Look Fabulous Through the Decades: Your 40s
Your skin has been through a lot by the time you reach your 40s. The sunscreen-free summer days and the nights you forgot to wash your face clean before bed add up, combining with repeated smiles, frowns, forehead furrows, and more to show the world that you’ve been around for more than a few years.
Hormone shifts can also throw what was once in balance off-kilter, so even if you followed every skin-care tip to a T in your 20s and 30s, you may still develop some signs of the toll time takes on your skin, be they fine lines or spots. Consider, too, that at this age, fat loss in key areas on your face can contribute to a sunken or even gaunt appearance.
The fact that you’re reading this shows that you care about your skin. Giving your biggest organ more than just a little consideration goes a long way toward presenting a more youthful look to the world, whether you’ve laid a solid foundation of care over the years or are just starting to explore ways to look fabulous.
The fact that you’re reading this also probably means that you’ve got wrinkles. From a few to a bunch, they’re inevitable, but they don’t have to dominate your face and broadcast your age to others. We’ve previously mentioned Botox® as a way to temporarily smooth them out, but you know that already. Dermal fillers are another excellent option. You know that, too.
By your 40s, the structure-supporting collagen that held the youthful roundness up for so long has visibly diminished. This can create wrinkles and more, including hollows and sunken areas that create an impression of age, even from a distance. Ultherapy®, an FDA-approved method of tightening and toning, uses ultrasound to stimulate collagen production in the deep layers of skin, which addresses sagging without the need for surgery in the eyebrow area, under the chin, and on the neck. It can also smooth out wrinkles on the décolletage.
Another option to address hollows and shadows is fat transfer, which is a surgical method that takes unwanted fat from elsewhere on your body and puts it where it’s needed, filling out sunken cheeks and changing a more skeletal look to a healthy one. Such filler procedures pair well with lifts—and particularly blepharoplasty, also known as an eyelid lift, which can smooth out contours as it eliminates bags and wrinkles.
And since we’re on the subject of lifts, now is an ideal time to bring up facelift and neck lift options. These procedures go deeper than the skin to enlist underlying muscles and tissues in the war on sagging. Lifts come in a range of varieties that can target specific regions as needed or wanted, but they all have something in common: long-lasting, rejuvenating results.
Here’s a look at some other advice on how to cultivate a look in your 40s that could make even people in their 30s jealous:
Get used to seeing sunscreen on lists of advice from us—and on your own skin. Perhaps nothing ages you more than that big, bright ball of light. Despite the fact that it’s 93 million miles away, you still need to protect yourself from its gaze. Repeat after us: “I will wear sunscreen every day. I will choose a brand that goes above and beyond in its sun protection factor, and that moisturizes even as it blocks out harmful rays.”
There’s another familiar word again: “moisturize.” If you think we’rebeing repetitive, consider what’s been going on with your face, which has endured conditions that are alternatingly hot and cold, wet and dry, calm and stressful for more than a few decades—and, you hope, will continue to do so for several decades more. Keeping your skin happy means keeping your skin hydrated.
Reveal a new you—literally. Resurfacing takes away the outermost layer of skin, removing with it the fine lines and spots lurking there. The newer, younger skin underneath will, once exposed, make you look newer and younger, too. Talk to a member of the team to determine what sort of resurfacing would be best for your needs, which may include creating a more uniform skin tone.
Sleep. Use whatever excuse you need to use to bow out early and turn in long before anything turns back into a pumpkin. Studies have shown that a lack of sleep leads to more visible signs of aging.
Like you, your skin is always changing, and Dr. Harry Mittelman, and his, staff are available to discuss what that means when it comes to your youthful, healthy-looking appearance. Discuss Ultherapy, a chemical peel or J-Plasma and other advice presented here by calling (650) 941-8888. You can also visit our office in Los Altos: 810 Altos Oaks Drive, Los Altos.
