The vanity of people is an age-old tale. Since the Greek Narcissus rejected Echo and fell in love with his reflection and Oscar Wilde resigned Dorian Gray to the attic, man (and woman) has been trying to prevent the inevitability that is aging and, with it, the demise of your looks. But just what can you do to reclaim the years? How to look younger?
Firstly, the best way to deal with aging is to accept it. It will happen regardless and, whilst there are some tricks (and surgical procedures) to keep the years at bay everyone is going to get older.
Obviously the easiest and quickest method to use is surgery. A nip and a tuck with a reputable surgeon is going to fast track the results - at a price. A facelift (rhytidectomy) is aimed at tightening up the face and reducing sagging skin. The effects of a full facelift will last around five to seven years and set you back around £10,000.
There is also a mini facelift that is less intrusive and involves the threading of bio-compatible wires under the skin and then various fillers and injections to re-plump. A mini facelift will last around two to five years and, at £1,500 to £4,000 is practically a bargain!
If going under the knife doesn’t feel like an option then there are many techniques you can try to look younger.
Showing your skin some love and attention is a great way to keep the years at bay. It is usually the first thing people notice and it can reflect a lot about your lifestyle. Smoking, dehydration, lack of sleep, too much sun and bad diet are all reflected in the appearance of your skin.
It’s never too late to start a skincare routine - removing makeup before bed, exfoliating regularly to remove the dead skin cells and moisturizing morning and night are all practical things you can do. Combine with a better diet – and you could take years off your appearance. In fact, some reports calculate that a bad diet and smoking can each add 10 years to a person – wouldn’t it be amazing if changing your habits really could shave 20 years off.
By adding certain foods to our diet (such as tomatoes and grapefruit) you can actually help to protect your skin against sun damage, whilst Omega 3 rich choices such as walnuts can help improve collagen production to keep skin plump and moisturized on the inside.
Increased Vitamin A intake will help to keep the skin ‘calm’ and prevent blemish outbreaks, Vitamin C is great for keeping scaley, dry skin at bay and reduced carb intake will help to curb inflammation-related issues.
A good sleep routine is also vital for your health and keeping skin in its best condition. Professionals from the National Sleep Foundation recommend at least 7 hours a night and 9 is considered the target to aim for.
If you can combine all of these changes with taking a little more time for yourself and living an activity lifestyle the benefits will be visible to everyone.
So once you’ve changed your diet, general lifestyle, invested in a skincare routine and started to get those early nights in – what’s next?
Dressing and grooming correctly can also take years off you; there may be some experimenting involved but the results can be amazing!
Other interesting links :
Help Guide & sleeping best when older
Brighten up!Darker outfits can look conservative, and whilst this suits some circumstances they can also make you look unapproachable. By injecting a bit of fun with color (or pattern) you will automatically come across as more open, fresh-faced and younger.
Measure up!Wearing the wrong size clothes can have a very negative effect on your appearance. If you’re hiding under baggy outfits to disguise those extra pounds you are probably adding even more to your frame. If your clothes are optimistically too small then you may have lumps in the wrong areas. Wearing the right clothes (and bra) can take years off you.
Show off some skin!A little bit of flesh on show, usually associated with younger women, will result in psychologically moving you into that bracket again. Prep any areas that make you feel self-conscious (such as leg veins or blemishes) to improve your confidence.
Hair, Makeup and accessoriesThe devil’s in the detail… and perfecting the finishing touches can really help take those last few years off. The internet was practically invented for researching hairstyles and makeup tips and many sites (including those below) can give you tailored advice or allow you to superimpose a new hairstyle onto your own picture.
Hairstyles that make you look 10 years longer
Anti-aging haircuts that make you look younger
How to look younger with makeup
Getting older really is something that needs to be dealt with in your mind first and confidence is key in progressing through life - but you can use many of these tips and suggestions to answer your question how to look younger.
Comments will be approved before showing up.