How You Can Slow the Aging Process

With age comes wisdom and respect, yet few people want to fully embrace the physical changes that come with age. In a culture obsessed with youth and beauty, this is no surprise. As we get older, our bodies go through a series of predictable changes that occur, in some degree, to everyone. While it is impossible to stop the aging process, there are ways to slow it down so we can age more gracefully.

By taking care of our skin and bodies, our youthfulness and beauty can shine through longer. But when that is no longer enough, there are countless ways to take matters into your own hands and turn back the hands of time!

Slow down the aging process naturally
Based on our many years of experience helping patients achieve a more youthful appearance, we have put together some tips to help you age more gracefully. When reading through this list, you might find yourself thinking that these sound like tips for good health. That’s because good health is reflected through our appearance. It’s part of the reason why a youthful appearance is so coveted and desired – it indicates that the individual is healthy and young.

Here are our top 5 tips for slowing the aging process:
1. Wear sunscreen. We know you’ve heard it before, but this is one of the most important ways to protect your skin from the effects of aging (and skin cancer!). Please, please, please wear sunscreen, especially if you are outside for long periods of time or when the sun’s rays are the most intense (midday and during the summer). But don’t stop there – make it a habit to wear sunscreen on your face everyday by applying a daily moisturizer that contains SPF. Just as important as remembering to apply sunscreen before sun exposure is remembering to reapply during prolonged exposure. Sunscreen effects wear off within 2-3 hours, sooner if you are sweating or going in the water, so re-applying is important to maintain your protection.
2. Don’t smoke. Heard of “smoker’s face”? The dry, wrinkled skin that is so common to long-term smokers is caused by decreased blood flow to the face as a result of smoking. Smokers can expect to form wrinkles sooner and have deeper lines than non-smokers. If you need another reason to quit smoking, do it for your skin!
3. Drink alcohol in moderation. Excessive drinking deprives the body and skin of nutrients it needs to feel and look healthy. To slow the aging process, women should aim to drink no more than one alcoholic beverage per day, while men should have no more than two.
4. Drink plenty of water. Properly hydrated skin looks supple, plump, and healthy. Drinking enough water also helps to flush toxins from your body and keep you feeling great. Aim for at least 8 glasses of water per day to keep your skin looking lively.
5. Eat a healthy diet. If you want to slow the aging process, a diet free from refined and processed foods should be your goal. Eat foods that are high in antioxidants, such as berries and green vegetables to further help your body age gracefully.

Cosmetic injections to help slow the aging process
Even if you follow all of our tips, at some point your skin will begin to show its age. Fortunately, there are so many great ways to treat the early signs of aging with minimal fuss. Cosmetic injections, such as dermal fillers or Anti-Wrinkle Injection, are able to erase the early signs of aging (fine lines, wrinkles, and creases). The effects of injectables, however, are not permanent, so you’ll need to undergo regular treatments to maintain the results. For this reason, we don’t encourage our patients to begin cosmetic injections until they really need them. The exact age varies for each patient. For example, some may need Anti-Wrinkle Injection by the time they are in their late 20s, while others may not benefit from it until they are in their late 30s.

Cosmetic surgery to reverse signs of aging
At a certain point, cosmetic injections will not longer provide sufficient results. If you want to maintain a youthful appearance at this point, you may want to consider cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery, such as a facelift or brow lift, can reverse signs of aging and provide you with long lasting results. Again, there is no “right” time to undergo cosmetic surgery. This is a decision that you must make for yourself after consulting with a skilled and ethical plastic surgeon.

We can help
If you are concerned about how you are aging, we encourage you to consult with our experienced, board certified plastic surgeons, Dr. Litner and Dr. Solieman. Our doctors can help you decide which cosmetic treatments will help you achieve the results you desire.