Looking Young in Your Twenties, Thirties, and Forties

No matter how young you are, it’s never too early to start taking care of your skin. If you have children, you should start guarding their skin from the sun during infancy and teaching them good skin care habits while they are learning hygiene.

Twenties
Depending on how well you took care of your skin during childhood and your teenage years, you may start seeing fine lines around your eyes and frown lines in your forehead as early as your mid-twenties.

Typically, this kind of premature aging comes from tanning or sheer carelessness during outdoor activities in your teens. People with fair skin are more likely to have early sun-induced wrinkles.

If you haven’t been protecting yourself fro UV rays, now is the time to start. Make sunscreen a part of your daily ritual, even if you don’t plan to be out in the sun. Drop the tanning sessions and pick up a good self tanner. Start beefing up on the antioxidants in your diet and in your skincare products.

BOTOX can be used at this point as a preventative measure, and to minimize the appearance of existing lines and wrinkles. A mild chemical peel or microdermabrasion may be enough to get rid of fine lines entirely at this stage in life.

Thirties
Pregnancy and childbirth can leave you feeling self conscious about your body, even after the extra weight is gone. Chances are, taking care of little ones has thrown you off of your beauty routine for a few years, too.

Diet and exercise can help you lose the weight and regain your original muscle tone, but some parts of your body may not cooperate. A “mommy makeover” can be just the thing to get your body and your sex life back in your thirties. Procedures to consider include:
• Breast lift
• Breast augmentation
• Tummy tuck or mini-tuck
• Liposuction
• Vaginal rejuvenation

Hormonal changes during pregnancy can your skin to develop dark blotches, often referred to as a pregnancy mask, and acne. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) can be an effective treatment for discoloration and acne scars.

Forties
In your forties you want to focus on hydration and fitness. This is a good time to start talking to your doctor about the hormonal changes associated with menopause, and find out how you can ease through the transition with minimal weight gain and skin discoloration, not to mention minimizing other, more unpleasant symptoms and problems which can be life-threatening such as magnesium deficiency.

Sun damage can start showing up as dry, scaly patches of skin, and often precancerous cells. Get any suspicious skin changes and any questionable moles checked out as soon as you notice them. It can save your life!

Fortunately precancerous cells can be removed with some chemical peels, stimulating collagen production and rejuvenating your skin at the same time.

Most women are not ready for a face lift at forty, but you may want to consider blepharoplasty to open up your eyes, and injectable fillers to reduce the folds around your mouth.

Understanding the effects of aging early in life can help you get a jump star on staying young.

Talk to your cosmetic surgeon about aging and beauty today.

PATRICIA WOLOCH