Ask Dr. Roizen: What to do about aging skin

Skin shows different traits as years go by

By Dr. Michael Roizen

Really, I’m not telling you to avoid computers, stay indoors till dark, or never live in Arizona. But…

It is true that the time you spend squinting at a monitor, sitting in the sun, or living in dry climates can affect how fast your face ages.

How your skin ages: In your 30s

Generally speaking, when you’re around age 30, you’re not too worried about the fine lines and wrinkles, including crow’s feet around the eyes that are just starting to appear. They’re still not too prominent.

This is true unless you’re a smoker. If that’s the case, you need to worry about your sex life, heart, and brain as well as your wrinkles. Yes, this applies to you no matter how much you deny it.

Protect yourself: Wear moisturizer all the time and sunscreen even when you don’t plan to be outside. And breathe free!

How your skin ages: In your 40s

In your 40s, you’re beginning to see lines on your upper lip, and wrinkles around your eyes and forehead.

Protect yourself: Start using antioxidant skin products, including night creams, daytime moisturizers, and sun block to give you a more youthful look. And quit smoking!

How your skin ages: 50s and 60s

As your skin ages, it loses elasticity and begins to sag, droop, and pucker. It becomes thinner, is more easily bruised, and takes a longer time to heal. Fine lines become deeper lines. The skin on your face shows it the most – above the nose, on the temples, around the mouth, and on the upper cheeks.

Also, in your 50s and 60s, previous sun exposure and smoking really begin to make their damaging effects known. If you protected against those two “skin-agers” in your earlier years, you’re in a much better position now. If not, you probably have deep lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. Your skin may even appear thinner, with blood vessels just below the surface. Brown spots may start appearing.

Protect yourself: Face care now includes gentle cleansers rather than soap and water, rich moisturizers like shea butter, and retinol products used monthly. And now you might consider skin treatments given by a professional to revitalize the skin. You also may consider nighttime nourishment with vitamins A, C, and E. See a list of professional treatments below.

Aging factors

These factors contribute to the aging of your skin:

• Smoking – did I already say, stop smoking!?
• Overuse of soap and hot baths
• Sun exposure without sunscreen
• Stress
• Obesity
• Dehydration
• Diet
• Physical inactivity
• Inflammation in gums

Pay attention to your diet

The research on aging skin shows that eating antioxidants – essentially, the five to nine recommended servings of fruits and vegetables a day that we medical professionals all harp on – will serve your skin well. It improves sensitivity to the sun, reduces the damage caused by smoking and the sun, protects somewhat from wrinkles, and even helps protect against skin cancer.

One study of skin wrinkling in elderly people in Australia, Greece, and Sweden showed that skin wrinkling can be influenced by the types of foods you eat. In the study, those with less wrinkling ate vegetables, olive oil, omega-3 fats, fish, and legumes, while those with a lot of wrinkles had a high intake of meat, dairy, and butter.

Skin issues for men

Although all these skin-agers affect men as well as women, men often don’t worry about skin care until later in life. As they grow older, men care about looking rested, energetic, and ready to conquer the world – just like the younger guys! They want to soften the effects of aging, not eliminate wrinkles altogether. So guys, start early to keep looking and feeling younger.

Minimally invasive skin treatments

These minimally invasive procedures have been used for many years with great success although they are considered “cosmetic” and not covered under your Humana basic insurance, they may be covered if you use your Health Spending Account (HSA):

• Botox – An injection into a muscle by the wrinkle that smoothes out the wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing the muscle; helps you look younger because your skin looks relaxed. Costs about $350-$500 per injection, and sometimes more than one injection is needed. The effects last up to six months.
  
  
• Microdermabrasion – Removal of the top layer of skin cells to produce a more even texture to your face, reduce fine lines, and give your skin a youthful glow. It costs about $150 to $300 a treatment and the effects can last several months. Find out more
  
  
• Laser hair removal – Laser removal of hair from any part of the body, most often done for men on the back and chest, and for women on the underarms, bikini area, and legs. Depending on the treatment – and there are many ways to do it – it’s done in one sitting or in a series of treatments, which cost $400 to $500 per treatment. Find out more
  
  
• Chemical peel – the use of various types of chemicals to “peel” away damaged skin and some lines and wrinkles, and reduce sun damage. A “lunchtime peel” takes 30 minutes, a medium peel about an hour, and a deep peel about two hours – and all produce a younger looking complexion. Costs can range from a few hundred dollars to more than $1,000. Find out more
  
  
• Laser resurfacing – the use of non-cutting laser beams to deliver short bursts of intense pulsed light to the skin to firm and tone it, reduce fine lines, and provide a youthful, rested look. This procedure can cost from $500 to $1,200 a treatment, and multiple treatments are needed. Find out more
  
  
• Thermage or Titan – Nonsurgical ways of lifting the skin. Thermage uses radiofrequency, and Titan uses infrared light to tighten the skin. Find out more
  
  
• Restylane – This is a filler used to plump up the nasolabial folds – the lines from the nose to the mouth – and the lines around the lips. Find out more

Find out more

Read my previous columns to find out:

• About skin-agers and to review a list of foods rich in skin-loving vitamins and minerals: “Five steps to looking younger.”
  
  
• Other ways to influence the aging process.

Take the skin care quiz

At Realage.com, take the RealAge skin care quiz.

Take the RealAge test

Want to find out if your body is actually younger – or older – than your calendar age? Take the free RealAge test . You’ll get a personalized plan to feel and be younger and a list of the things that are making you younger or older.

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