Looking Good at Any Age
From soft, radiant skin to lustrous hair and a lean physique, we all long to look great, no matter what our age. Health and beauty companies know this and offer an array of potions, creams, and products to chase away wrinkles, gray hair, and other elements of the body’s so-called imperfections or signs of aging.
When it comes down to it, women can actually target specific aspects of their appearance based on their age, with a little advice from industry professionals. Consider these tips on the best skincare regimen, fitness routine, and hair tips and tricks to suit your own age and appearance.
WOMEN’S SKINCARE FOR EVERY AGE
As one of the first places to start showing the signs of aging, our skin needs constant attention throughout life and increased attention as we grow older. Monica Gavin, MD, owner and medical director of Azani Medical Spa in Bethlehem, recommends daily doses of sunscreen, no matter what your age, even in the winter.
“The ultraviolet rays even get through the windshield,” she warns. “We recommend daily SPF30 sunblock for the hands, face, and neck. It should be a sunblock that protects against UVA and UVB rays. You can look for products with titanium dioxide to block both ultraviolet rays.”
In addition, Gavin shares the following tips:
SKINCARE FOR TEENS
Gavin recommends teens pay extra close attention to sun protection and minimizing acne breakouts. Sun damage that occurs in the teens and 20s shows up as premature wrinkling, sun spots, and skin cancer later in life. It’s important to keep acne under control to prevent scarring and pigment issues.
SKINCARE FOR 20- AND 30-SOMETHINGS
For women in their 20s, Gavin recommends weekly exfoliation to keep the skin rejuvenating itself. For women in their 30s, she places the emphasis on moisturizing the skin.
“We really must start to pay attention to moisture because in our 30s we start losing moisture,” she says. “It is really important to keep skin with good water content. Drink lots of fluids and moisturize daily, morning and night.”
SKINCARE FOR THE 40’s
“Most of the wrinkles start appearing in our 40s,” says Gavin. “It’s really important to concentrate a little more on wrinkle prevention. Depending on how far they [women] want to take their skincare regimen, things like Botox work for prevention of wrinkles. Once the wrinkles are deep, it’s too late for Botox. Once they set in, there’s really not much we can do. In your 40s is when you need to start thinking about Botox and similar treatments; by 50s it’s a little too late.”
As the best home remedy for wrinkles, she recommends a 10 – 15% glycolic acid product, as well as products like Retin-A or Retinol.
SKINCARE FOR THE 50’s AND 60’s
Women in their 50s should continue with the sunblock, moisturizer, anti-wrinkle treatments, and exfoliation they’ve been doing through their earlier years. If interested in more professional skincare treatments, Gavin recommends dermal fillers to fill in some of the folds in the skin.
“We use natural fillers,” she says. “There’s no downtime, and it’s very safe and effective.
“In our 50s we start getting sun spots, broken capillaries, pigment changes, and discoloration,” she adds. “A lot can be done in the late 40s and 50s, especially an Intense Pulse Light (IPL) photo facial, with no downtime. It’s non-surgical and great for pigment issues.”
For women in their 60s, Gavin says most of the above treatments have passed their limits. Mini facelifts and in-office facelifts are some of the more popular skincare treatments for women in this age group.
HAIR CARE THROUGH THE YEARS
As we age, our hair goes through various changes as well. Beyond going gray, women may experience thinning hair, hair that becomes drier and more brittle, and of course, issues with our scalps. Lorenzo Magagnoli, owner of Lorenzo Hair Design in Allentown, explains that the scalp’s condition plays a strong part in the overall health and condition of the hair.
“As you grow older it is very, very important to keep the scalp biologically balanced by using the right shampoo,” he says, recommending a pH balanced shampoo. “Another thing, most women do color their hair. You can use hair color with less ammonia. Having less ammonia and keeping the scalp biologically balanced will give you the optimal result of keeping the hair healthy as you grow older.”
In terms of hairstyle, Magagnoli says various factors contribute to finding the right look, and a youthful look, for the individual. He says women can usually wear their hair with a balance of height in the right place and wear the hair away from the face for a youthful appearance. Magagnoli and his staff recommend the right hair color and hairstyle for their clients on a daily basis, helping to change the appearance and accentuate or take the emphasis off certain facial features with a particular hair color and cut or style. Lorenzo Hair Design’s experts also help in choosing colors to enhance the natural beauty of the hair.
“Keeping the hair back gives you more of a youthful look as well,” he says. “The trend right now – we are doing short and long. I see more of a trend for shorter hair, but, above all, it’s not like it used to be years ago, where with someone 50 years old the hair should be short. It’s not like that anymore. If you keep your hair healthy, at any age it can look fantastic.”
ACTIVE LIFESTYLES FOR ANY AGE
Exercise plays a huge part in the way our bodies not only look, but how we feel as we grow older. Maintaining an age-appropriate fitness level throughout life can be vital to looking and feeling young and healthy.
Craig Sheckler, head coach and owner of Endurance Multisport, LLC, helps people of all ages train for triathlons and other endurance sports. Barring any medical concerns, he recommends women maintain a balanced routine of running, cross-training, full-body strength work, and a proper diet to achieve top fitness at any age.
Sheckler recommends strength training to help increase lean muscle mass and slow down the loss of bone while also enhancing the body’s strength, tone, and injury resistance. When paired with calcium intake, strength work also helps to reduce the risk of osteoporosis for women as we age, especially after the mid-30s. Additionally, exercises with repetitive, high-impact stress on the body, like running, increase bone mineral density even more while offering a number of other benefits.
“At any age, regular aerobic exercise will improve cardiovascular fitness and general health, including lowering weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure; controlling or preventing diabetes; improving brain function; and much more,” Sheckler says.
High-intensity anaerobic training may not be the first type of exercise on a woman’s list as she ages, but Sheckler says this kind of workout is precisely what will provide the most benefits as we grow older.
“Studies have shown that power training (high intensity, short-duration repetitions) keep the fast-twitch muscle fibers from deteriorating and prompt the neuromuscular system to stay sharp,” he says. “The benefits of maintaining or improving power-producing ability in later years extend to everyone, not just masters athletes (those over the age of 40). Quick reaction times and more powerful muscles will help to prevent falls and allow greater independence at advanced ages.
“I see the approach to exercise as a gradual continuum as opposed to an abrupt change from 30s to 40s to 50s, etc.,” Sheckler says. “Women at all ages will be rewarded by staying very physically active throughout their entire lives. Healthy lifestyles established earlier in life (whatever ‘earlier’ is to the individual) will pay dividends in later years with lower incidence of health-related issues and greater quality of life and functionality.”
Sources:
Azani Medical Spa
3101 Emrick Blvd Suite 201
Bethlehem, PA 18020
(610) 625-3000
http://www.azanimedicalspa.com
Endurance Multisport
PO Box 517
Macungie, PA 18062-9998
(610) 216-1747
http://endurancemultisport.com
Lorenzo Hair Design
1801 W Allen St
Allentown, PA
(610) 776-4100
