Getting older…inevitable, Aging OPTIONAL!
Looking your best at any age can be as simple as setting daily regimen for health skin. As we age, our skin gets thinner, becomes more dry and pigmentation irregularities become more apparent.
Here are a few ways to slow down the aging process and prevent premature aging changes.
“I firmly believe that our skin reflects our overall wellbeing. Health habits and lifestyle show on the outside how we are on the inside. Sun protection, healthy eating habits, and general skin care goes a long way to keeping your youth”
-Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon Samuel Shatkin Jr., MD FACS
Keys to looking your best
Proper sun protection. It is well known that sun exposure causes premature aging. Radiation from the sun creates damage to the cells. Pigmentation changes make your skin look older as well. Protection year-round with avoiding direct exposure and using sunscreen with a UPF of 30 or higher can go a long way to fend off the effects of the sun.
Hydrate-Hydrate-Hydrate! Applying a good moisturizer (or moisturizing sunscreen) can lock in the moisture. Apply it immediately after shower or cleansing to retain the water in the skin. Reapply moisturizer as needed throughout the day.
Be easy on your skin. Many people think that aggressive scrubs and frequent washing can help keep skin healthy. This could not be further from the truth. Use gentle cleansers on the skin. The more you wash the skin the more you remove the natural oils that escape through the skin surface. If you use a scrub, try to limit it to 1-2 times per month. Also, use hypoallergic, non-comedogenic and fragrance free products on your skin, whether they be cleansers, or moisturizers.
Avoid the sun and tanning beds! Sun and tanning beds emit radiation in the form of Ultraviolet rays. This causes damage leading to wrinkles and skin spots. If you prefer a “tan” on your skin, self tanner creams work well and cause no damage.
Lifestyle is critical. A well balanced diet including colorful fruts and vegetables, as well as helath protein products like salmon and help to protect and repair the body and the skin. A good weekly regimen of exercise can improve your circulation and help to boost your immune system. Other lifestyle habits include avoiding smoking and limit alcohol consumption as these will add to aging changes and texture irregularities.
Antiaging skin products. At a younger age, products with glycolic and alpha-hydroxy fruit acids can help to turn over the skin and prevent buildup of the dead layers. As we age, skin products with Vitamin A derivative called retinol can help to penetrate the skin and repair and rejuvenate from the inside out. Starting with a lower concentration of retinol every other day and then increasing to daily use at night can help to turn the clock back on aged skin changes.
and the art of plastic surgery. The goal should be to turn the clock back. Patient will often bring in photos of themselves as a younger age to share with me what they are hoping to achieve. Occasionally, an elderly patient will bring in a portrait ofhimself or herself from when they were 20, hoping to regain that look. If the surgeon attempts to gain that look, it is almost certain the patient will have an over pulled, flattened facelift, not the natural lifting and redrapping which is desirable. When I attend our national meetings, and see lectures from many of the top plastic surgeons in the industry, we see results with a natural rejuvenation. That to me is the mark of a surgeon looking to rejuvenate, not totally change the look of someone’s appearance. The skills of a board certified Plastic Surgeon give one the tools to create the natural look, but it is up to the surgeons themselves to execute a more youthful result without creating a distorted change. When I first started in practice, I had the unique opportunity to work with my father, both a skilled surgeon and mentor, who had that aesthetic eye to create harmony and beauty in natural way. Learning first hand from such an expert has given me an ideaperspective on recreating a youthful appearance to help the patient achieve the look they desire. Some patients may be hoping for that “Hollywood look”, but I would much prefer a complement, “wow, you look great”.