The quest for a younger face makes the world turn. The April 2012 issue of Allure delivers, “the best skin tips you’ve never heard.”
First, stop toting bottles of water and other bottled drinks. As with straws, constant pursing creates lines and intensifies mouth lines that you already have. Instead, carry a reusable bottle with a spout and squirt the water in. Smoking: forget it. But also, do not chew gum. Chewing accentuates the motion lines around the mouth. Have a breath mint!
Did you realize that your workout might be reflected in your face? A dermatologist interviewed by Allure shared, “I can pinpoint women who tense the jaw and throat when exercising, because it makes the cords of the neck more prominent and pulls down the face.”
UVA light, which travels through windows, is carcinogenic and induces the grayish, yellow-y cast you see on older people’s skin. A dermatologist advises, “Unless you live in a cinder-block bunker, wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen 365 days a year, rain or shine.” Also, beware of the space heater next to your desk as well as your living room fireplace. Sit at least ten feet away because direct exposure from two to three feet causes redness and collagen breakdown.
And please, sleep on your back. Do not allow your skin to be pressed against wrinkles in your pillow case. If you can’t sleep on your back, sleep on silk, satin or pillowcases with a very high thread count.
Any low-tech lotion, containing glycerin, shea butter or another hydrator, aids in skin repair, increasing mobility after sun damage, making repetitive smiles and squints less punishing. But, only use this in a pinch. Instead, use a morning moisturizer with sunscreen and antioxidants (vitamin C or ferulic acid), followed by a retinoid or retinol at night.
And keep in mind, how much is too much. Fillers such as Radiesse, Juvederm and Sculptra yield a fuller face that looks younger than a face that is taut and hollowed. But, if filler is used to excess, your eyes, mouth and jawline may be dwarfed by overly-rounded cheeks. Allure interviewed a dermatologist with a different approach. He fills fat pads at the temples, the front of the ears and the chin. He says, “Filling in the periphery of the face restores softness and balance without making you look done.”
In addition to banishing crow’s feet, headaches, a gummy smile and excessive sweating, a few units of Botox can shrink prominent glands just under the jawline that can make you look jowly. However, a well-known dermatologist reports “it won’t reduce jowliness across the board in all women.”
For any beauty treatment that involves an injectable, make sure your doctor is board-certified in an appropriate specialty.
For more, visit surgery.org