7 Ways to Maintain a Young-Looking Face

By VITA Daily

We all want to look as youthful as possible for as long as possible. We spend money on creams, facials, fillers—and even sometimes plastic surgery. To get some tips for how we can maintain a young-looking face, we went to several great beauty professionals including Dr. Kirk Brandow, founder and director of the Brandow Clinic for Cosmetic Surgery in Philadelphia, who has appeared on national programs such as Good Morning America and 20/20. Here’s what they have to say.

• Get rest

  By VITA Daily

  There absolutely is such a thing as beauty sleep. “Women come to my practice thinking they need an eye-job or a facelift when all they need is sleep. Sleep is a time when we rejuvenate ourselves and cellular turnover is at its height. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep nightly will make a huge difference in how youthful a woman appears especially as she approaches age 30 and collagen production decreases,” says Dr. Brandow. “A woman can speed up aging if they are constantly sleep deprived.”

• Use an overnight treatment

  By VITA Daily

  If you suffer from breakouts or skin dryness leading to wrinkles or blotches, treating your skin concerns at night, is a way to maintain a youthful glow. “Work closely with your dermatologist or esthetician who can recommend non-irritating skin treatments specifically addressing your concern,” advises Dr. Brandow. "You want to take advantage of overnight options available to boost collagen and heal skin while sleeping."

• Hydrate

  By VITA Daily

  When it comes to anti-aging and putting your most youthful face forward, water is key. Water flushes your system of toxins, which helps skin to glow. “Women spend a lot of money on topical creams formulated to boost moisture and hydrate the skin yet, if they integrated more water, even four eight-ounce glasses per day, they would see fewer wrinkles and an overall smoother younger skin texture within a month,” says Dr. Adriane Pompa, a Miami-based board-certified dermatologist who specializes in aging skin.

• Be smart about fillers

  By VITA Daily

  Fillers are used to add volume that diminishes as we age but people have taken it to extremes. There have been many advancements with fillers over the past five years offering more options and more sophisticated ways to administer them to achieve a youthful look. According to Dr. Brandow, many patients believe that filling their cheeks will soften their laugh lines, so they push doctors to administer two to four syringes in their cheek bones and cheek area at once. This can result in swelling and doesn’t necessarily lift their face. Fillers are often done as an alternative to a face lift but, if not spread out over several weeks, it just gives the patient an unnatural look that distorts their face and makes them look odd. “My personal preference is to perform the fillers sequentially. For example, I will use one syringe of filler in multiple locations. Then I’ll have patients return in four to six weeks and perhaps do another syringe to the same places, or different places, giving them an overall natural look. This leads to a softer, more natural result. The key to doing fillers well are going with small amounts every four to six weeks,” he says.

• Get facials

  By VITA Daily

  According to Dr. Pompa, one facial per month does wonders for skin’s clarity, texture and ability to produce collagen. “There are many at-home facials available one can do weekly. The key is knowing your skin type and ingredients that address your specific skin concern. Also, you can treat different parts of the face differently depending on skin issue. Let’s say you are prone to breakouts on your jawline, have wrinkles on your forehead and dryness on the cheeks, your dermatologist or esthetician can recommend a facial plan customized for you.”

• Consider lasers and light!

  By VITA Daily

  Lasers are another tool that blasts away acne scars, evidence of past sun damage and evens out skin, giving that flawless, youthful glow. There have been so many advancements with lasers resulting in more immediate results without downtime. Lasers typically cost between $600 and $1,200 per treatment depending on the city and type of laser. The advantage with lasers is accuracy. You can treat a specific area without affecting the rest of the surrounding skin.

• Tone down your make-up

  By VITA Daily

  One way to immediately take 10 years off your look is to revamp your make-up. Consider hiring a professional make-up artist who can teach you how to enhance and even modernize your look. New York make-up artist Carlo Geraci, who was protégé to Trish McEvoy and Kevin Aucion, explains that a lot of women are doing their make-up the same way they did 20 years ago. That bronzer that you loved in the ’90s when you were 24 may appear harsh and outdated at 44. “Heavy eye liner and strong lip colours may only accentuate wrinkles and fine lines. As women age, less is more when it comes to make-up. Opt for a great hydrating foundation or a touch of concealer, a pinch of blush, a swipe of mascara or a gray or brown eyeliner and a natural-looking lip liner topped with a tinted hydrating balm,” he suggests.