BY LISA WILLIAMS
That is the question puzzling scientists from all across the globe. Researchers have found that humans age at vastly different rates, with some showing signs of premature ageing at a relatively young age, while others still looking youthful well into their fifties!
What are the factors that result in such vastly differing ageing processes? Is it the genetic makeup, the lifestyle or just pure dumb luck? Below are some women in their forties. It is a well known saying that all of us can thank our genes for how we look before the age of 20, but we can only blame ourselves for how we look after. Even women blessed with great genes can throw it all away with neglect and poor after-care. It’s no secret that women who choose to embrace aesthetic advances will look far younger and better than their peers. Coco Chanel poignantly summed it up “ There are no ugly women in the world, just lazy ones”.
At 41, Lure Hsu from Taiwan is the new new face of a woman in the 40s. Gone are the days when a 41 year old should, well, look like a woman in her forties. With advancement in technology, knowledge and science, we now have at our fingertips a plethora of age-reversing techniques and age-retarding tricks that, if deployed well, is guaranteed to help us look way younger than our years.
At 43, Kate is no newcomer to the limelight, having modelled all her life. Unfortunately, the years of hard partying have also taken its toll on her appearance. Where you set your priorities, your face will thus reflect your beauty destiny.
So besides turning back the clock to redeem all our skin sins we have committed in youthful folly, what else can we do right now? As they say, better late than never…
Read more: The 5 ‘Au Naturel’Facelifts you need to know
Age Reversers (for those who need help to look young)
For those who have not had the gift of foresight in their youth (eyecream at night, alcohol in moderation anyone?), signs of age will unfortunately have crept up on your skin with time. This may manifest as something as subtle as clogged, dull skin (neglect, and poor collagen levels) to something more drastic (such as jowls and crow’s feet) requiring emergency intervention. Whatever it is, what you need will be ‘Age- Reversers’.
This group of treatments are so termed because of their ability to turn back some of the damage wrecked by the folly of our youth. But while nothing is 100% reversible, you’d be happy to know that even the most diehard party animals have emerged looking like youthful damsels after completing a course of the treatments and adhering to their instructions judiciously.
Read More: Eat for Your Body Type. Here’s How.
#SKIN SIN: TOO MUCH SUN
Sun damage accumulates over years. In the initial phase, it may manifest as uneven skin tone and blotchy discolouration on the face. In later years, this will show as leathery skin which exhibits signs of solar elastosis (loss of elasticity). This type of skin looks wrinkled, old and damaged and unless you are a crocodile birkin, makes you look prematurely older and less attractive. Not all lasers can improve the skin tone enough to improve this type of cumulative sun damage. Choose fractional lasers such as FRAXEL LIGHT which can erases sun damage, improve skin tone and elasticity with minimal downtime.
Stella, 45, a surfer and sun worshipper in her youth says “I realized I looked older than my elder sister, but after 4 sessions of Fraxel Light, my pigment lightened and my skin regained its softness.”
Read More: How Facial Slimming Can Make You Look Like a Celebrity Too
#SKIN SKIN: TOO MUCH STRESS
Stress can lead to premature ageing, and this shows up on our face as dark eye circles, hollows under the eyes, and sunken cheeks. This is further exacerbated by the passage of time as studies have shown that our facial fat pads that imparts the ‘fullness of youth’ also shrinks with age, therefore we tend to lose volume in our face as we get older, like it or not. Facial fillers is the latest antidote for this ageing curse. Latest generation facial fillers show new promise as 100% natural hyaluronic acid fillers which also stimulate fibroblasts for self-collagen stimulation. Fillers come in a plethora of different types, and the results are very technique dependent. Just as you would not let your baby brother cut your hair, it is vital to seek out the best doctor to administer this for you to ensure best results.
Jasmine, 41, lost weight, sleep and hair after her second pregnancy, says “Facial fillers under the hands of Dr Low was a godsend. She literally brought me back 5 years, otherwise I wouldn’t have the confidence to face the world, like I do now.”
Read More: What You Need to Know About Hair Extensions
#SKIN SIN: TOO MUCH SELF-EXTRACTION
We are all tempted at one point or another. Picking at our zits, touching our faces obsessively can only lead to a sad ending. Even when the pimples have long gone, their scars are here to stay. No amount of creams or concealers can turn back the hands of time on this one, and disguise the fact that our skin is no longer the virgin, untouched one of yesteryears. However, with clever laser resurfacing using SmartX laser, having soft, supple skin again may be a possibility. SmartX’s fractionated CO2 laser is the gold standard for renewing pitted, uneven, damaged skin while replacing old dermal layers with fresh, virgin ones.
Elison was 44 before she decided to do something about her pitted scars “I had always thought they would go with time. On my fortieth birthday, I went for a course of SmartX laser and I have never looked back since. My scars have gone but I am still continuing with the lasers because they give me skin improvements in other areas such as texture, tone and pore size which I love!”
Read more: 5 celebrity endorsed beauty secrets to look 30 at 50
Age Retarders (for those who want to buy time)
These are the treatments that will slow down your future aging process. It is like buying insurance for a great and youthful future. It is akin to having a parachute. By the time you need it, if you don’t already have it, it’s too late. This is something you want to jump onto the bandwagon early, to ensure you have the best chance of doing the bare minimum yet look your absolute best in 10 years to come.
Read More: The Universal Laws of Facial Beauty
#TEACH YOUR SKIN TO BE YOUNG AGAIN IN 3 MONTHS – REJURAN DNA RESURGENCE
DNA extract therapy, first discovered by scientists to regenerate skin in skin graft recipients, is now used to improve the healing and regenerative properties of skin for men and women who wants to slow down the ageing process. Delivered via microinjections into the dermis, they teach your skin how to be young again, boosting its vitality and overall skin health in a holistic manner.
Read More: Anti-Inflammation Diet – Get Younger, Slimmer & Healthier
#TEACH YOUR COLLAGEN TO GROW OVER NEXT 12 MONTHS – DREAM SCULPTURE
The generation who has embraced fillers to look 5-10 years younger now want to stay that way. Understanding the limits of facial fillers is important so as not to create “pillow-faces” that are caricatures of modern beauty pitfalls. Enter Dream Sculpture, this is not a filler but a collagen stimulator. It does not give you any immediate filling effects, and clients walk out of the doctor’s office often wondering when they will see results. Over time however, Dream Sculpture stimulates your own skin to produce collagen, creating a soft, supple look that is maintained over time.
Read More: Beauty Vitamin – Eat It, or Wear It?
#TEACH YOUR SKIN TO TIGHTEN OVER 6 MONTHS — TRINITY FACELIFT
If a surgical facelift is not on your cards, then buy time for yourself and your face by investing in a 3D http://www.sloaneclinic.com/progsg/3dfacelift.asphttps://www.sw1clinic.com/skin-saver-programs/trinity-facelift-program/facelift, so named even though there is nothing surgical about it. The only thing it has in common with a surgical facelift is its ability to lift and firm the skin. 3D facelift uses 2 FDA approved skin tightening technologies—Thermage and Ultherapy to create a tighter and more lifted skin surface for your face, neck and jawline.
Read More: 5 Ways to Achieve a V-Shape Face