illustrations by Ekaterina Muzyka / dreamstime
January brings a sense of renewal as the calendar unfurls before us. Whether it’s committing to a new workout regimen or boosting your skin care routine to restore youth’s luster, now is the best time to get started.
Get Your Glow On
The skin care products professionals routinely use to brighten the face are topical vitamin C and retinol. “Both are great for anti-aging,” notes medical aesthetician Lindsay Sigman with NuBody Concepts. Since vitamin C is an anti-inflammatory nutrient known to improve skin tone by reducing redness and diminishing fine lines, “it’s one product everyone can benefit from,” she says.
Retinol helps to shed dead skin cells, even skin tone, and brighten skin by speeding the production of collagen. Much of making your face look its best centers on the production of collagen. Our bodies produce it throughout our lives, but the process slows with age. Whenever you receive a procedure — be it a facial or microneedling — the objective is to stimulate collagen production.
When you first visit an aesthetician, “We look at your skin to figure out what condition it’s in — whether it’s dry or oily — and what it needs,” says Sigman. Once that is known, improvements can start at home with a daily skin care routine that includes a good cleanser, retinol serum, and moisturizer appropriate for your skin type.
illustrations by Ekaterina Muzyka / dreamstime
Wand Away Wrinkles
Genetics and lifestyle choices are often reflected by our skin. If you’ve smoked or spent hours in the sun, wrinkles and sagging may ultimately result.
“You can’t control elasticity,” notes Dr. Phillip Langsdon, a facial plastic surgeon at The Langsdon Clinic. “It’s like trying to turn back the clock, it will keep ticking.” Langsdon says the sagging, bagging, and loss of volume in the face that comes with age can be addressed. The challenge is finding the right procedure to tighten and lift both muscles and skin.
The next step is adding a monthly facial to your routine. The gentle massaging and cleansing, for 30 minutes to an hour, stimulates the skin by sloughing off old cells and allowing collagen production to occur.
HydraFacials, available in medical spas and dermatology offices, can also help to improve skin tone. This 45-minute treatment, which is achieved using a mechanized wand over the face, deep-cleans and exfoliates the skin using glycolic acid, a type of alpha hydroxy acid found in foods.
“The extraction pulls out excess oil and blackheads, which get thick and sticky,” says Sigman. “The glycolic acid can soften the skin,” thus making the removal of blackhead material easier and enabling the absorption of hydrating serums.
A process called microneedling also treats wrinkles, but, as the name suggests, with fine needles. “This tightens the skin and is appropriate for all skin types,” notes cosmetic surgeon Melissa Toyos with Toyos Clinic.
Pro Tip: Be sure to tell your aesthetician if you’ve got sensitive skin, since using high-concentration products can cause serious skin reactions for some.
Brighten Your Eyes
Did you know the skin around your eyes is the thinnest skin of your entire body? No wonder crow’s feet or puffy bags appear more pronounced. The eyes tell all.
Skin around the eyes “typically lose volume over time,” notes Langsdon. “Puffy eyelids won’t be fixed with creams because of the lost volume.” However, injectable products like Botox can soften crow’s feet and frown lines between the eyes. Results generally last about four months.
illustrations by Ekaterina Muzyka / dreamstime
Dr. Melissa Toyos is the first local ophthalmologist to use the MiXto® Laser around the eyes. This laser is waved above the skin to treat wrinkles and acne scarring and is tailored to specific skin conditions. Light sedation is available for this in-office treatment when needed.
“The results can last for up to five years,” says Toyos. She also recommends this laser for lightening stretch marks left from pregnancy or weight loss.
Eyelids become crepey and droopy as we age, telegraphing a weary expression regardless of our disposition. In fact, eyelid lifts are among the most common insurance claim when it comes to facial procedures. Injectable fillers can add volume to the lower eyelid area and eyelid lifts (a surgical procedure) can remove excess skin and improve vision.
But according to Langsdon, “Eyelid surgery won’t fix wrinkles.” He frequently clarifies what a treatment is designed to do in meetings leading up to a procedure, as managing patient expectations is key.
“Some want a magic wand to make changes that can’t take place because of their lifestyle choices,” he says.
It’s important to have a pointed conversation with your doctor or aesthetician to arrive at realistic expectations about what a procedure can or cannot achieve. Langsdon believes some plastic surgeons use lighting to falsely promote their results. Straightforward questions will clear up any confusion.
Pro Tips: People 65 and older can get eyelid surgery covered by Medicare if drooping lids are impairing vision. Ask your ophthalmologist for details.
Laser treatments are not appropriate for all skin types, particularly for people of color. Consult with your medical professional before undergoing treatment.
illustrations by Ekaterina Muzyka / dreamstime
Sculpt the Jowl
As my mother grew older, her neckline began to sag and its appearance made her self-conscious. Author Nora Ephron wrote about the loss of her neckline as one of the signature annoyances of aging in a book called I Feel Bad About My Neck. But voila! You needn’t live with saggy jowls. Several noninvasive procedures can improve your appearance.
Injectables such as Juvederm Voluma, a hyaluronic acid dermal filler, can effectively sculpt the jawline. “It can add a lot of volume to the face,” says Toyos, by tightening the skin from the inside out. Patients typically receive an injection once a month until the desired effect is achieved. The results last nine months to two years. She also uses Kybella from Allergan, the makers of Botox, to melt unwanted chin fat and tighten skin.
Banish Post-Menopausal Acne
Hormone replacement is often a trigger for post-menopausal acne in women. Though it can be hard to clear up, says Sigman, “a regular facial once a month can help.”
Toyos likes applying laser therapy, with a 45-minute treatment working over specific areas of the face with a mechanized wand that hovers just above the surface of the skin. As it’s moved under the eyes or across the cheek, it deep cleans and exfoliates the skin. A light treatment takes 15 to 20 minutes and the laser’s heat dissipates quickly. Afterwards, you’ll experience some redness before the skin eventually lightens and brightens.
As for results? “I haven’t found anything that outperforms this laser,” she notes.
For clients who receive a deeper treatment (to address acne scarring, for instance), Toyos advises two weeks of social down time to allow the skin to fully heal. “It’s like having a deep sunburn. You’ll feel like yourself but you won’t look like yourself.”
illustrations by Ekaterina Muzyka / dreamstime
Coping With Hair Loss
Some dermatology clinics also deal with hair loss. While we hear a lot about male pattern baldness, hair loss is also prevalent among women.
“Genetics plays a big role,” observes Toyos, as do stress and certain medical conditions. During the pandemic many people experienced significant hair shedding. Any stress-inducing events, be it illness, divorce or a death in the family, can cause hair loss.
Typically, people lose roughly 50 percent of their hair before it becomes noticeable. Toyos recommends getting a medical workup first to rule out underlying causes such as thyroid issues, a Vitamin B deficiency, or anemia before seeking treatment.
illustrations by Ekaterina Muzyka / dreamstime
Five Ways to Encourage Healthier Skin
• Improve Diet & Exercise — Choose fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins. Cut down (or eliminate) fast and highly processed foods. Drink plenty of water every day to brighten and hydrate the skin. Make 20- to 30-minute walks part of your daily routine. Add weight-bearing exercise, too, since muscle mass ebbs as we age.
• Limit Sun Worshipping — While exposure to sunlight provides us with the benefit of Vitamin D, too much sun can damage your skin. Avoid exposure during the hottest part of the day — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. — when harmful UVA and UBA rays are strongest. When outdoors, wear a hat and sunscreen with SPF of 30 or higher. A broad-spectrum sunscreen protects your skin against wrinkles, pigmentation, and dark spots as well as skin cancer. Cancel your appointments at the tanning salon, too. Such direct UV radiation gradually breaks down the elasticity of the skin, making your body less able to repair skin damage as you age.
illustrations by Ekaterina Muzyka / dreamstime
• Get More Zs — Never underestimate the power of sleep, for it is essential to our overall health. Sleep is when the body repairs itself. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a minimum of seven hours’ rest for the average adult. Yet roughly one in three adults do not get adequate rest. Follow a regular sleep schedule. Keep your bedroom temperature slightly cool. Dampen ambient light and limit screen time before bed.
• Stop Smoking — If you smoke, make this the year you kick the habit. According to the Mayo Clinic, nicotine narrows the blood vessels, reducing oxygen flow and nutrients to skin cells. “Damage to your skin from smoking cannot be reversed,” the clinic states on its website.
• Sideline Stress — Learn new ways to manage daily stress. Try practicing yoga, meditating, or walking outdoors. Find a stress reliever that works for you.
