Tips to Help You Look Younger

You know the litany of advice. You’ve heard it many times before. Avoid the sun, moisturize daily, use sunscreen, get enough sleep. Yes, these are words to live and age well by, but I’ve got a few tips for looking younger that you may not have considered.  Here you go …

Whiten Your Teeth. A bright smile will take years off your face. Studies indicate that one of the first things people notice is your smile so make it as bright as it can be. Visit your dentist to learn about whitening procedures or do it yourself with at-home whitening strips.  (Discontinue use and check with your dentist if you experience sensitivity.)

Enhance Your Eyebrows. Eyebrows frame the face and as we age, they may become sparser. Thickening and shaping them with cosmetics will not only highlight your eyes but will impart a more youthful appearance as well.  A nicely shaped eyebrow can make all the difference in your appearance. Not sure how to enhance your brows? Spring for a makeup lesson with a professional makeup artist or consult with one – or several – beauty experts at your local department store. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of a beautifully-groomed brow. Readers of this blog will know that I recently appeared browless in public for a makeover by QVCfor an ad in the April 2011 issue of Vogue Magazine. (You can read all about it here.) I might as well have been naked, I was so self-conscious without my brows. My makeup of choice:  Smashbox Brow Tech, available at Sephora for $24.

Cover the Grays. I know some people are going to hate me for this one, but, unless you have luxurious, thick white hair, coloring your salt and pepper will take years off your appearance. As hair grays, it not only changes color but the texture changes too.  Coloring it will improve the texture and add shine.  Love your grays and want to keep them?  Opt for a rinse that will impart only shine.

Don’t Ignore Your Hands. The skin on our hands is thinner than on other parts of our bodies and ages more quickly. Our hands are constantly exposed to the elements and are often plunged into hot water which depletes moisture. I own tons of hand creams but, somehow, rarely used them, except before bedtime. But on a trip to London, I noticed that many of the public bathrooms had jars of hand cream right next to the liquid soap. Great idea – and it’s one that I adopted the minute I got home. I placed a small tube of hand cream in my kitchen and on my bathroom sinks and I use it each time I wash my hands.

Slather on the Night Creams. Facial moisturizers are formulated differently. Ones that are specifically for night time use are heavier and sometimes a bit greasier too. But, unless you’re having a romantic interlude, who cares? (Don’t want to invest in expensive facial creams and nighttime moisturizers?  Dermatologists, like Dr. Michael Tomeo, recommend inexpensive and readily available Eucerin. It does a great job and you can buy it at the supermarket. (Read all about Dr. Tomeo’s great skin care advice here.)

Use creamy cosmetics. As we age our skin becomes drier. Powder blushes and eye shadows tend to settle in fine lines and wrinkles. Avoid that by opting for cream blushes and powders which will not only give a dewy finish, they’ll last longer on your skin too.

Keep Those Last Five (or Even Ten) Pounds. The French have a saying that goes something like this:  After a certain age, a woman needs to choose between her face and her derriere.  That means that, after a certain age, maintaining a slim body results in looking haggard while gaining a few pounds keeps your face looking younger.  But, can’t we choose both? A 2008 study at Case Western University set out to determine how much of facial aging is genetically predetermined and how much of it has to do with lifestyle.  The findings indicate that, after age 40, a few extra pounds keeps you looking younger by plumping up facial skin and filling out wrinkles. Read about the study here. Of course, no one advocates gaining an unhealthy amount of weight to look younger. The trick is to keep the pounds but also keep your muscle tone.   (See next tip.)

Exercise. In my opinion, exercise is the panacea to aging. Exercise not only helps us maintain muscle tone, it’s important for healthy bones, managing stress, increased energy, improved mental focus – and the list goes on and on.   Exercise helps you sleep, keeps your weight down and is good for your heart.  The trick is to find something you like doing and to do it. So, check with your doctor to be sure you are able to exercise and then hit the gym, the yoga or dance studio, take a walk or exercise in front of your tv, but, as has been famously coined, just do it.