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This weekend I had the opportunity to speak at a conference in Southern California and interact with other peers in my industry. And while I enjoy speaking and educating, another value I see in presenting is the ability to engage with other medical professionals and see what they are doing to build their practices and provide good quality care to their patients.
In several of my discussions, it was pointed out that there is a growing amount of information on the internet related to beauty and optimal aging and that many of our patients are increasingly confused as to which information they should use and what will actually work for them. And I agree. For many of my articles, I research other sites just to see what is being written about a particular topic and am always surprised to find what is actually out there. In addition to the multitude of sites, there is also a wide array of information related to specific topics and, not surprisingly, much of this information is either misleading or downright wrong.
To start off this week, I wanted to give you a quick overview of how you can begin to slow the aging process. These are not meant to be a quick fixes but, instead, more of a change in lifestyle over the years. These are also non-surgical approaches that are associated with very little to no downtime and so can easily fit into your busy lifestyle. Let’s get started.
The first step is to clean up your skin. Healthy skin says a lot about you. By keeping your skin smooth, fresh, and radiant you can go a long ways towards creating a very positive first impression. A few tips for achieving healthy glowing skin include:
- Use a good medical skin care line:
- Are you using a results-proven medical skin care line, simply applying products that your neighbor sold to you, or (god forbid) using soap and water? What you use on your skin is incredibly important and will go a long way towards helping not only rejuvenate your skin but also in protecting your skin in the years to come.
- Are you applying your skincare on a daily basis or simply using it when you remember? Good skincare in a jar doesn’t do any good unless you actually open the jar and use it.
- And even if you are using your products, don’t expect them to work overnight. Your skin didn’t age overnight so it will take time to reverse the brown spots, wrinkles, and fine lines that have accumulated. Be patient but do expect results. Take photos when you begin and take photos again in 3 months. Compare them to see what you have accomplished. If you’ve been compliant and using a good product, you should see results.
- Schedule a chemical peel:
- Frequent chemical peels can help remove devitalized skin and keep your skin looking healthy overall. And the good news is that you don’t need an aggressive peel to accomplish this. Many of my patients will come in for a series of light peels and find that these are incredibly helpful in keeping their skin looking fresh.
- Exfoliate:
- I love the Clarisonic device and use it to keep my own skin looking healthy. But I don’t overuse it. Once a day or every other day is enough. Too much can irritate your skin and actually make it look worse.
The next step involves the regular use of facial injectables. As we age, we lose volume and develop wrinkles. Both of these endpoints can be easily treated with facial injectables with minimal to no downtime and very little discomfort. To begin, I recommend the following regimen to all of my patients:
- Schedule your BOTOX Cosmetic treatments for every 4-5 months:
- By keeping up on these treatments, fine lines and wrinkles will not only soften and fade but can potentially also stay away. But you need to keep up on these. To help, we enroll our patients in Allergan’s Brilliant Distinctions Program. Not only does the program send you email reminders when it’s time to come in again but you also earn valuable points with each treatment that add up to money back!
- Keep an eye on your facial volume:
- If you’re noticing that your cheeks look a little flat or that you’re developing jowling along your jawline then it’s time to come in. Most people (men and women) lose mid-face volume beginning in the 30’s. From there, it’s all downhill! But a simple procedure such as DCV (Deep Cheek Volumization) can help restore that volume and keep you looking youthful once again.
Finally, you are what you eat. Your skin is an excellent barometer for your internal health. If your skin isn’t healthy, then chances are you probably need to fine-tune your diet. This is probably the most overlooked area but one that can not only make your skin look better but also improve your general health overall. To get started, try the following:
- Eat clean:
- Avoid many of the sauces and the salt that we literally dump on our food everyday and go for a more “clean” approach. To replace these fattening alternatives, try adding various herbs and seasonings to your food to give them a little zest! I personally add spices such as Ginger, Turmeric, Cumin and others to most of my foods. In addition to these spices helping me spare the salt, many of them provide very solid health benefits, as well.
- Go organic:
- I know…organic is expensive. But you pay for your health on the front end or on the back end in the form of disease, downtime, and a shortened life span. And did you really want to be wolfing down those pesticides and chemicals anyways? Probably not.
- Cut out the sugar:
- As Americans, we eat a ridiculous amount of processed sugar every year and the result is that we are getting fatter and fatter and sicker and sicker. And, we are aging faster. High blood sugar levels don’t only make us gain weight, they also age our tissues. But before you reach for those artificial sweeteners, understand that these are even worse for you! The only sweetener I recommend is Stevia. I use it in place of sugar and sugar alternatives and really can’t tell the difference.
- Drink your water:
- Most people don’t get enough water but instead opt for sugary soft drinks or caffeinated drinks such as coffee. To keep your body functioning properly, drink at least 8-10 glasses per day of water. Think that’s boring? Then add a few lemon slices or frozen fruit to the mix for flavor. Squeezing a little fresh lemon juice into your water in the morning and at night can also help alkalinize your body pH which also is extremely beneficial for your overall health.
- Take a few minutes to actually eat your meals:
- Ever wonder why you get that nagging heartburn or gas after every meal? It may be that your body is trying to tell you something. Many of us are used to eating on the go and literally inhaling our foods. When we do, our body has a tough time digesting the food and the end result is not only that we don’t feel good after eating but also that we don’t actually digest all of the food that we just ate. Take a few minutes to actually sit down and chew your food. You’ll be surprised at how much better you feel.
So the 3 steps that can help you not only look younger but also feel younger are:
- Clean up your skin
- Keep up on your injectables
- Eat wise and eat well
I hope these steps were helpful and look forward to hearing your insights and suggestions. Many of you may know that I recently launched an Anti-Aging Initiative; but many people don’t realize that I look closely not only at your overall health as it is now but also at ways in which we can help improve that health for the years to come. In contrast to many centers which simply check your testosterone level, I look at a much broader that includes not only the entire spectrum of your hormones but also at gut function and any lifestyle factors that may be holding you back.
For more information, I encourage you to call us at 303.747.6719 or feel free to email me directly at [email protected]
We look forward to working with you! Be well!