are two things that make skin look dreadful. I wear sunglasses ALL the time, so I don't squint outside (also protects your vision). My current debate is whether or not to start using permanent, rather than semi-permanent hair color to cover gray. :confused: I don't have tons of gray, but it just comes back so quickly when I color it with semi-permanent.

[LG Gone Wild]

Smoothness and brightness of skin I think.

 

Also, personality.

 

I looked a lot younger than I am. I get a kick out of telling people I am within spitting distance of 40 (37). I look 27 or thereabouts. Part of it is my skin (don't hate, I am definitely sagging and have age spots) that's pretty good for my age, my wardrobe, my activity level, and my personality (I think that's the clincher). I wear youthful clothes appropriate for my age. AND, I am short.

[HappyGrace]

I think there is a "freshness" to young skin that cannot be duplicated no matter what.

[LG Gone Wild]

Cher (and Madonna, too) have a "stringy" look that's different from normal youthful thinness. I don't know what causes that.

 

Another clue to aging is thinning of the lips. My lips have gotten thinner, and it really bothers me. It's not pretty.

 

Well neither are puffed up lips. Blech! Keep your lips and remain dignified. :001_smile:

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I don't know. I have a "baby face", and even though I'm 41, I still get carded when buying a bottle of wine. I have quite a bit of gray hair, but I color it, so that is not a clue to people of my real age. I'm considering letting it go gray, just so that I'm not treated like a teenager.

 

I am out in the sun all day long in the summer and rarely wear sunscreen, but so far I have a few brown spots that are mistaken for freckles and that is the extent of my sun damage. I use regular old Oil of Olay every day, and have since I was 18, so I guess it really does work.

 

Fortunately, dh looks about 38 (he's 52) so we don't look like a grandpa and a teenager when we're together.

[Stacy in NJ]

Their face and skin. I can tell age by the skin around the eyes and the firmness around the chin and neck. Once we hit 40 that skin starts to sag, thin out, and wrinkle. Folks who spend a good deal of time out of doors in the sun begin to look a bit weather beaten.

[Jenny in GA]

Random thoughts:

 

1) My mother always told me that short ladies were lucky, because they look young longer. (We are both five foot seven)

 

2) I have always thought being overweight makes a person look much older. I have even seen overweight teen girls who could be mistaken for 35.

 

3) Sloppy/unflattering clothes, and/or an unflattering hairstyle can make you look a lot older. This probably means different things to different people.

 

4) I have heard "experts" and articles say that they closest thing to a "fountain of youth" is using sunscreen every day.

 

5) A couple years ago, someone posed this question on another forum. One person responded strongly that having children makes a big difference in how fast you age. She said she went to her high school reunion, and there were identical twin ladies. One had children, the other did not. The twin with children looked about 15 years older than the childless twin!

 

Don't know that that proves anything, but I found it very interesting.

[AuntieM]

I think many things have been accurately noted, just adding the things I notice most - artificial hair and being overweight. I know as I have aged, one of the big differences is that I no longer get good results with at-home products. If I want a great, natural look, I have to go to a pro. Then even if someone goes to a pro, if she's trying to go for a full return to youth look, it often just looks like.... a helmet head.... kwim?

 

As far as being overweight making one look older, I think it's not just the later size, but all its ramifications: clothes that aren't properly tailored, the perception that one lacks energy and/or discipline, associated health issues that affect quality of life, etc.

 

And I agree on the neck. It's a definite giveaway.

[Mejane]

If I look at my wedding photo (married almost 22 years) and compare my face now, my cheeks were "higher" and more full. Loss of fat in the cheeks and gravity is what drags down the face the most, I think.

 

I see this in my photos as well.

 

Cher (and Madonna, too) have a "stringy" look that's different from normal youthful thinness.

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

I have wondered this before, too. I know people who look great; they have beautiful hair, skin, teeth, figure and clothing. But I still would never confuse them with a 20-year-old. Why? Why, if I purchase alcohol, do they know with certainty that I have not seen the underside of 21 in a long, long time?

 

 

 

Glad I'm not the only one wondering. :001_smile:

 

Random thoughts:

 

5) A couple years ago, someone posed this question on another forum. One person responded strongly that having children makes a big difference in how fast you age. She said she went to her high school reunion, and there were identical twin ladies. One had children, the other did not. The twin with children looked about 15 years older than the childless twin!

 

 

 

I can believe this!

 

I also agree that sun ages the skin, and that some people just have a young look (baby-face.) As far as weight, I looked older after losing pregnancy weight; my skin never bounced back. :glare:

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

[mytwomonkeys]

I think there is a "freshness" to young skin that cannot be duplicated no matter what.

 

yep. agreed.

[Impish]

Genetics.

 

Seriously. Wolf and I were talking about this recently, and we agreed that certain heritages are almost impossible to pin point age with. His grandfather, who passed just before he turned 106(!) could have passed for 50. 60 at most.

 

My MIL looks every year of her 80+, and then some.

 

My grandma, 5 yrs younger than my MIL looks about 10-15 yrs younger...and she smokes, drinks, etc.

[redsquirrel]

I love this book:

 

http://tinyurl.com/2u3tuvz

 

It's got the inside scoop.

[rafiki]

.

[OregonNative]

Well, I thought Cher was quite homely when she was in her 20's and that she looked much better after some "procedures," but I think that she has taken it way too far and now looks like the aging drag queen version of her former self.

 

Too scary for me... :eek:

 

But she seems like a fun person!

 

Cat

:iagree::lol::lol:

[Rhonda in TX]

Humidity! :) All the humidity I've endured in the south all these years is good for the skin. That, and sunscreen.

 

Part of it is genetics, too. The women in my family just don't wrinkle much.

[Nicole M]

I once knew a woman who was in her mid-40s. She looked like she was 30. Her roommate was a woman who was 32. She looked 45-50.

 

The difference was the sun. The older woman had always been religious about keeping her hands, face and neck covered with sunscreen and shaded. The younger one was always deeply tanned in the summer.

 

....

 

 

 

This is a big factor. I graduated from high school in Hawaii, and I recently saw some pictures from my 25 year high school reunion, which I was not able to attend. I've lived in the rainy, dark Pacific Northwest for these last several decades and haven't had a tan in all those years. I tell you, I was shocked! Shocked at my classmates' faces, the women who never left the islands. I didn't even recognize them at first. Then it dawned on me. They are fit and healthy, but their faces look leathery, like caricatures of their younger selves. It was really awful.

 

I think weight in younger women can age them, and not enough weight can make slightly older women look gaunt. But I also think genes do play a big role.

[Garga]

It's some very subtle things.

 

Yellow teeth.

Sun spots.

Fine lines around the mouth and eyes.

Grey hair (even if it's just a few strands), or obviously dyed dark hair.

Matte hair (not shiny or glossy).

Wiggly skin (neck, arms).

Eyes sunk down just a tad--I've just noticed that my eyes don't open quite as wide on their own. It's like the upper lid is starting to droop a teeny bit.

Mouth that points down when you're expressionless. When I was younger and made no expression, my mouth naturally pointed up a little, as if I was almost smiling. Now it points down a little, as if I'm almost frowning.

Rough hands.

 

 

I'm turning 38 tomorrow. Many people, at first glance, tend to think I'm not yet 30, so in general I look younger than I am. But I have a lot of the things I've listed above. So, if you look at me carefully and thoughtfully you can tell that I'm closer to 40 than to 30. But, it's subtle stuff. (And I use crest white strips about once a year to keep the teeth white. Yellow teeth are a dead giveaway to age and I find them very unattractive.)

[Woodland_Mom]

:iagree:

I think weight gain makes a person look older. Even if they're young, too much poundage can give them a middle-age-spread look.

 

Another thing is energy level. A high-energy person will just seem younger.

 

A minister at our church recently lost about 100 lbs. (over a year or so). He looks MUCH younger. He seems like he has more energy, too. I'm sure he does because he says he's living a healthier life.

[Mothersweets]

I think you have to see this! Lifestyle choices at Christmas

 

Amazing, isn't it? I think it is the sun that made the difference.

Edited December 30, 2010 by Mothersweets

[Audrey]

Aside from fashion or figure, how do we know a woman is in her thirties, forties or fifties? What changes about the face that lets us know her age? What if she has lovely skin, white teeth, and a hairstyle that doesn't betray her age? I can still tell, kwim? Why? Is it a change in facial structure? Is it a certain look - wisdom or... ? Even someone who has had surgery and looks great doesn't look like a kid. Cher, for example, looks as good or better than she did in her twenties, but it's obvious she's not twenty. How has your face changed over time?

 

This has been bugging me lately, so thanks for your thoughts. :001_smile:

 

 

One big tip off to me is skin. As you age your facial skin loses elasticity. I don't know how to describe it. Even if it isn't actually sagging, there is something to it that is different, and I can tell. I have this extra something under my chin now where it is more delicate skin. It isn't really saggy, but it's.... not taut anymore either. It bothers me, but I'll live. I've lost serious pounds in the last year, though, and that could be a contributing factor.

 

I'm not too bothered by aging. I want to be 95 one day. 99 would be my preference. My grandmother lived to 94. She was so amazing and so stop-in-your-tracks gorgeous. I want to be her and I want to savour every wrinkle as proof of having beaten the snot out of life.

 

On a side note: I did just get a completely different haircut and oh. my. goddess! I do not look like me! I swear I look a good 5 years younger or more. And... it doesn't look like me. My own husband walked in the house and couldn't tell it was me from the back. He even said, "Oh! Wasn't Audrey just home?" And, then I turned around and he couldn't believe it. It was funny.

 

I love my new hair even if I am still really looking 42.

Edited December 30, 2010 by Audrey

[Trish]

Jowls.

[Sputterduck]

I am 30 and I look like I'm 17. People are jaw dropping shocked when I tell them my age. I think it's my facial features. My nose and chin are small and there isn't much that is sharp about my face. Also, my voice is often mistaken for a child's when I answer the phone. I think that plays into peoples' ideas of my age as well.

[Peela]

I watched Its Complicated with Meryl Streep last night (so, so funny- great, meaningful, beautiful movie about getting older). Meryl Streep looks absolutely gorgeous for her 60+ years...but I would still say thats about how old she is. But she has a wonderufl attitude to life.

My MIL also looks 15-20 years younger than her 75 years (and until recently had the much younger boyfriends to prove it).

 

I think its genetics, plus taking care.

DH is overweight- he was always very handsome and slim but when he put on weight and grew a beard, it definitely aged him.

 

I have photos of my in my late twenties with the kids as babies, and I could have been 16. People have told me that fo rmany years and my dad often comments on it when he sees me every few years- that I never seem to age. I see the ageing, though.

 

I have used moisturiser (in this hot dry climate) since I was 18, every day. I never use soap. I have stayed out of the sun for years and dont use sunscreen. A skin doctor told me last year I had the skin of someone 10 years younger, and he reckoned it was because I stayed out of the sun. However, I do go in the sun in the morning and evenings- I am not pasty white and I have a light tan. I am just very careful (I got burnt a lot as a teen and have the type of skin that gets cancers, so I am careful).

 

I eat well, lots of fruit and veg, and I have been a meditator all my adult life, which helps with stress, which is a major ager.

 

I understand that a little weight is ok as you get older, but too much is definitely ageing. Being skinny can be ageing too though. I have seen photos of women in their 40s and 50s before and after they got into some big exercise nad health regmine and often, honestly, I tihnk they looked better before. Softer, more voluptuous. Hard shiny muscles dont do much for me in a woman in her 50s!

 

People who have learned to let go, to forgive, who have a good attitude to life, who smile and laugh a lot and have joy in their lives, usually have a more youthful feel about them, even though they have laughter wrinkles, than those who are weighed down by life, and who have become bitter.

 

I think maturity shows on a face, too. I have often pondered the OPs question also..how is it that we can tell a person's age? I am not sure but there is a certain "feel" to ages, I think. A woman in her 40s can be more self assured and settled in herself than one in her 20s or 30s, and that has a different feel. But when we panic and dont want to let go of our youth (ahem, not me of course) we also stand out. But still we can tell the age. I dont know how really.

[funschooler5]

I heard (on the radio) that the one feature that makes women look younger is full lips...which is why actresses do the botox thing. Of course, it's easy to tell the difference between fake and real (IMO) so it kind of defeats the purpose.

[Soror]

I think it is lots of things, too much tanning gives that leathery skin. Dyed hair hiding the gray. The little wrinkles here and there. I think there are certain genetics at play, certain facial features just make a person look younger, the baby face as it is called.

 

I have been told that I look younger than some people my age. Although, I don't think drastically so- I think about on par with my friends but we all take good care of ourself. In the sun as a matter of life, but no tanning. Good foods, real rested and happy with little stress. I am 31.5 and I found my first gray hair a week ago, haven't seen any other.

 

I know another lady from co-op and her face looks real young, one of those 'baby-faces' but her hair is nearly all gray at 38 so she looks older just because of her hair. But I don't think looking older is necessarily a bad thing. The hair means she won't get mistaken for a 20 year old, but so what.

 

I have often thought that it isn't fair that men seem to look better as they age, more distinguished. However, I think it can be the same with women. I think in ways I look better, a little more polished(still not chic). I have figured out some cuts of clothing and colors flatter me more than others. I am more confident and walk a little straighter and I am happier.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I just want you all to know that I have read this whole thread and, in the very middle of doing so, I excused myself and applied moisturizer.

 

Your good deed for today is now DONE.

[Peela]

I just want you all to know that I have read this whole thread and, in the very middle of doing so, I excused myself and applied moisturizer.

 

Your good deed for today is now DONE.

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[Osmosis Mom]

I totally agree with what has been sentimented already. I have actually been thinking about this topic myself a lot and especially think the dark hair (colored) and extreme thinness are the worst culprits.

 

I keep going back and forth myself about coloring of the hair since the texture changes with the coloring. I am yet again leaning towards letting it go au naturelle which of course would mean my image of being much younger is gone forever...

 

I am saying this as I still get mistaken (with headcover on!!!!) as the new mother and not the mother of the teen girls standing right next to me. I don't wear make up and I do have a youthful attitude, but nonetheless then I am "getting there"....

[Wheres Toto]

When I was in my mid-30's, everyone thought I was in my mid-20's. I had lost quite a bit of weight but still had a few extra pounds, keep my hair in a long simple style, never wear make-up but never tanned much. I do tend to dress young - jeans, t-shirts/hoodies. Now, I'm much more overweight and tired (two young kids will do that to ya), a few more gray hairs/hair looks duller but I still wear my hair long and simple, still never wear make-up. I don't think I look any younger than I am but I still get comments about being awful young to have a 16 year old dd, so I evidently don't look 41.

 

I plan to grow old(er) gracefully. I will be the old lady with the long grey braided hair, I'm just trying to decide if I'm ready to be that now. :D

 

DH is 54 and often gets mistaken for our kids grandfather. His hair is pure white and, when he grows his beard in a little, he looks remarkably like Santa Claus. But, his hair has been white since his 20's and he spends a lot of time outside in the sun (fishing) without sunscreen and it shows in his skin. (ETA: not that he couldn't really be our kids grandfather at his age - they are only 3 and 5 and his younger brother was a grandfather by 34 years old).

[Jen in PA]

I think you have to see this! Lifestyle choices at Christmas

 

Amazing, isn't it? I think it is the sun that made the difference.

 

:lol:

[BamaTanya]

I think my dad aged 10 years the summer he was flat on his back in pain. He had always seemed young before that.

He recovered (mostly), but never looked as young again.

[justamouse]

genes and health. My mom blessed me with the greatest genes. She looks no where near her age-hardly any wrinkles and she doesn't use a lot on her face, either (though she moisturizes every day as do I). And, she was a sun worshiper, to. Not to lie out and bake all day, but always outside doing something with no sunscreen on. She also takes an obscene amount of vitamins a day and is slim.

 

Smokers and sun bakers always look like tanned leather when they get older.

[TravelingChris]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33385839/ns/health-skin_and_beauty/

 

This is not the original photos that I saw but it does show what I meant. I had remembered it incorrectly. Higher weight makes you look older before 40 and younger after 40. Other factors that made a lot of differece-sun, smoking, and stress.

[Soror]

I think my dad aged 10 years the summer he was flat on his back in pain. He had always seemed young before that.

He recovered (mostly), but never looked as young again.

I think physical and emotional stress can do a lot of aging.

 

I didn't notice any aging in myself until after our house burned down. The house burned then 2 days later I had baby #2. It was a really stressful period. Of course I am getting older so I guess it is to be expected.

[lllll]

..

Edited December 29, 2012 by ksva

[Perry]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33385839/ns/health-skin_and_beauty/

 

This is not the original photos that I saw but it does show what I meant. I had remembered it incorrectly. Higher weight makes you look older before 40 and younger after 40. Other factors that made a lot of differece-sun, smoking, and stress.

That was interesting. I wish I would have seen that when I was 20. It's too late now. :crying:

[Mejane]

Genetics... Wolf and I were talking about this recently, and we agreed that certain heritages are almost impossible to pin point age with.

 

 

:iagree:Asians, especially, seem to age beautifully.

 

I think you have to see this! Lifestyle choices at Christmas

 

 

 

Wow!

 

 

I think maturity shows on a face, too. I have often pondered the OPs question also..how is it that we can tell a person's age? I am not sure but there is a certain "feel" to ages, I think.

 

:iagree:

 

I have often thought that it isn't fair that men seem to look better as they age, more distinguished.

 

Yes! :glare:

 

I just want you all to know that I have read this whole thread and, in the very middle of doing so, I excused myself and applied moisturizer.

 

Your good deed for today is now DONE.

 

:D

 

I think my dad aged 10 years the summer he was flat on his back in pain. He had always seemed young before that.

He recovered (mostly), but never looked as young again.

 

:iagree:Stress and pain sure age us. I aged considerably in the five years I nursed my dying mother and father.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33385839/ns/health-skin_and_beauty/

 

 

 

The picture of the sun damage is startling!

 

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts/experience. This has been an interesting discussion. :001_smile:

Edited December 30, 2010 by Mejane

[helena]

I think most reasons for why looking old have been given.

What makes someone look young? A smile! :D

[Negin]

I think its genetics, plus taking care.

I eat well, lots of fruit and veg, and I have been a meditator all my adult life, which helps with stress, which is a major ager.

I understand that a little weight is ok as you get older, but too much is definitely ageing. Being skinny can be ageing too though.

People who have learned to let go, to forgive, who have a good attitude to life, who smile and laugh a lot and have joy in their lives, usually have a more youthful feel about them, even though they have laughter wrinkles, than those who are weighed down by life, and who have become bitter.

I think maturity shows on a face, too. I have often pondered the OPs question also..how is it that we can tell a person's age? I am not sure but there is a certain "feel" to ages, I think. A woman in her 40s can be more self assured and settled in herself than one in her 20s or 30s, and that has a different feel. But when we panic and dont want to let go of our youth (ahem, not me of course) we also stand out.

:iagree:

 

I just want you all to know that I have read this whole thread and, in the very middle of doing so, I excused myself and applied moisturizer.

Your good deed for today is now DONE.

:lol:

 

I have a round face and will always have cheeks. I'll soon be 43. Some say I look younger. I don't know. I think it's just important to be happy, content, and to have a good attitude.

I'm always a little on the plump side (to say the least).

I don't dye my hair and likely never will.

I never wear make up. Just lip balm from time to time.

Diet is key.

Staying out of the sun also. Or at least avoiding the peak hours.

Laughter is essential.

 

• Exercise for half an hour a day

• Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (and low in fat and refined sugar)

Much of beauty is being healthy. No beauty regime will mask poor health forever. Exercising and drinking water are two basics that will serve everyone.

• Spend an hour a day taking part in stress-reducing activities, such as yoga or meditation - I very seldom get to do a whole hour ...

 

Some more tips:

Wear sunscreen and remember to apply it to your hands! You can always tell a woman’s age by looking at her hands. The hands never lie.

Wear a wide-brimmed hat.

 

More tips later ... off to watch "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" with dh. :D :D :D