What makes someone look young?

[Mabelen]

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.

 

The first person is Gillian McKeith from BBC's You are what you eat. I don't know how much you can believe pictures these days. Have a look at the following link:

 

http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/273/about-the-host.jsp

 

Digging around I found out that the picture in the first link is from day 14 of a TV show shot in the jungle where celebrities have to endure some really horrible things, where she fainted a couple of times and eventually pulled out due to mental stress.

[mothergooseof4]

So many things contribute to aging. I just remarried after being a widow for almost five years. Late dh died unexpectedly when dc were 5, 2, and 9mos. I can tell a difference in my skin in the last 2 years and I really think the lines on my forehead are from stress.

 

 

Yet, during time that late dh was here, I was either PG or nursing and getting little sleep. I also was in a funk and didn't take care of myself. Now, I wear stylish yet age appropriate clothing and wear my hair in a stylish do. So, since I married a much younger man and am concerned about the changes I see in my skin, I have been told that I look younger now than I did 5 years ago. I also meet new dh's friends and they are shocked to find that I am almost 8 years older than he. He says women in their 30s and 40s are more atractice than tose in their 20s. He says we know who we are and have more confidence in ourselves amd that is sexy. I will admit, even though I see changes in my skin, i feel more attractive than ever.

[littleWMN]

My biggest change (other than weight gain, but I was underweight) is sagging eyes. I'm 35. My eyes are very saggy to the point of it bothering me. Otherwise, I'm really not vain.

[AuntieM]

I thought of something else -- good foundations, as my granny would say. I see many mature women whose undergarments are, how shall I say it, unsupportive? Ill fitting? Not padded enough, padded too much, too visible?

 

You get the drift. I see the same thing with younger women, too, but on a 40-50 year old woman, good undergarments really are more necessary, I think. Even with a trim figure, good foundations can sort of work against gravity.

[Negin]

I try to have at least 1/2 of each meal be veggies and/or fruit.

I try (but definitely don't always succeed) to juice veggies and have one juice a day. My parents do this daily.

Consume 5-7 Servings of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables a Day. One of the most conspicuous things about the diets of the five longest-lived populations is that they all include large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. The most important anti-aging aspect of fruits and veggies is their high levels of antioxidants. As well as host of other benefits, antioxidants protect tissues from cross-linking, a process that causes arteries to stiffen and skin to wrinkle. To test your cross-linking, put your hand flat on a table surface. Take a pinch of skin from the back of your hand and pull it upward. If it springs back, your cross-linking damage is minimal. The longer it stays raised, the more cross-linking damage you have. The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live. You could say that one of the commonest causes of aging is a fruit and vegetable deficiency.

Another benefit of fruits and veggies is the high-fiber content. Fiber improves digestion and ensures skin-damaging toxins are flushed from the body.

Try to eat 2 carrots daily. Carrots keep your skin smooth. They’re rich in carotenoids - antioxidants proven to reduce damage caused by UV rays and even protect skin from future sun exposure

Spinach and other dark green leafy veggies slow down the aging process.

Red Peppers are rich in Vitamin C – reduces wrinkling and dryness of

 

Include protein at every meal. Protein provides the essential amino acids that the body uses to repair and regenerate the cells for maintaining skin’s tone and elasticity. The body can’t store protein for future use, so it’s important to consume lean protein at each meal – poultry, eggs, beans, and some dairy products, such as plain yogurt.

 

2 tsp cinnamon daily is loaded w/manganese and helps skin look more radiant and younger

 

Eat plenty of fish, nuts, seeds, and olive oil – these healthy fats are all necessary for radiant, supple skin. I also LOVE Carlson's Fish Oil - has a ton of health benefits and I'm convinced that it helps the skin.

 

Sugar triggers the formation of free radicals, which damage the skin’s supportive collagen strands.

 

Regular exercise, particularly yoga, improves blood circulation to skin, feeds skin cells, and makes the skin glow. Yoga improves skin’s elasticity, strength, and firmness.

 

I get facials about once every 4-6 weeks. They’re much cheaper here, so I'm blessed. I know that if we lived in the U.S., it would be real luxury.

I love Paula's Choice of skin care products.

The most important factor with skin care is daily maintenance. Not that I always do.

Give your neck and décolletage the same treatment as your face.

Change even one thing in your skin care regimen every 6-12 months to jump start more impressive improvements in skin tone and texture. Otherwise your skin goes into a sort of maintenance mode.

 

Wrinkles aren't typically what make a woman look old, but loss of something called "brightness". Cellular build-up and clogged and enlarged pores can make skin look dim and dull. Nothing beats having facials, but if you can't afford them, you can do so at home.

One of the keys to keeping skin young is regular and gentle exfoliation.

I love Exfolia Cloths from amazon

I also love Paula’s Choice BHA Gels. The purpose of these acids is to remove the dead cell layers which cause loss of skin brightness. They contain salicylic acid which helps with pore problems.

Always be more gentle than you think you need to be!

Exfoliating scrubs used twice a week will help with blackheads and increase brightness.

If you use one of the scrubs, the particles should be smooth and feel like sugar in your hand. If they are too big or rough, they can tear skin. Go for a gentle product with a manufactured exfoliant - like micro beads - versus a natural exfoliant like seeds or pits because the rough edges can actually cause little scratches on your skin and cause more damage in the long run than help. This is one time natural is not necessarily better!

Use only your ring finger to massage a manual exfoliant on your face as it has the lightest touch - even though it feels so good to REALLY scrub!

Always be more gentle than you think you need to be! Always err on the side of babying your skin.

Mary Kay Time Wise Microdermabrasion – the entire Mary Kay line is good

Biore strips are great for cleaning pores

I have heard good things about the following, although I haven’t tried any of them yet.

Sephora Microdelivery Peel

Neutrogena’s At Home Microdermabrasion System

Olay Daily Facials Clarity Scrub

pHisoderm pH2O Anytime Nurturing Scrub with Gentle Microbeads

With Clarins' Bright Plus HP Brightening Peel, $42 at Sephora and Sephora.com, you really see immediate results. You put this peel on with a cotton pad and never have to take it off, and it really perks up your skin fast. You can really see it work, too - if you do one side of your face and not the other, you can actually see how much brighter your face looks!

The older we get, the brighter we want our skin to look. We want less age spots, less discoloration and less unevenness, and this peel is a great extra little boost that you can give to your skin every few days.

[Negin]

Believe it or not, eyebrows are really important and can totally change how you look. On top of that, having well-groomed eyebrows makes you look more put-together even if you don't wear make up.

I never wear make up. I have my naturally thick and busy brows waxed once a month. Do what you need to do. If waxing is a splurge, then after professional waxing you can maintain the shape yourself by regular tweezing afterwards.

Charla Krupp says that getting your eyebrows done is like a 15-minute facelift. It can really lift up your face.

Finally, don’t pluck out any gray hairs, since brows thin with age and you might wind up with no brows at all.

 

SLEEP ON BACK IF YOU CAN OR WITH A SILK OR SATIN PILLOWCASE

I’m never able to sleep on my back. I got a satin pillowcase from amazon, which, apparently helps with hair loss and facial creases.

 

I love that Paula’s Choice line of products can be used for the eyes also.

Don't bother with Strivectin. SCAM from all that I have heard.

 

I have not yet used Retinol, but may as I get older. I know that it helps to fade age spots and you can use it on your hands, lower forearms, and even your decolletage. I'm reluctant to use it because of adverse health effects and liver damage. I'd rather have aging on my skin than health problems. ;)

I have read that every woman over 40 should consider Retinol. I may wait until I’m 45 or 50. I’ll see. This from a friend on another board:

Retinol is the only medical proven cream that will stimulate collagen growth. Everything else is smoke and mirrors. There isn't anything on the market that compares. Don't bother with Strivectin. It doesn't work and is ridiculously expensive.

Retinol is the only real proven topical cream that reduces fine lines. Retinol is like taking a whip to an old horse; it goads your skin into making fresh new collagen.

I have not read much good about the OTC retinols, and the studies that show real improvement all are based on prescription strength Retin As. Tretinoin is the generic of Retin A. Retin A can be drying because it comes in a base that is made for teenaged acne not old aging ladies. Renova is Retin A in a less drying base, but the active ingredient is exactly the same as Retin A.

Despite Madison Avenue and heavy marketing, no cream has ever been proven to reverse skin aging except retinol. Retinol is the magic bullet. I know that you need a prescription. I know it isn't cheap. But it works. We women pour billions of dollars into buying creams and potions that don't work, but then we balk at actually paying the money for something that does.

Retinol works if your skin can tolerate it. Some people cannot tolerate it because it is too drying.

If anyone needs specific Retinol tips, since you need to exercise great caution, let me know.

 

I try to brush my teeth after drinking tea or coffee. Both cause stains. Other foods like red wine and berries can cause stains. Genetics can play a role too; some people just have teeth with a yellowish or off-white appearance.

Dingy teeth are aging, and whitening them doesn’t have to be expensive. Charla Krupp says every dentist she’s asked promises you can get the same effect from the drugstore-bought Crest Whitestrips as from costly professional treatments.

 

HOW TO FEEL & LOOK 10 YEARS YOUNGER OVERALL - from the same Retinol friend:

Aerobic exercise 5-6 times a week

Pilates or Yoga 3x/week

Drink lots of water

Eat a Mediterranean Diet

Make friends

Retinol

Take care of your teeth!

Invest time and energy in your personal spiritual/intellectual life

Have good s*x/love and be loved

 

I laugh a lot. I've always been this way. Dh says that this is one of the reasons he married me. He doesn't laugh nearly as much and he says he needs this in his life. I used to get into trouble for this at school and even in college. "The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed." :D

 

I still have not colored my hair and may very well allow myself to go gray naturally.

If you do want to dye your hair, Charla Krupp says, getting hair professionally colored is the one beauty indulgence not to skip. You want your hair to have a variety of subtle tones that look natural, a brightening of color around the face to counteract the darkness caused by wrinkles and dark spots. Do-it-yourself dye jobs often result in a wall of one color and that looks frumpy. She suggests talking to your stylist and asking her how to make the color last longer. Maybe tone down the highlights so it’s not so obvious when the real color comes in.