WilliamsFacialSurgery | Blog | Premature Aging

Question:

Old habits die hard, especially when they promote premature aging. Some people just find it difficult to change their accustomed behavior, even when that behavior accelerates the aging process.  Don’t think so? Just consider the water bottle. Researchers have found that drinking water from a bottle can lead to unsightly frown lines around the mouth. The repetitive sucking and slurping motion involved with drinking water from a bottle may be great for your health and ward off dehydration – especially after sitting in the sun or exercising – but can, over time, create wrinkles or aggravate existing lines and creases.  But are you ready to toss your bottles yet?

Habits like drinking water from a bottle, squinting in the sun, or puffing on a cigarette are all actions that can form premature wrinkles and make you look older before your time. Before you stop drinking from a bottle to avoid lip-pursing motions and opt for a cup instead, you should put some thought into what you’re drinking. The Harvard School of Dental Medicine has found that rats fed on a high phosphate diet – a key ingredient in dark-colored soda or diet cola – aged faster, and, as a result, warned that the mineral can age human skin and muscles as well.

Food for Thought

There’s more to what you do when you eat and drink than you may have thought. If you are what you eat, then you should know that a diet heavy in high-sodium foods – like French fries and espresso – isn’t much good for your skin, either. Healthy looking skin is much better suited for daily doses of lean proteins, whole grains, vegetables and fruits to counteract cell damage from carcinogens.

Now that you are digesting all the possible links to older-looking skin, consider that the average woman already looks nearly five years older than she actually is, thanks to habits like smoking, drinking and excessive exposure to the sun.

Such are the perils of routine behaviors in daily life that test the elasticity of skin, which naturally loses its resistance to wear-and-tear motions over time without any added help. But the natural processes of aging do not have to be as inevitable. Lifestyle choices can either slow down or accelerate the arrival of Father Time.

Give the facial muscles that are used in each action a thought. Each motion creates a groove beneath the surface of the skin. As you age, skin loses the ability to spring back into place after the tissue has been flexed. The grooves left behind then become permanent features, wrinkles or fine lines on your face.

Happy Faces

Of course, frowns are natural reactions to some of life’s consequences, but remember that furrowing the brow is a common cause of wrinkles. So, put on a happy face or, at best, be aware that repeated facial movement can lead to lines. You should know that squinting in the sun, sleeping on your side or stomach or smoking can also create unwarranted and premature signs of aging.

Cigarette smoke dehydrates the skin and speeds up normal aging processes while nicotine narrows blood vessels in the outermost layers and ultimately cuts off oxygen and important nutrients. Tobacco also can damage collagen and reduce the strength and elasticity in your skin.

Chlorine can also kill off germs found in pools, but that dip for a swim can also strip the skin of sebum – its natural oil – and leave tissue dehydrated as well.

Beauty Rest

When you wake up in the morning, you can probably tell when you’ve had a good night’s sleep. That’s because a restless sleep and the movements that go with it are likely to cause skin to crease and result in wrinkles. You can sometimes see these lines the minute you look in the mirror. Your eyelid may be slightly lower on the side that you were most prone to lie on. Crumpled pillowcases or sheets and blankets can make matters worse. A good idea is to sleep on your back with a pillow tucked under the knees to prevent shifting.

Cosmetic surgeons have also seen a rise in the number of women who have developed premature creases around their eyes and forehead from squinting at computer screens. Downward views at a computer shorten the neck muscles and cause the skin to sag. To prevent this movement from producing jowls and deep-set wrinkles, one solution is to keep your laptop at eye level and your chin at a 90-degree angle with the computer screen.

Speaking of screens, a good idea is to slap some on before heading into the sun. You are never safe from the ultraviolet rays of the sun, even while driving in an automobile. Research has found that most side windows – even in newer cars – are not equipped with tinted windows and may leave you exposed to damaging sun rays. Everyday sun protection is the best way to prevent premature aging – unless you prefer not to drive and sit on the passenger side where research has reported less prevalent cases of skin cancer than on drivers. Ultraviolet radiation is considered a carcinogen – a cancer-causing agent just like tobacco and asbestos. Repeated or excessive exposure to this carcinogen can not only damage skin, but cause cancer as well.

Scrutinize the sunscreen that you wear. Make sure the sunscreen contains active ingredients like zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzone or Mexoryl SX for best protection over time.

Winning Solutions

Unfortunately, bad habits are hard to break and most everyone is guilty of a few. If you are late to the game, cosmetic surgery can offer a winning solution to offset premature aging. A board-certified plastic surgeon can discuss options including facelifts and deep chemical peels that can erase years of poor lifestyle choices and offer long-term results that make you look younger. Dermal fillers are also quick-fix alternatives that don’t involve a commitment to plastic surgery, but can reduce wrinkles and fine lines and reshape facial contours.

If image is important to you, then keep an open mind about cosmetic procedures. Realistic expectations can mean everything and help to determine the success of your surgery. It is important to understand that plastic surgery is not a miracle cure for aging or perceived facial imperfections. However, when performed by a trained and board certified physician, plastic surgery can improve upon the natural aging process, both in the way you look and, perhaps more importantly, how you feel about yourself. Let’s face it. That is certainly something you can live with, no matter how many bad habits you have shed from your past.

For a pressure-free consultation where you can learn more about pre- and post-operative concerns and realistic outcomes related to facial plastic surgery and treatments, contact the Williams Center Plastic Surgery Specialists of Albany, New York, at (800) 742-2797.

Answer:

Old habits die hard, especially when they promote premature aging. Some people just find it difficult to change their accustomed behavior, even when that behavior accelerates the aging process.  Don’t think so? Just consider the water bottle. Researchers have found that drinking water from a bottle can lead to unsightly frown lines around the mouth. The repetitive sucking and slurping motion involved with drinking water from a bottle may be great for your health and ward off dehydration – especially after sitting in the sun or exercising – but can, over time, create wrinkles or aggravate existing lines and creases.  But are you ready to toss your bottles yet?

Habits like drinking water from a bottle, squinting in the sun, or puffing on a cigarette are all actions that can form premature wrinkles and make you look older before your time. Before you stop drinking from a bottle to avoid l
ip-pursing motions and opt for a cup instead, you should put some thought into what you’re drinking. The Harvard School of Dental Medicine has found that rats fed on a high phosphate diet – a key ingredient in dark-colored soda or diet cola – aged faster, and, as a result, warned that the mineral can age human skin and muscles as well.

Food for Thought

There’s more to what you do when you eat and drink than you may have thought. If you are what you eat, then you should know that a diet heavy in high-sodium foods – like French fries and espresso – isn’t much good for your skin, either. Healthy looking skin is much better suited for daily doses of lean proteins, whole grains, vegetables and fruits to counteract cell damage from carcinogens.

Now that you are digesting all the possible links to older-looking skin, consider that the average woman already looks nearly five years older than she actually is, thanks to habits like smoking, drinking and excessive exposure to the sun.

Such are the perils of routine behaviors in daily life that test the elasticity of skin, which naturally loses its resistance to wear-and-tear motions over time without any added help. But the natural processes of aging do not have to be as inevitable. Lifestyle choices can either slow down or accelerate the arrival of Father Time.

Give the facial muscles that are used in each action a thought. Each motion creates a groove beneath the surface of the skin. As you age, skin loses the ability to spring back into place after the tissue has been flexed. The grooves left behind then become permanent features, wrinkles or fine lines on your face.

Happy Faces

Of course, frowns are natural reactions to some of life’s consequences, but remember that furrowing the brow is a common cause of wrinkles. So, put on a happy face or, at best, be aware that repeated facial movement can lead to lines. You should know that squinting in the sun, sleeping on your side or stomach or smoking can also create unwarranted and premature signs of aging.

Cigarette smoke dehydrates the skin and speeds up normal aging processes while nicotine narrows blood vessels in the outermost layers and ultimately cuts off oxygen and important nutrients. Tobacco also can damage collagen and reduce the strength and elasticity in your skin.

Chlorine can also kill off germs found in pools, but that dip for a swim can also strip the skin of sebum – its natural oil – and leave tissue dehydrated as well.

Beauty Rest

When you wake up in the morning, you can probably tell when you’ve had a good night’s sleep. That’s because a restless sleep and the movements that go with it are likely to cause skin to crease and result in wrinkles. You can sometimes see these lines the minute you look in the mirror. Your eyelid may be slightly lower on the side that you were most prone to lie on. Crumpled pillowcases or sheets and blankets can make matters worse. A good idea is to sleep on your back with a pillow tucked under the knees to prevent shifting.

Cosmetic surgeons have also seen a rise in the number of women who have developed premature creases around their eyes and forehead from squinting at computer screens. Downward views at a computer shorten the neck muscles and cause the skin to sag. To prevent this movement from producing jowls and deep-set wrinkles, one solution is to keep your laptop at eye level and your chin at a 90-degree angle with the computer screen.

Speaking of screens, a good idea is to slap some on before heading into the sun. You are never safe from the ultraviolet rays of the sun, even while driving in an automobile. Research has found that most side windows – even in newer cars – are not equipped with tinted windows and may leave you exposed to damaging sun rays. Everyday sun protection is the best way to prevent premature aging – unless you prefer not to drive and sit on the passenger side where research has reported less prevalent cases of skin cancer than on drivers. Ultraviolet radiation is considered a carcinogen – a cancer-causing agent just like tobacco and asbestos. Repeated or excessive exposure to this carcinogen can not only damage skin, but cause cancer as well.

Scrutinize the sunscreen that you wear. Make sure the sunscreen contains active ingredients like zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzone or Mexoryl SX for best protection over time.

Winning Solutions

Unfortunately, bad habits are hard to break and most everyone is guilty of a few. If you are late to the game, cosmetic surgery can offer a winning solution to offset premature aging. A board-certified plastic surgeon can discuss options including facelifts and deep chemical peels that can erase years of poor lifestyle choices and offer long-term results that make you look younger. Dermal fillers are also quick-fix alternatives that don’t involve a commitment to plastic surgery, but can reduce wrinkles and fine lines and reshape facial contours.

If image is important to you, then keep an open mind about cosmetic procedures. Realistic expectations can mean everything and help to determine the success of your surgery. It is important to understand that plastic surgery is not a miracle cure for aging or perceived facial imperfections. However, when performed by a trained and board certified physician, plastic surgery can improve upon the natural aging process, both in the way you look and, perhaps more importantly, how you feel about yourself. Let’s face it. That is certainly something you can live with, no matter how many bad habits you have shed from your past.

For a pressure-free consultation where you can learn more about pre- and post-operative concerns and realistic outcomes related to facial plastic surgery and treatments, contact the Williams Center Plastic Surgery Specialists of Albany, New York, at (800) 742-2797.